Christmas 2008

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Christmas was loads of fun this year! The kids got a mountain of presents. Bryson surprised me with a beautiful diamond necklace. It was wonderful to spend the day with extended family and, of course, our children. I'm so grateful that we get to spend each December focused on the Savior's birth, life and Atonement.

President Hinckley expressed it perfectly: "Now, the next thing of which I am certain, and of which I bear witness, is the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without it life is meaningless. It is the keystone in the arch of our existence. It affirms that we lived before we were born in mortality. Mortality is but a stepping-stone to a more glorious existence in the future. The sorrow of death is softened with the promise of the Resurrection. There would be no Christmas if there were no Easter."

Amen.

Girls basketball reunion

Last night I drove up to Park City for a little get together with some girls I played basketball with at Timpanogos high school. It was really fun to see everyone and catch up on each other's lives.

Sitting there with everyone, I started thinking that this group of ladies basically watched me grow up. I felt grateful for all of the people who knew me "back in the day" that have made allowances for the fact that a person changes a LOT over the course of 12 years (the first trip I went on with these girls was to North Carolina when I was 12!) and the inevitable trials that come with life's passage.

(I digress...)

Anyway, it was a very fun night. We took a "team picture" before I left. Playing basketball and being part of a team was so much fun! I have a lot of really good memories from that time. Even though I ended my career at Provo high, I'll always consider myself a T-wolf.

Thoughts and events from the Christmas season

Here's a little sample of what we've been up to the past few weeks.

This is our new house!!! Bryson has been working hard remodeling some of the interior.
View from kitchen of garage entry and family rm
View from family rm of kitchen and hallway to bedroomsHeather helping load the kiddos on our way to my family's ward Christmas party.

Me loading my handsome Hunter.

The three of us at the party. Bryson was working on our house so we were missing him.
Eleyna opening her first present on Dec. 23rd to celebrate the Prophet Joseph Smith's birthday.

Bryson helping Hunter open his gift. He got the Children's songbook on cd.
Eleyna playing with the wrapping paper afterwards. What a beautiful smile!

We are so excited about our new place and can't wait to move in--hopefully we'll be in shortly after New Year's. One thing I wanted to mention quickly is how grateful I have felt recently for all of the wonderful people who help me to take care of Hunter, but especially for his therapists from Kids on the Move. My physical and occupational therapists are amazing guys. They truly care about Hunter and all of the children they work with everyday. I know that the Savior has a special love for those precious spirits who struggle with imperfect bodies. I think He, along with me, cries tears of joy when He sees His other children working so hard to help improve the lives of little kids who cannot help themselves. I am so grateful to be able to associate with individuals on a regular basis who understand what it means to be a parent of a child with a disability--it helps me to not feel quite so alone.

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Surprisingly delightful!

Given my low expectations going in (due to the fact that I knew there was NO way the movie could do the book justice) I was unexpectedly delighted with Twilight! I really felt like the core of the story was preserved in spite of the few things I disliked (i.e. the scene in Biology when Edward smells Bella for the first time, Alice's character, the running scenes--to name a few). I was happy to read on Stephenie Meyer's website that Summit Entertainment is planning on making New Moon into a film as well.

A big thanks to my bff--Bryson--for going to see it with me, and not making fun of it. I think we were the oldest people in the audience!

Some thoughts that have been "weighing" me down

Bryson got me An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck for my birthday. The other day I was reading the chapter on body image and I haven't been able to stop thinking about what I read.

FACTS from the book:

• The average American model is 5'11" and 120 lbs.
• The average American woman is 5'4" and 163 lbs--seven inches shorter and 43 pounds heavier than the cover girls!!!
• A tabloid publisher named Louisa Hatfield told Australia's newspaper The Age in 2006: "Women are obsessed with body image. They think about their body image more than they think about their children. They think about it even more than men think about sex--which is about a million times a day, isn't it?"
• Cosmetic surgery is a $15 billion industry in America.

That last fact is true because the way God designed our bodies isn't "in" anymore. I think the reason this hit me so hard is because I have a DAUGHTER now. All of the sudden I'm worried about how to raise my precious little girl to believe she is a valued, beautiful child of Heavenly Father. How can I make her believe that if she hears me, her mother, constantly making negative comments about my own body? Will she believe me if she sees me spending too much time and money chasing an impossible perfection? I feel like if I'm not very careful I'll turn around one day and find the result of the "celebrity-obsessed, self-indulgent culture" we live in smiling up at me--my very own "prostitot".

The reason this got to me so much is because I am guilty of being a little too obsessed with my appearance. I need to make some changes.

Glenn really sums up what I'm trying to say:

"As parents, we need to start leading by example. Yes, the magazines, the ads, the plastic surgery--it's all part of the problem, but each time you try to squeeze your fat fanny into a pair of size four True Religion jeans, your daughters learn to pray at the same alter."

DISCLAIMER:

I love to play sports and exercise! I feel like I eat pretty healthy, but I do enjoy a few sweets and other "fats" in moderation. I absolutely believe that I owe it to my husband to do what I can to stay healthy and attractive for the benefit of our relationship. I intend on trying to instill all of the above in my children. Everything that I said in the first half of this post is not because I feel like "letting yourself go" is an acceptable option either. I just don't think that if you aren't a certain body type or if you experience physical changes due to pregnancy, or merely the process of aging, that the result should be loss of self-esteem.

A good friend of mine just announced that she is pregnant with her seventh child. (She takes great care of her body--she ran a marathon this past summer--and I think she looks awesome.) I want to share something that she wrote in conjunction with that exciting announcement on her blog.

"In this month for GRATITUDE, I am extremely grateful for another healthy girl. I am also grateful for my big, strong body. There have been many years when my perception of my body has been a trial to me. But this big, strong body has allowed me to carry 7 children, and for that I am eternally grateful."

I guess, in conclusion, I hope Eleyna will be able to feel similarly in the years to come. That I can keep an eternal perspective on this issue, and everything else I face in life, is my hope for myself and my children.

Remember to VOTE tomorrow!

Who we vote for does matter.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell in a talk entitled "A More Detemined Discipleship" said:

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions.

Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. M. J. Sobran also said, “A religious conviction is now a second-class conviction, expected to step deferentially to the back of the secular bus, and not to get uppity about it” (Human Life Review, Summer 1978, pp. 58–59).

This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.

In its mildest form, irreligion will merely be condescending toward those who hold to traditional Judeo-Christian values. In its more harsh forms, as is always the case with those whose dogmatism is blinding, the secular church will do what it can to reduce the influence of those who still worry over standards such as those in the Ten Commandments. It is always such an easy step from dogmatism to unfair play—especially so when the dogmatists believe themselves to be dealing with primitive people who do not know what is best for them—the secular bureaucrats’ burden, you see.

Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, "summer is nigh" (Matt. 24:32). Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat!"

(This address was delivered at Brigham Young University on 10 October 1978.)

Thanks to my cousin Brittany for emailing me this.

Nobody says it quite like Elder Maxwell!!!

Eleyna and Uncle Joseph

Living in my parent's basement is fun because my brothers and sisters get to spend more time with my kids. My sister Deanna is a really good helper, particularly with the baby. Heather often takes time to say hi to Hunter and hold his hand. Ryan and Joseph are both great uncles. I love these pictures of Joseph with miss Eleyna.

SO cute!

We're Moving!

That's right! We sold our house for a great price (no small miracle in the current housing market) and the buyers want to move in on Monday.

A few people have asked why we are moving. Now that Hunter is using his wheelchair more the whole split-level house is a nightmare for me. When I'm out running errands I need Hunter's chair, but he needs to be in it when we're at home too. Trying to get the wheelchair (which is super heavy!) up two flights of stairs from the garage is impossible without help.

So, we are trying to find a rambler that will be more accessible for our little man. A rambler is going to make my life much easier as well.

We don't know where we are going just yet but luckily we can take our time figuring things out while we shack up in my parent's basement.

We are VERY sad to be leaving our ward. We really loved living in this house!

A new adventure is always exciting though.

So, if you don't hear from us for a while, don't worry, we'll let you know where we end up. :-)

Bye-bye house!

The Perfect Storm

I read on a friend's blog recently that they believe the current economic crisis is causing undue panic in our country.

I wholeheartedly disagree with that conclusion. In fact, I am dismayed by the seemingly large percentage of Americans that are not concerned enough about what is taking place in our world today.

Last night President Bush addressed the nation on the dire economic straits we now find ourselves in. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have both stated in the clearest language possible that we are headed for a total financial meltdown barring government action of monolithic proportions.

A $700 billion bailout of our financial system has been proposed to try and prevent the disaster hastily approaching. However, in an open letter sent to Congress, only a few days ago, over 100 university economists expressed great concern for the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson. The letter is being described as the emerging consensus from academic economists. It highlights three fatal pitfalls they perceive in the plan as it was initially proposed:

1) Its fairness. The plan is a subsidy to investors at taxpayers’ expense. Investors who took risks to earn profits must also bear the losses. [...] The government can ensure a well-functioning financial industry [...] without bailing out particular investors and institutions whose choices proved unwise.

2) Its ambiguity. Neither the mission of the new agency nor its oversight are clear. If taxpayers are to buy illiquid and opaque assets from troubled sellers, the terms, occasions, and methods of such purchases must be crystal clear ahead of time and carefully monitored afterwards.

3) Its long-term effects. If the plan is enacted, its effects will be with us for a generation. For all their recent troubles, America's dynamic and innovative private capital markets have brought the nation unparalleled prosperity. Fundamentally weakening those markets in order to calm short-run disruptions is desperately short-sighted.

Robert Kuttner, one of five co-founders of the Economic Policy Institute, and co-founder and current editor-in-chief of The American Prospect recently said, "The deal proposed by Paulson is nothing short of outrageous. It includes no oversight of his own closed-door operations. It merely gives congressional blessing and funding to what he has already been doing, ad hoc."

(I like that quote because it echoes my own feelings regarding the "Paulson Proposal".)

A storm is approaching and the above tells me that no one is sure how or if we can stop it. Call me "Chicken Little" but I believe that the sky could come falling down quicker than most would imagine. Not only are we dealing with this home-grown crisis, several other situations are balancing on knife point.

On June 29, 2008, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Ali Mohammed Jafari, stated that if Iran were attacked by Israel or the United States, it would seal off the Strait of Hormuz, thereby wreaking havoc in oil markets. This statement followed other more ambiguous threats from Iran's oil minister and other government officials that a Western attack on Iran would result in oil supply turmoil.

In response, Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain across the Persian Gulf from Iran, warned that such an action by Iran would be considered an act of war, and that the U.S. would not allow Iran to effectively hold hostage nearly a third of the world's oil supply.

On July 8, 2008, Ali Shirazi, a mid-level clerical aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was quoted by the student news agency ISNA as saying to Revolutionary Guards, "The Zionist regime is pressuring White House officials to attack Iran. If they commit such a stupidity, Tel Aviv and U.S. shipping in the Persian Gulf will be Iran's first targets and they will be burned."

One analyst concluded that Iran could seal off or impede traffic in the Strait for a month, and a U.S. attempt to reopen it would likely escalate the conflict. Nevermind, that Iran is a country that could potentially acquire a nuclear weapon within the next year.

Do Americans understand how devastating it could be for us if 30% of the world's oil supply disappeared from the market overnight? Life as we know it would cease to exist.

I won't take the time to talk about the threats that countries like North Korea, China, and Russia pose, along with Islamic extremists across the globe, but let me assure you that they are real.

While I don't believe it is time to head for the bunkers, I do think it is time for the average citizen to WAKE UP and take a hard look around. Do you even know who your representatives in Congress are? Do you know how to contact those individuals? If we do not educate ourselves about the issues we are facing as a nation and then make sure our representatives are handling these issues to our satisfaction, we will have no one to blame but ourselves for everything going to hell in a handbasket. The perfect storm is gathering and if you haven't taken the time to prepare then a panic of epic proportions does not seem unrealistic to me.

Thank goodness a prophet of God has been warning us for years to get out of debt and get our food storage in order.

I feel a major "I told you so" moment coming.

*I got all of the quotes and information for this post off Wikipedia.org.

End of summer...

W-O-W, I can’t believe how long it has been since I posted something. I hate it when others allow their blogs to become really outdated, so, sorry about the lengthy gap in time between my last post and this one. August was a very busy month. Bryson kicked it off by going fishing in Alaska with my dad and brothers.He brought home tons of fresh salmon and halibut. I spent nearly every day hanging out with my mom while Bry was gone. All of the “girls-only” trips women seem to long for with their friends don’t look that fun to me. A trip without Bryson sounds downright dull for the most part. However, if I could ever convince my dad to let my mom leave him for a few days, :-) I would LOVE to take a little vaca with her and my sisters. At any rate, while Bry was in Alaska I went to the midnight release of Breaking Dawn.With my husband gone, I was free to neglect my kids and read practically nonstop. (kidding!) The week after Bry returned home from Gov. Palin’s great state, our friends from Spain, Xavi Costa and Anna Soler, came for a visit. They stayed with us for a week. We swam at the Heaton’s pool, went to dinner at The Melting Pot (I really love eating there!), and rented a cabin in Timberlakes so we could play in the mountains and nearby Park City.While they were in Utah, Xavi’s dad, Quim, was in Beijing at the Olympics as an assistant coach for the Spanish national basketball team. We watched Spain play the USA and got to see Quim on tv several times. Xavi and Anna left on a Sunday and the following Tuesday Education Week at BYU started. I had the most amazing time attending classes. I went to one class called “Rock-Solid Families” by Mark Ogletree that I really liked! He has all the Powerpoints he used at Education Week online at http://www.doctreefam.com/ (under Presentations) and I would totally recommend checking them out and discussing them for a FHE. Being back on campus felt great. I miss school.I got Bryson an evening pass too, so every night after work he went with me for a couple of hours. It was really fun to go to classes together. I have such a sweet husband that is so supportive of me. The last week of August was spent up at Primary Children’s so Hunter could start a new treatment for his seizures. The treatment is called the Ketogenic diet. So far it has yielded inconsistent results at best. Bryson stayed at the hospital with Hunter for three days because I didn’t feel comfortable taking Eleyna up to germ central. During their stay Bry was puked and pooped on! He is such a gentle, good father. Anyhow, that pretty much sums up the rest of our summer. I am so sad that the glorious warm weather is on its way out. At least there is still fall to enjoy before yucky winter arrives.Other than the constant battle with seizures, Hunter is doing well. He is getting so tall and handsome.Eleyna is a pure bundle of joy! She is the most smiley baby I’ve ever seen with the cutest little giggle. She sits up great in her Bumbo chair and is starting to rollover. Watching her develop so easily is a miracle. Props to all of you dedicated readers who actually made it to the end of this novel.

Brother and sister

Eleyna's blessing

We blessed Eleyna on Sunday, July 6, 2008. It was such a special day. I got teary eyed watching all of the men I love walk to the front of the chapel to bless my little girl: my husband, my dad, my Grandpa George, Tyler and Grandpa Rassmussen. What a wonderful bunch! The blessing Bryson gave her was beautiful. I had the opportunity to bear my testimony during the meeting and express how lucky I feel to be the mother of two. I am amazed at the faith the Lord has in me to give me such precious children to care for. He must think I have real potential. :-) It is strange to me that the world might think I am exchanging the best years of my life for drudgery as a stay-at-home mom. I'm not saying that I don't have hard days-I DO! But it is worth it. One of my young women came up to me after the meeting and told me she really needed to hear what I said in my testimony. That meant so much to me! Grandpa George bore his testimony too and said a few things about Hunter. The thing he said that stuck out to me the most was that most people come to earth to learn, but a few people come to teach-like Hunter. So true! It was a very sacred, beautiful meeting. I love my ward more than I can say! After sacrament we headed back to our house for food and visiting with the fam. My mom, Janeen and Leigh all helped me with the food so I didn't have any stress on the big day. Thank you so much girls!

4th of July Parade with the Durrants

Flaming Gorge camping trip

Bryson took us camping this past weekend to Flaming Gorge. I was very hesitant about going with a four week old baby, but it actually turned out okay. We left Friday morning. After we arrived at our campsite, Mustang Ridge, we set up camp. Thankfully we brought our canopy so the kids had some shade to nap in while we unpacked. It was really hot that afternoon!

That evening we walked down to the reservoir and the boys fished for about an hour while Eleyna and I read. It was pretty windy so the only thing the boys caught was seaweed because their lines kept getting blown back to shore. That night we enjoyed delicious tinfoil dinners prepared and cooked by my husband. After we put the kids to bed we roasted marshmallows for s'mores and did a little star gazing. Bry went fishing the next morning early and caught a fish. When he got back he made breakfast for me-the kids and I slept in. He put too much water in the pancake mix but he added graham crackers to the batter so I didn't even notice. After breakfast we packed everything up and hit the road. A good time was enjoyed by all!

Check-up at PCMC

On Monday we ventured up to Primary Children's for Hunter's check-up with the neurologist. Hunter's seizures have been pretty unstable lately so we wanted to discuss other treatment options in case we decide to make a change. Lamictal, Depakote and the Ketogenic diet were the three alternatives the neurologist raised as possibilities. A couple of families with disabled children have been visitors on our blog recently and I thought I would see if anyone has experience with the above treatments. We are hesitant to dive into anything new because nothing is guaranteed to deliver better results than the meds we are on right now. Though, the possibility that a different treatment might improve Hunter's quality of life is highly motivating. Since summer is such a healthy time for Hunter, we will probably make a change sooner rather than later.

Hunter working out with Tiff (his PT)

Father's Day

The two men in my thoughts on Father's Day were...my HOT husband with the big biceps...

And my awesome dad (who put up with quite a bit of grief from me through the years). What a handsome grandpa!

I love you both.

Just kickin' it...

2 weeks old!

I took Eleyna to her 2 week check-up on Thursday. She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz. I was really excited about this because it means the breastfeeding is going well. She was 22 inches long which puts her in the 95% for her height. (They must not have measured her correctly after birth because I doubt she has grown 3 inches since then!) She screamed and screamed when they poked her heel for the PKU test. It was really sad!

Eleyna's birth story

Bryson always teases me about how the minute you get a group of women together they start sharing their birth stories. This post is in direct support of that claim, but I'm going ahead with it anyway. Before I even got pregnant with Eleyna I was thinking about trying natural childbirth with my next baby. Overall, I had a good birth experience with Hunter. However, there were enough things that bothered me about the event to motivate a change.

So, for my prenatal care, Bry and I decided we would try a midwife instead of a doctor. Halfway into my pregnancy we realized that some midwives are just as medicalized as doctors. We found a midwife practice that was more in line with what we wanted and switched. About three and a half months before my due date we started attending Bradley classes. The Bradley method (also known as husband-coached childbirth) is a natural birth method that teaches with adequate preparation and education, along with help from a loving, sympathetic coach, most women can give birth naturally-without drugs or surgery. Bryson was very supportive of my desire to deliver naturally. He did quite a bit of reading on the subject and attended all 12 Bradley classes with me, without complaint.

Finally, it came time to put everything we had learned into practice. After a lot of pre-labor during the four days leading up to the real thing, I woke up around 5:30 AM on Thursday and knew that I was in active labor. I woke Bryson up a little while later and we started getting things together to go to the hospital. We were both worried about getting Hunter his morning meds and decided to labor at the house for a while so we could administer them as close to the normal time as possible. This proved to be a mistake.

Bryson was making some phone calls when my contractions really picked up. I was trying very hard to implement all of the relaxation I had learned in our Bradley classes, but I was missing "the coach." The laboring position that provided the most relief was sitting on the toilet. However, things were accelerating at a crazy rate and soon there was no relief to be found. By the time Bry and I were ready to leave I was in transition. (I didn't know that at the time.) Getting downstairs to the car about killed me.

Bryson was sweet to me even though he was now enemy #1. He kept trying to help me relax, even though he was getting yelled at in response. When we walked into the hospital the woman at registration immediately asked us if we needed a wheelchair. (I'm sure my face said it all!) Even though anyone could see I was in hard labor they still made me go to an observation room initially instead of a delivery room. Once I was on the bed the nurse checked me and told us-to our surprise-that I was fully dilated. The midwife was 20 minutes away but we decided to start pushing with the available doctor (Dr. Allen).

Pushing is supposedly the part of labor a lot of women enjoy. For me it was simply very, very painful. It took me a couple of pushes to figure out what I was doing and really move the baby down. During the pushing, Bryson was supporting my right leg. At one point, it felt like he was pushing on my leg instead of helping hold it up. I jerked it away from him and whacked the doctor right in the face with my foot. I think doctors prefer delivering women with epidurals because they prevent things like that from happening.

I definitely felt the ring of fire when the head crowned. Once the baby was out the relief was intense and wonderful. I started crying immediately. The next couple of minutes are kind of a blur to me. Eleyna had the cord wrapped around her neck twice so I didn't get to hold her right away. (She was perfectly fine, but they wanted to make sure.) Our doula, Kirsten, spoke up after a couple of minutes and asked if I could nurse the baby. It felt amazing to hold her in my arms. She was so beautiful. After spending about an hour together, Bry and Eleyna went to the nursery for her bath. Kirsten stayed with me. She gave me a massage and got me something to eat. It was nice to have someone there to take care of me.

When Bryson and the baby got back from the nursery our family had arrived. The entire experience was complete once Hunter was there. I can't describe how it felt to have our little family together for the first time. It was so special!

My recovery has been really easy and Eleyna is doing great. I'm really proud that I was able to give birth like I wanted. In retrospect, if we hadn't done things naturally, we probably would have ended up at the hospital much sooner and possibly needed some kind of medical intervention depending on if the epidural had slowed down my labor. (Eleyna's heartbeat was a little distressed during the pushing which could have been a problem if she hadn't been born so fast.) I'm so grateful to all of the family members who have helped out since Eleyna's birth; in particular, my mom and Janeen. My mom came every day the week after Eleyna was born to help with the kids. I'm so lucky to have her! My mother-in-law stayed with Hunter while we were at the hospital and brought us some meals once we were home. She is always so willing to help out in any way she can.

I don't get much sleep at night lately, but life is very sweet right now. Of course, I would be a complete mess without my best friend-Bryson is my rock, as always. It melts my heart to hear him call Eleyna, "sweetie." He is such a gentle man. I couldn't ask for a better father for Hunter.

I hope you are all ready for some more pictures because we've taken a million! Here are some of the latest.

New baby!

Eleyna Julia Bennett was born on May 29, 2008, at 8:30 AM. We got to American Fork Hospital around eight and she was born almost immediately afterwards. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 19 inches long. She has lots of dark hair which was a surprise! We are so thrilled to be parents again! More to come later...