Monday, August 12, 2019

Summer Bucket List



At the beginning of summer the boys and I created our "Summer Bucket List." Joel, Xander and I came up with a bunch of things that we wanted to do over the course of our summer. We have enjoyed having adventures and checking things off! I thought it would be fun to recap all in one place. I didn't get photos of *everything* but I got most!



Make a cardboard rocketship

Run in the sprinklers

Visit 2 new parks

Visit 2 new parks

Swim lessons

Visit the Colorado National Monument

Eat otterpops

Make a sidewalk chalk mural

Camping

Go down a waterslide (I didn't get any shots of the slide but it happened!)

Find a cool new picture spot
This was obviously one of my additions to the list. We had fun exploring this local lavender farm!

Lake day / Build a sandcastle

Roast s'mores
Eat snowcones
Go to a museum - Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Gelato on Main Street
Bowling selfie!

Explore a local orchard

The last thing we have to check off is our upcoming trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison where we will be camping and stargazing. We were planning on going in June but ended up having to reschedule for September. We'll still count it. =) But as Joel starts school this week our summer as such has come to a close. It's been a good one!

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Home Sweet Home

Our new home brings us so much joy! So naturally we wanted to show it off. =) We moved in on March 30th and have been settling in nicely (sans an unfortunate adventure in our crawl space--ugh!). Today I finally felt like everything was looking good enough to take some photos and do a video tour. Happily I present, as Xander likes to say, "my Colorado house!"


And because I'm me, I also took photos. Joel insisted on being in every single one, because he's silly and awesome like that. 

View from the front entry
"Family room"
"Sitting room"

Dining room

Glorious kitchen

It's so silly, but I just love the pantry door

Kitchen

Kids bathroom

Playroom

Playroom

Office
Master bedroom

Taekwondo shrine in the master bedroom =)

Master bath <3

Holley dojang in the garage

Backyard
We have major plans for the backyard. I will probably end up posting progress updates, but we'll see how it goes!
Backyard

We are seriously in love with our new home. The interior is everything that we really wanted, and we are excited to invest time, money, and effort into the backyard to make it equally nice. It is so wonderful to finally feel like we can put down roots. It's time to make our house into our forever home!

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

2019 New Years Goals

Happy New Year!

Every year we create a poster with our goals for the coming year. This is one of my favorite traditions! The rules for the annual poster are A) the goals must be achievable in one year, and B) they must be quantifiable, as in, they have to be things we can measure and check off. 

First, I like to review how we did on our goals for the previous year. To be perfectly honest, we didn't do so hot this year. 2018 was a year of upheaval for us. At New Year's we didn't know where James would be working post graduation, so a lot was up in the air. As things coalesced, some of our goals changed or fell by the wayside. 




James:
Did marvelously with his Duolingo study this year, he's been making great progress in Spanish. He did read (or listen to an audiobook) every day. He did obtain a post-graduation job. He did not practice the piano every day.

Joel:
Learned to read! Of course it's still a developing skill, but we love to hear him read beginning books to us, it's awesome. He's still working on his roundhouse. =)

Xander:
His goals were ones that we neglected this year.

Valerie:
I did not work on my novel "Allspeaker" this year. (Although I did make some progress on "The Seventh Guardian" fortunately.) I did pretty well with my photography challenge. Duolingo totally fell by the wayside for me. I did finish my poomsae challenge in time for my black belt test in October. Bike riding didn't happen as intended. But I definitely got pregnant!

Family goals:
We successfully moved to Utah, a location which meant we didn't need to find a new martial arts school, haha. We went on one of the two camping trips we'd intended. James and I did attend the temple three times. We are still working through the Book of Mormon together. We're terrible about walking our dog, but at least we've been on a date every week!

And now I present our goals for 2019!



James:
-Daily Spanish study
-Daily reading/audiobook
-Settle finances
-Create and follow personal exercise plan
-Weekly video journal
-Bake 12 new recipes

Valerie:

-Earn 5th Dan
-Finish "The Seventh Guardian" revisions
-Project 52 with Clickin Moms (ie weekly photography project)
-Journal weekly
-Read 5 new books
-Finish Duolingo Spanish tree
-Take a yoga class

Family/Couple goals:

-Successfully move to Colorado
-Family camping trip
-Go star gazing

-Find a new martial arts school
-Trip to Tennessee
-Create a family budget
-Attend the temple (number of times to be determined when we know what part of Colorado we're moving to)
-Weekly "Come Follow Me" family study
-Weekly date night

We also want to add "Plant a tree" if we end up buying a house this year. But we'll have to see!


We decided not to set goals for the children this year. We've decided  to wait until they're old enough to set their own goals. We feel like we shouldn't be forcing our ideas of what their progression should be, but should let them discover their own interests. Of course we'll be working on things together, but it's a little different when we're setting up checkboxes on their behalf. So we'll revisit those in later years.


We are excited about this coming year. We've got some big changes ahead for our family. Hopefully our move will go well; we are looking forward to settling down at last and hopefully not moving again for a while! =) 


We wish you a happy New Year and a great 2019!

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Kieran's Home Birth

My estimated due date was December 2nd. I fully expected Kieran to come late, and did everything I could to prepare myself emotionally for that eventuality. After all, Joel was 7 days late and Xander was 12 days late. I knew it was practically inevitable. But despite all my mental prep, it was still really rough, especially the last five days or so.

On Thursday morning (41 weeks + 4 days), my midwife Karla had me come for a non-stress test. At this stage of lateness, they start to get concerned about the placenta shutting down. The NST was okay, but not great. Kieran's heart didn't have any decelerations, which was good, but he didn't have great accelerations in response to stimuli, which is less good. At that point, Karla gave me a concoction of castor oil, juice, almond butter, and lemon verbena.

I had taken castor oil with Joel, and I had been pretty reluctant to try it again. Online forums are rife with warnings about the risks. But there comes a desperation, and with my midwife's encouragement, I went ahead and gave it a try.

About three hours later, I began having contractions. They were not super intense, but they quickly grew regular and stayed that way through the afternoon. I began to be hopeful! We had dinner, went to the store, inflated the birth tub, and around 8pm took the boys over to my parents for the night.

However, my contractions were not progressing. Karla checked me that evening, and I was only dilated to 3cm. It was devastating to have made so little progress after contracting all day. The problem was that Kieran was still posterior and his head wasn't engaged in my cervix. Karla gave me some exercises to do that would encourage him to turn around. I worked at them through the evening and into the small hours of the morning, and my contractions did grow more intense...until I fell asleep. When I woke up early the next morning, labor had stopped entirely. It was sooooo discouraging!

So now Friday the 14th had arrived (41+5), and I felt like we were back at square one. James and I went to Karla's house at 10am. She checked me again, and to our surprise and relief she announced that I was dilated to 7cm and 70% effaced! But Kieran's head still wasn't engaged. Karla gave me another dose of the castor oil concoction and sent me home to work on moving this baby around.

At about 11am, contractions started up again, as intense as they'd left off the night before. I moved between exercises, working to get Kieran to turn around. My mom brought the kids home for a bit, so we hung out before putting Xander down for a nap, then put a show on for Joel. The intensity of my contractions increased, but the interval stayed irregular, between 6-9 minutes apart.

Just before 2pm, Karla texted to see how things were going. When I told her what was happening, she asked if I was ready for her to come over. I told her I wanted to wait until my contractions were closer together. She warned me not to wait too long.

Then all the sudden, my contractions jumped to 3 minutes apart. After a few of these in a row, I decided that maybe things were moving faster than I'd thought. I texted Karla at 2:20pm and told her yes, I did want her to come over. She headed our way. I called my mom and asked her to come pick up the boys. So in the midst of stronger and stronger contractions, James and I packed up the boys and their overnight things. My mom and Karla arrived within minutes of each other. We said goodbye to the children, and my mom left with them around 2:45pm. It was a bit chaotic there for a bit!

Once they were gone, Karla checked me. I was dilated to 9cm and pretty close to complete. Ahh! So I called the photographer. I think I gave her a mini heart attack when I told her I was already at 9cm. Fortunately she made it over in time! (Unlike Karla's assistant, who arrived about 5 minutes after Kieran did.)

I labored for a little while longer before I got in the birth pool.We had the tub set up next to our Christmas tree. With the lights down low and "Ever After" playing quietly in the background, it felt like it was going to be peaceful and amazing.


But I only got to labor in the tub for about 20 minutes. Karla was monitoring Kieran's heart during contractions, and she grew concerned about the drop in his heart rate. Ultimately she asked me to get out of the tub so that she could control things better. Getting out of the tub was not very fun. We moved me to the floor; I ended up in this weird half-squat position. After another contraction, Karla told me that we needed to get the baby out, now.


There's nothing like the urgency of a midwife in a moment like that. On my next contraction, she told me to push and to keep pushing. In the background, I could hear Karla asking James to call 911, in case we needed help getting the baby to breathe. Now feeling frightened for Kieran, I kept pushing, certain that I was tearing as I did so.

On my third big push, his head was delivered. His body followed easily, and then to all our relief, he let out an enormous cry! James was able to hang up with 911 as we welcomed little Kieran into the world at 3:55pm.


I remember feeling immediately euphoric after the birth of my other children. Unfortunately it took a few minutes to get to that point this time--I'm pretty sure that Kieran bruised my tailbone with his little posterior self. It made it really hard to get into a comfortable position so that I could hold him. Ultimately James and Karla cobbled together some cushions for me to recline on there on the floor so that I could finally hold my baby. (Part of the adventure of birthing at home!) What a joy he was to hold at last!!




Not too long after birth, I called my parents and had them bring the boys over to meet their new little brother. They were all pretty delighted.



After my parents took the boys back to their house for the night, there was much settling in. Karla got Kieran's measurements: 8lbs 2oz, 20 inches long, and 14.5 head circumference. (And no tearing for me, huzzah!)


Karla finished examining Kieran and filling out paperwork. She and her assistant got all the birth supplies cleaned up, got me cleaned up, made sure Kieran was nursing well, started the laundry, then departed, leaving James and I at home with our snuggly little boy.

All in all it was a wonderful birth experience. Giving birth at home is awesome. It's empowering, it's peaceful, and it's sooooo nice to be able to sleep in my own bed afterward. James is the best partner; he was there every step of the way encouraging, comforting, and supporting me. This was our third delivery together, and he knew just what to do - applying pressure to my back, setting up things I would need, and caring for me and the baby afterward. I am more in love with James than ever, and we are both so in love with our sweet Kieran.


Thursday, January 18, 2018

I am pro-life.

It's taken me some time to get to this point, to where I feel like I have to speak up, like I need to make my position clear. It's been far too easy for me to stay quiet, keep my mouth shut, and do all I could to avoid not only contention, but even discussion concerning this matter.

I don't feel like I have that luxury anymore. I don't have the luxury of being a coward, of being someone who's so scared of confrontation that I won't even express one of my deepest-held beliefs. Not when I feel like the rights of millions of vulnerable people are at stake, not when I could perhaps do something about it.

I am pro-life. And therefore, I am anti-abortion.

It's been difficult for me to say this in a public forum because I was afraid of what people will think of me. I was afraid I'd be branded a religious nut, an extremist, a sexist. I was afraid that people would think less of me, think that I hate women, that I'm a bigot. I was afraid that people who are pro-choice would think I hated them or thought less of them for their beliefs, actions, and political positions on abortion.

In short, I was afraid of what others would think. Frankly, I still am. Yet, all that I've written about so far has been me. About my fears. My relationships. My cowardice. In sum, my refusal to step forward and say something was wholly and utterly selfish.

This is not about me; this is about the millions of unborn children that die every single year as a direct result of abortion. I don't know the current death count; the precise number isn't relevant. What is relevant is that these are children. These are small, incredibly vulnerable human beings who have the same right to life that each of us enjoy and hold inviolable. Each and every abortion ends a human life and irrevocably violates each of these children's right to life. Once an abortion is completed, it can't be taken back. That life is gone forever.

Many do not view it this way; to them, these children aren't actually children. They aren't human. They're just "fetuses"; they're bundles of cells that deserve no consideration as to their rights, because they have none. They are, at most, "potential" humans, who will gain human rights once they've exited their mothers' bodies. This concept of a non-human fetus is contrasted with the rights of women to bodily autonomy, a right that most pro-choice people hold as absolutely essential to equality. One person I've personally spoken with told me that they believed fetuses were human, but that the mothers' rights outweighed the children's right to life. I do not believe this to be a widely-held view, but it does exist to some extent.

I don't believe this difference in worldviews can truly be reconciled. To me and others with these beliefs, it is self-evident that unborn children are human with the right to life. To many others, it is just as self-evident that unborn children are not human and have no such right. How can such diametrically opposed viewpoints be reconciled? It can't in this generation; perhaps the message we teach to the next generation about what it means to be human and what it means to be equal is the only way to ultimately find a consensus, albeit not in our lifetimes.

I recognize that this is a difference in worldviews, and I respect it. I respect every person's right to act according to their conscience, even when I disagree on a deeply fundamental level. I respect their right to lobby for and elect politicians that will further their views, just as I hope they will respect mine.

Some pro-choice people who hear a view that children have the right to life respond that if pro-life people really respect unborn children's rights so much, they'll support social programs for needy expectant mothers. This is another discussion entirely that I don't have room for here, but I recognize that it's a valid question that does deserve in-depth discussion.

Ultimately, I am pro-life. In my view, the unborn child's right to life outweighs the mother's right to bodily autonomy. I am opposed to abortion in at least the vast majority of cases. I will not shame those who believe otherwise. I will not hold tasteless and shocking signs, post hateful things on the internet, or picket outside abortion providers. I will not demand that expectant mothers allow me to adopt their unborn child. Most of all, I do not and will not think less of women that choose to abort their unborn children; the vast majority of women in that position probably felt they needed to do so and that they weren't harming a human. I find it unbelievable that anyone would deliberately do something they believed was wrong.

I will, however, consider the views of politicians on abortion before voting for them. I will lobby for and support laws that protect the right to life of unborn children, and I will oppose laws that infringe on that right. I will support views of the constitution that find a right to life for unborn children, and I will oppose views that find otherwise. I will, as necessary, support social programs to support expectant and newborn mothers, in addition to policies that facilitate and support adoption for those who choose to place their unborn children.

I suppose that, in a way, this is about me. I will fight for the right of unborn children to live.

Sunday, December 31, 2017

2018 New Years goals

Hello, dear abandoned blog. I hadn't realized until I pulled up the blog just now that I haven't posted since June. Ooops! But, it's time for our annual New Year's post, so here we are.

Every year we create a poster with our goals for the year. This is one of my favorite traditions. The rules for our poster are A) the goals must be achievable in one year, and B) they must be quantifiable, as in, they have to be things we can measure and check off. Let's review our goals from 2017:

I will take a photo of our checked-off poster when I get back from Utah.

James:
He has not yet obtained a job for after graduation, but is in process. He has been applying, has had some interviews, and will be having more. We're still waiting to hear back from some of his first interviews. It's an involved process! James did not meet his weight loss goal. He did, however, complete Camp NaNoWriMo (twice)--he wrote 22,000 words of a story that he plans to complete after graduation. =P He has nearly finished his book-reading goal, and gave himself a grace period to complete his last book (he has a long flight this coming week with no kids!) He did not create something to donate. He has been very diligent about his daily scripture study.

Kids:
Joel potty trained this year! Yay! We tried early in the year, and it was a struggle, so we put it on hold until this summer. The timing was right at the end of June, and he did it! He night trained at the same time, which was extra awesome. He has not learned to read yet, but is in progress, and we are renewing that goal for this year, and doing the same for Xander's ABCs. Given that Xander is still learning to talk, that one turned out to be a bit ambitious for this past year.

Valerie:
I did indeed complete the first draft of "The Seventh Guardian" over the summer, which was a gigantic triumph. I did not meet my weight loss goal. I have also not completed the 100 Challenge yet, but I gave myself until Black Belt Testing in two weeks, and I'm on track to complete it. I did read the New Testament this year, and I won National Novel Writing Month in November. I completed a 52-week photography challenge, and I did read 6 new books this year. Yay.

Family:
We did not create a budget this year. =P We did go on a camping trip, to Falls Lake in September. James and I attended the temple 5 times this year. We did not walk Shadow twice a week, though we definitely have been walking him more than we had in the past. (We're terrible fur-parents.) We did go on a date every week this year. We did not practice taekwondo 2 hours every week, but we came pretty close.

Presenting our goals for 2018!

When we get back from Utah, we'll make an actual poster and update this. =)
James:
-Meet daily Duolingo goal
-Read 10 minutes daily
-Get a post-grad job
-Practice the piano 1 hour a week
-Secret goal that I (Valerie) am not allowed to know about yet

Valerie:
-Write the first draft of Allspeaker
-2018 Photography Challenge
-Finish Duolingo Spanish course
-New 100 Poomsae Challenge
-Weekly bike ride

Joel:
-Learn to read
-Learn to roundhouse kick

Xander
-Learn the ABCs
-Play a (very short) song on the piano

Family
-Move to: ?
-Find a new martial arts school
-Camping trips x2
-Attend the temple x3
-Read the Book of Mormon (nightly companionship study)
-Walk Shadow at least once a week
-Go on a date each week


We definitely have some repeats. Some, like walking our dog and going on dates, are important for us to maintain, and having them on our poster helps keep them a priority. We've dropped the number of temple attendances this year since we have no idea, as of right now, where we'll be living during the second half of the year and what our proximity will be to a temple.

Despite the uncertainty that our future holds right now, we are excited for whatever 2018 will bring! We hope that you also have a wonderful new year. =)

Monday, June 5, 2017

The Poppy Field of Alpine

I don't even remember how I stumbled across this blog about a poppy field in Alpine, Utah. Given that the poppies bloom only for a short time, I determined to try and find the location and take some photos with my kids.

This morning was the chosen day. I invited my mom to come (and I'm so glad I did!) We left Orem at 7am. I had the map from the blog above to follow. Little did we know what an adventure we were in for.

First of all, the directions on this blog (from last year) were not super helpful. The dirt road where you are supposed to turn was blocked off:


So I tried going around. However, the road (Moyle Dr) where it looks like it will go around, stops abruptly. Going forward, there's only a dirt road with a big sign that says emergency vehicles only, $500 fine. :-/

There is no road beyond my X, just a dirt path.

Discouraged, I got the kids out, figuring I could at least take pictures in the grass at the dead end, and make lemonade out of my lemons. However, as I set Xander on the path, he just took off! So the rest of us obligingly followed.


We walked and walked. Eventually, a biker came up toward us. My mom asked him if he knew where the poppies were. He led us a little further, then pointed out a grove uphill a ways, where he thought they were. It was about another half mile. The kids walked a lot of the way! Mom and I did end up carrying them up the last bit of the hill. (Thanks Mom!)


And then we found the poppies! It looks like other people drove in there, despite the signs. There weren't a ton of people, but I'm pretty sure we were the only ones that hiked in.








After taking photos, we hiked back to the car. Then we went out for ice cream (even though it was only 9am) because we earned it! :D I'm honestly not sure I would go back, unless I could figure out how to drive in. Or if I didn't have kids with me! Haha. But we had a great time on our little adventure, and I'll enjoy the memories!