
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Smiles All Around
Lyndsee will be turning 3 months old this week. She has been my hardest baby but these smiles make it all worth it! This past month she did have a double ear infection but got a good bill of health yesterday at the doctor. We also found out she gained 2 pounds in the past 3 weeks weighing in at 13lbs 4oz. All of that extra weight has landed in her cheeks and chins.Will was getting lots of smiles from her in this picture.


Life's Little Omissions
It all started back in March of 2008. I bought the wrong car. I mean, a Honda is a Honda, right? They are all perfect vehicles, aren't they? Apparently not. I managed to find one of those rare Hondas, the kind that is only a few years old and burns oil almost as fast as gasoline. And of course, the problems with the car were all my fault. Had I only sought the advice of a real mechanic (like Cydnee's brother Tracey) before I jumped headfirst into this pool of financial ruin, it never would have happened. I'd bought a car that needed a lot of extra care, and there was no one to blame but myself.
Fast forward to November of 2009. Lyndsee had just entered the world, and not more than 24 hours after carrying mother and child safely home from the hospital, the Accord started running rough. A quick inspection of vital fluids revealed a low oil level, not even a trace on the dipstick. Five quarts of oil later, the engine was running fine and a cataclysmic disaster was narrowly avoided. Until two days later, when no amount of oil would sooth the Accords fragile organs. Internal engine problems. Lost compression. A burned valve. I could not have been in more trouble if I had cracked the engine open and drank the oil myself. We were relegated to a single car family. Panic and irrational fear quickly set in.

After contemplating multiple options, I took the chickens way out and bought Cydnee the minivan she always wanted. (And by always I mean ever since Cydnee's sister Dawn got one and actually liked it). Out of fairness to Cydnee she didn't particularly want it in November of 2009. She did in October of 2009 when it seemed that was the only reasonable way to get around with four kids. And she was pretty happy with it in December of 2009 when she was driving it. But in November of 2009, when a car purchase we could not afford seemed the easiest way out of the predicament my transgression of March 2008 brought, we had to wonder how we got into a situation with so little options. (For the record, Cydnee was open to other options as well, like buying a newer Land Cruiser and selling the old one. But since we couldn't find any newer Land Cruisers for sale in Las Vegas, and if we had gotten a newer Land Cruiser we'd always have to worry about scratching it off road, getting a third car made the most sense in my mind)
Bolstered by the confidence of knowing that nothing I could do to the Accord could make it run worse, I started taking pieces and parts off the engine and stacking them on the roof of the car. Some things came off easily. Others resulted in broken parts that would ultimately have to be replaced. But finally I got the cylinder head off. After holding it for a minute to make sure nothing was leaking, I tried to lift it on the roof of the car with all of the other displaced parts. As the oil came pouring down on me that Christmas Eve on my nice, new clothes, I realized I had never checked to see if any fluid leaked off the head when I tipped it. Ooops.
I can't really say thank-you enough to Tracey for the relentless barrage of phone calls for assistance, or for helping out for several precious hours while he was in town, but we got the burnt valve replaced, everything cleaned up, put the head back on the engine, and even managed to fit in a timing belt and water pump replacement. As Tracey headed back home, my wife looked at the Accord with so many part still on the roof and asked, "Now how are we going ever get your car put back together? Are we going to have to take it to a mechanic?"
Slowly all the parts came back together. There were only a few minor mishaps, like dropping my 10mm wrench into the exhaust pipe, requiring several hours of my unskilled labor to figure out how to get it out. Ultimately the pieces came together and there was an eerie void of extra parts. Could the car really be drivable again? I started it up. It ran really well. I was getting pretty excited. I took it out for a spin. It ran good for a little while, and then the engine started stalling whenever I came to a stop.
Not good. The stalling engine had been one of the final symptoms before the Accord become undrivable in the first place. What had I missed? Cydnee wanted to know what I did wrong when I put it back together. With some more pointers from Tracey I tracked the problem down to an EGR valve that was stuck open. I clean the part. I put everything back together. The car ran like a charm. It was fixed, or was it?
Having put the final cosmetic pieces back on the Accord, I took it to the local car wash to clean off all the debris on the roof from months of housing displaced parts. As I accelerated onto the freeway, something went wrong. The engine kept revving after I took my foot off the gas. Finally I killed the engine as there was nothing else I could do. I coasted to the side of the road, defeated. What had I done wrong? Was this car truly possessed?
After searching frantically for a screwdriver somewhere in the car, I found a cheap little freebie from a recent computer show. While it wasn't an easy task, I finally got the inadequate tool to loosen the intake hose off the throttle body for a closer look. There had to be something holding the throttle open. But what could it be? And then I saw it...my flashlight. The flashlight I had set on the air filter, and apparently had forgotten to remove before closing everything up. I pulled it out and everything worked like a charm again.

It took me a little longer to get the car washed than it should have, and I decided if Cydnee were to ask I would tell her about the delay, but otherwise, did she really need to know how absent minded her husband really was? No, not really. After suffering humiliation and shame for dropping my wrench in the exhaust pipe, spilling oil all over my new clothes, not checking the oil often enough in November to prevent a burnt valve, and ultimately buying the wrong car in the first place, I decided to just let this slip by without suffering another humiliating defeat in front of my lovely wife.
I was safe. The car was running well. Cydnee was none the wiser about my little flashlight episode. I didn't really deceive her. She just never asked and I chose not to tell. Of course something as monumental as leaving a flashlight in your car, allowing the air to push it towards the inside of the engine was too big a story to be hidden long. Cydnee called me two days later to ask me if I was going to tell her the flashlight story. I was caught. I confessed.
Am I the only man out there to casually forget to mention something stupid I did to avoid embarrassment? Probably not. And I probably won't be the last. After all, we are men. I probably should have fessed up in the beginning. It was a really funny story. I mean, how often do you get to pull a flashlight out of your engine? And the Accord is doing much better. It has been cruzin around town like nothing ever happened. I had a lot of fun working on the car. It's great to get your hands dirty sometimes. I learned a tremendous amount, and feel a great sense of accomplishment. While I really enjoy working on cars, our next car problem can wait a couple of months, can't it?
Fast forward to November of 2009. Lyndsee had just entered the world, and not more than 24 hours after carrying mother and child safely home from the hospital, the Accord started running rough. A quick inspection of vital fluids revealed a low oil level, not even a trace on the dipstick. Five quarts of oil later, the engine was running fine and a cataclysmic disaster was narrowly avoided. Until two days later, when no amount of oil would sooth the Accords fragile organs. Internal engine problems. Lost compression. A burned valve. I could not have been in more trouble if I had cracked the engine open and drank the oil myself. We were relegated to a single car family. Panic and irrational fear quickly set in.

After contemplating multiple options, I took the chickens way out and bought Cydnee the minivan she always wanted. (And by always I mean ever since Cydnee's sister Dawn got one and actually liked it). Out of fairness to Cydnee she didn't particularly want it in November of 2009. She did in October of 2009 when it seemed that was the only reasonable way to get around with four kids. And she was pretty happy with it in December of 2009 when she was driving it. But in November of 2009, when a car purchase we could not afford seemed the easiest way out of the predicament my transgression of March 2008 brought, we had to wonder how we got into a situation with so little options. (For the record, Cydnee was open to other options as well, like buying a newer Land Cruiser and selling the old one. But since we couldn't find any newer Land Cruisers for sale in Las Vegas, and if we had gotten a newer Land Cruiser we'd always have to worry about scratching it off road, getting a third car made the most sense in my mind)
Bolstered by the confidence of knowing that nothing I could do to the Accord could make it run worse, I started taking pieces and parts off the engine and stacking them on the roof of the car. Some things came off easily. Others resulted in broken parts that would ultimately have to be replaced. But finally I got the cylinder head off. After holding it for a minute to make sure nothing was leaking, I tried to lift it on the roof of the car with all of the other displaced parts. As the oil came pouring down on me that Christmas Eve on my nice, new clothes, I realized I had never checked to see if any fluid leaked off the head when I tipped it. Ooops.
I can't really say thank-you enough to Tracey for the relentless barrage of phone calls for assistance, or for helping out for several precious hours while he was in town, but we got the burnt valve replaced, everything cleaned up, put the head back on the engine, and even managed to fit in a timing belt and water pump replacement. As Tracey headed back home, my wife looked at the Accord with so many part still on the roof and asked, "Now how are we going ever get your car put back together? Are we going to have to take it to a mechanic?"
Slowly all the parts came back together. There were only a few minor mishaps, like dropping my 10mm wrench into the exhaust pipe, requiring several hours of my unskilled labor to figure out how to get it out. Ultimately the pieces came together and there was an eerie void of extra parts. Could the car really be drivable again? I started it up. It ran really well. I was getting pretty excited. I took it out for a spin. It ran good for a little while, and then the engine started stalling whenever I came to a stop.
Not good. The stalling engine had been one of the final symptoms before the Accord become undrivable in the first place. What had I missed? Cydnee wanted to know what I did wrong when I put it back together. With some more pointers from Tracey I tracked the problem down to an EGR valve that was stuck open. I clean the part. I put everything back together. The car ran like a charm. It was fixed, or was it?
Having put the final cosmetic pieces back on the Accord, I took it to the local car wash to clean off all the debris on the roof from months of housing displaced parts. As I accelerated onto the freeway, something went wrong. The engine kept revving after I took my foot off the gas. Finally I killed the engine as there was nothing else I could do. I coasted to the side of the road, defeated. What had I done wrong? Was this car truly possessed?
After searching frantically for a screwdriver somewhere in the car, I found a cheap little freebie from a recent computer show. While it wasn't an easy task, I finally got the inadequate tool to loosen the intake hose off the throttle body for a closer look. There had to be something holding the throttle open. But what could it be? And then I saw it...my flashlight. The flashlight I had set on the air filter, and apparently had forgotten to remove before closing everything up. I pulled it out and everything worked like a charm again.

It took me a little longer to get the car washed than it should have, and I decided if Cydnee were to ask I would tell her about the delay, but otherwise, did she really need to know how absent minded her husband really was? No, not really. After suffering humiliation and shame for dropping my wrench in the exhaust pipe, spilling oil all over my new clothes, not checking the oil often enough in November to prevent a burnt valve, and ultimately buying the wrong car in the first place, I decided to just let this slip by without suffering another humiliating defeat in front of my lovely wife.
I was safe. The car was running well. Cydnee was none the wiser about my little flashlight episode. I didn't really deceive her. She just never asked and I chose not to tell. Of course something as monumental as leaving a flashlight in your car, allowing the air to push it towards the inside of the engine was too big a story to be hidden long. Cydnee called me two days later to ask me if I was going to tell her the flashlight story. I was caught. I confessed.
Am I the only man out there to casually forget to mention something stupid I did to avoid embarrassment? Probably not. And I probably won't be the last. After all, we are men. I probably should have fessed up in the beginning. It was a really funny story. I mean, how often do you get to pull a flashlight out of your engine? And the Accord is doing much better. It has been cruzin around town like nothing ever happened. I had a lot of fun working on the car. It's great to get your hands dirty sometimes. I learned a tremendous amount, and feel a great sense of accomplishment. While I really enjoy working on cars, our next car problem can wait a couple of months, can't it?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Family in Town and Lyndsee's Blessing
The holidays seemed to have some bonus time added to it when my brother Tracey and his wife Emily and their 4 kids came to visit the week after Christmas. They live in Rock Springs, WY so it was a special treat for them to enjoy our "warm" weather. We took them hiking to a natural bridge in the Eldorado Hills and also to Valley of Fire and even a little hiking on The Strip. We all happen to get tickets from Santa Claus to see "The Lion King" and I was able to part with my baby to our babysitter to go see it with Will and Taylor. I love musical theater and it has been a while since we have treated ourselves to a show like this. I found myself tearing up in the beginning scene because of the emotions the music creates plus being able to see my kids sit on the edge of their seats in awe. That lasted until the hienas in the play started singing about the lack of food and my kids started whining about it as well (they had seen the concession stands before entering the theater). It was a great night. All week long my kids were entertained by having their cousins to play with.
The kids wanted to see the M&M store on the Strip.
Our family with Tracey's family (except Emily who is taking the picture)
After getting home from seeing the Lion King, Will crashed on the family room floor. It was so funny to walk in and see this.
Reagan and Daddy coming down the rock stairs
The rest of these outdoor pictures are from the White Domes hike at Valley of Fire. It was only 1.25 miles long and took you through an old movie set, a short slot canyon and lots of rock stairs (which kids love!)
Hannah was quite the poser for any picture we took but this one was one of my favorite. The short bangs and hair are due to a haircut she gave herself about a month prior.
Later in the week, my other brothers and their families came down as well as my parents to stay with us for the weekend because Lyndsee would be blessed on Sunday. We had a total housefull and this with only half my family here and some of Eric's family staying in hotels. Lyndsee was blessed on January 3rd with her Uncles Tracey, Christian, and Ethan and both her grandpas and Bishop Trout and her Daddy gathered around her.
We made sure the morning of Lyndsee's blessing to be to church on time (thank goodness we were now attending church at 11:00) and were seated by ten to the hour. Eric walked up to the stand to talk to the bishop and I went up there to very briefly ask a favor of the organist. When we came back down to our bench, Eric noticed Will wasn't sitting there anymore. It was 5 minutes before church started so he ran to check the bathroom to see if he could find him. Eric and the rest of the relatives spent the next 15 minutes looking for Will! The bishop called us up to bless our baby and Eric came to me to see what we should do. I told him to talk to the bishop. We had a missing child and I had started panicking inside when Eric couldn't find him before church started and now I was in tears. As Eric was talking to the bishop ( I by the way wanted to jump up and yell to the congregation to help us find our son), my brother Tracey had tracked down Will in the bathroom and brought him in. Apparently he had spent some time in the parking lot and the bathroom and probably every place in between but managed to evade us all since those places had all been checked a couple of times. Eric gave Lyndsee a wonderful blessing but I felt bad when he came back down to sit and had sweat dripping down his neck. Everybody can laugh about it now but it was terrifying at the time.
Our family with Tracey's family (except Emily who is taking the picture)
Reagan and Daddy coming down the rock stairsThe rest of these outdoor pictures are from the White Domes hike at Valley of Fire. It was only 1.25 miles long and took you through an old movie set, a short slot canyon and lots of rock stairs (which kids love!)
We made sure the morning of Lyndsee's blessing to be to church on time (thank goodness we were now attending church at 11:00) and were seated by ten to the hour. Eric walked up to the stand to talk to the bishop and I went up there to very briefly ask a favor of the organist. When we came back down to our bench, Eric noticed Will wasn't sitting there anymore. It was 5 minutes before church started so he ran to check the bathroom to see if he could find him. Eric and the rest of the relatives spent the next 15 minutes looking for Will! The bishop called us up to bless our baby and Eric came to me to see what we should do. I told him to talk to the bishop. We had a missing child and I had started panicking inside when Eric couldn't find him before church started and now I was in tears. As Eric was talking to the bishop ( I by the way wanted to jump up and yell to the congregation to help us find our son), my brother Tracey had tracked down Will in the bathroom and brought him in. Apparently he had spent some time in the parking lot and the bathroom and probably every place in between but managed to evade us all since those places had all been checked a couple of times. Eric gave Lyndsee a wonderful blessing but I felt bad when he came back down to sit and had sweat dripping down his neck. Everybody can laugh about it now but it was terrifying at the time.
LYNDSEE'S BLESSING DAY
Friday, December 25, 2009
December in Review
We have had fun this month establishing new Christmas traditions in our family and watching Lyndsee continue to grow. I'm still adjusting to having 4 kids and so Eric did a lot of the shopping for Christmas this year. I'm thankful for this and also thankful for the turkey Eric made Christmas Eve so that we could have a special dinner to celebrate this wonderful holiday.
Here are pictures of some of things we did during this past month.
Taylor marched/danced in the Boulder City Light Parade with her dance group.
Will and Mommy took advantage of the truck-pulled trailer that led the dancers down the parade route and rode in the parade.
Reagan and Lyndsee were pushed in the stroller by Daddy down the sidewalk as they followed us down the parade route.
On the following Saturday, Taylor's dance group performed at the Winterfest in downtown Henderson on Water Street. She performed a dance number on the outdoor stage near the Convention Center.
Reagan, Will and Mommy waiting in the audience
On the following Saturday, Taylor's dance group performed at the Winterfest in downtown Henderson on Water Street. She performed a dance number on the outdoor stage near the Convention Center.Reagan, Will and Mommy waiting in the audience

Taylor dancing with her friend Abby.


Taking a bow
Eric went out with the missionaries one night dressed as Santa so when he was done he came by to visit his naughty kids and give them warning. Of course, they recognized him instantly. No fooling them! They loved seeing their Daddy dressed like Santa.
Nappy Nap Time - Lyndsee at 5 weeks

Eric went out with the missionaries one night dressed as Santa so when he was done he came by to visit his naughty kids and give them warning. Of course, they recognized him instantly. No fooling them! They loved seeing their Daddy dressed like Santa.
Nappy Nap Time - Lyndsee at 5 weeks
Eric got a free ticket to the "Gift of Lights" drive through light display at Sunset Park. The kids loved this and I was glad it was free.

The Saturday night before Christmas we went to Ethel M Chocolate Factory where they decorate their cactus garden in Christmas lights. It was really well done and I was so glad we went. It is the closest thing we have to temple square here in Las Vegas/Henderson.

The Saturday night before Christmas we went to Ethel M Chocolate Factory where they decorate their cactus garden in Christmas lights. It was really well done and I was so glad we went. It is the closest thing we have to temple square here in Las Vegas/Henderson.

Lyndsee looking at the lights

Waiting in line for Santa. Will decides to take a lick of the candy cane.

Taylor and Will were relieved to have a chance to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Reagan was a little hesitant in approaching Santa but did sit on his lap. Lyndsee was just done for the night.
Nothing more beautiful than a sleeping baby (especially when you are making last minute Christmas preparations)!
Christmas Eve Dinner - Taylor wanted the turkey leg.

The little kids table.

Lynn and Nikki's family joined us for Christmas Eve dinner.
The kids always get to open a present on Christmas Eve giving them new pjs to wear to bed that night.

Mommy's favorite present this Christmas was Lyndsee's new smiles for me.
Trying to get a smile for the camera

Hooray! I caught one (even if it was off-centered)!
Santa brought Reagan a bike
Between Grandparents, Aunt Marcy and Santa, we have a closet full of new games!
Pretty "La la" (Cinderella)

Waiting in line for Santa. Will decides to take a lick of the candy cane.

Taylor and Will were relieved to have a chance to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Reagan was a little hesitant in approaching Santa but did sit on his lap. Lyndsee was just done for the night.

Nothing more beautiful than a sleeping baby (especially when you are making last minute Christmas preparations)!

Christmas Eve Dinner - Taylor wanted the turkey leg.

The little kids table.

Lynn and Nikki's family joined us for Christmas Eve dinner.

The kids always get to open a present on Christmas Eve giving them new pjs to wear to bed that night.

Mommy's favorite present this Christmas was Lyndsee's new smiles for me.
Trying to get a smile for the camera

Hooray! I caught one (even if it was off-centered)!

Santa brought Reagan a bike

Between Grandparents, Aunt Marcy and Santa, we have a closet full of new games!

Pretty "La la" (Cinderella)

Christmas day was spent playing new Wii games.

Taylor on her new sewing machine
Eric and I also had our first date night since the baby was born. We got to go to Olives Restaurant at the Belligio overlooking the water fountains there for Eric's work Christmas party. The food was incredible and it was nice to get out for an evening even if it was just for only a couple of hours. Thanks to his company for providing that lovely time!
I missed some old traditions of the past like singing in Handel's Messiah, lights at Temple Square, and Christmas Eve dinner with extended family, but I enjoyed finding new activites and traditions with friends. We didn't travel this year for Christmas but many of our family will be coming next week for Lyndsee's blessing.

Taylor on her new sewing machine
Eric and I also had our first date night since the baby was born. We got to go to Olives Restaurant at the Belligio overlooking the water fountains there for Eric's work Christmas party. The food was incredible and it was nice to get out for an evening even if it was just for only a couple of hours. Thanks to his company for providing that lovely time!I missed some old traditions of the past like singing in Handel's Messiah, lights at Temple Square, and Christmas Eve dinner with extended family, but I enjoyed finding new activites and traditions with friends. We didn't travel this year for Christmas but many of our family will be coming next week for Lyndsee's blessing.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Missing Brain Cells
It must be true! Pregnancy kills brain cells. After being pregnant 4 times, my brain is really missing some power. Case in point: My previous post speaks about "Reagan" and Bailey being 11 days apart when I should have said "Lyndsee". After all, that is what we named our most recent daughter. The really funny part about this is that my SIL Robin pointed it out to me on our family site saying "You did put that Reagan and Bailey were due at the same time. Just thought I would let you know." I questioned her saying that I didn't know what she was getting at and that Reagan and Bailey were due at the same time--right? SO I not only made the initial mistake of calling Lyndsee Reagan but a second mistake when I honestly couldn't see what Robin was trying to point out to me. Finally, I asked Eric what he thought Robin meant and it was at that moment that it all dawned on me and I couldn't stop laughing. I do call Lyndsee Reagan out loud all the time. I don't know if its because this is the first time I've had 2 girls in a row or because I have a cousin named Lindsay and so no one else in my brain can have that name except for her. Either way, I really wish a person could regrow brain cells.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Baby's First Month
Wow! Its been a month now since our baby Lyndsee was born. She's been an angel and a challenge all at once. We are still working on getting on some kind of schedule and she still gets me up at least a couple of times at night. We've been so blessed to be surrounded with lots of help from friends. We've been spoiled with lots of meals brought in as well as calls and visits from friends who really care. Grandparents came into town to see Lyndsee and play with their other grandkids. That was definitley a help as most days I feel like my older kids get neglected. Most of my time has been spent feeding a hungry newborn and taking care of 4 little kids. Eric had that first week off of work and he was great to keep the house under control as well as take care of all of us. I so appreciated his loving care during this first week. The house is out of control and I sometimes wonder if we'll get our Christmas tree up anytime before Christmas but I am starting to adjust and recover and things are definitley on the up and up.

Eric's parents spent a couple of days with us.

Eric and my dad took the kids to a Nellis air show while my mom and I hung out together with the baby.
My parents came bearing gifts from family in Utah including these wall hangings that my SIL Nichole made to match the beautiful quilt my sister Dawn had already made. Aren't they so cute!
At the last minute, we decided to make a trip to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving. I was feeling well enough to do so plus we had our neice being baptized that same weekend and I didn't want to miss that. We also decided we wanted a minivan and there are a ton more of those on the market in Utah then there are here. It was nice for Lyndsee to meet her extended family as well.
Aunt Mary with Lyndsee
Cousin Anna with Lyndsee
Cousin Spencer with Lyndsee
Another really good reason we had to make the trip to Salt Lake was to see our new little neice Bailey. She was due the same time as Reagan but they ended up being 11 days apart. You can tell that Lyndsee is the bigger baby. It was so adorable to see these precious little babes together. I'm sure they will be good friends as they get older.

My parents came bearing gifts from family in Utah including these wall hangings that my SIL Nichole made to match the beautiful quilt my sister Dawn had already made. Aren't they so cute!
At the last minute, we decided to make a trip to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving. I was feeling well enough to do so plus we had our neice being baptized that same weekend and I didn't want to miss that. We also decided we wanted a minivan and there are a ton more of those on the market in Utah then there are here. It was nice for Lyndsee to meet her extended family as well.Aunt Mary with Lyndsee
Cousin Anna with Lyndsee
Cousin Spencer with Lyndsee
Another really good reason we had to make the trip to Salt Lake was to see our new little neice Bailey. She was due the same time as Reagan but they ended up being 11 days apart. You can tell that Lyndsee is the bigger baby. It was so adorable to see these precious little babes together. I'm sure they will be good friends as they get older.
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