My Brother the Rabbit

Last week my brother Ryan competed at the NCAA Division III National Track Championships in the Decathlon. He started off well - he usually dominates in the sprints. He jumped a personal best in the second event of the day (long jump) and did well in the shot put and high jump. The last event of the first day is the 400. Ryan is an excellent 400 runner. He was in lane 8 in his heat. While running the first curve he stepped on the inside line for two steps. He ended up being disqualified from the 400. (Don't get me started on the inconsistencies the NCAA showed here, and how a college volunteer made the call, and how other decathletes also stepped on the inside line when they ran but were not disqualified and admitted they should have been - I digress.) Ryan could have thrown a fit and become upset - instead he accepted the decision with grace and decided he was going to do the best he could in the second day of competition. Ryan did well the second day including being 2nd in the discus. The last event is the 1500. The guy who had been in first the entire competition was not a very good distance runner. The guy in 2nd place was nipping on his heels. Ryan volunteered to be a rabbit (pace setter) for the guy in first place. Ryan set the pace for him and continually talked to him and encouraged him to run faster. The guy ended up running a 25 second personal best and winning the decathlon. Ryan ended up running the 1500 slower than he usually does by about 10 seconds. If he had not been disqualified he would have placed 4th.

I can't describe how proud of Ryan I am. He competed with class. He was an example to all the competitors what it means to be Christ-like. I am prouder of how he handled the situation he was dealt than I would be if he had ended up 4th. And the best part is that I know my dad is in heaven looking down and saying "Way to go Ry!"

Ephraim got to spend lots of time with family last week. He met his cousins Elisa and Sadie, his uncle Ryan, and his aunt Marisa. He enjoyed spending time with them and can't wait to see them all again!




Nana and Ephraim hanging out.











Ephraim and Sadie. I don't think either one was really aware that the other one was there. It will be fun to see the size difference in a few months.










Uncle Ryan and Sadie







Aunt Marisa

Ephraim, Wallis and I went down to Oregon by ourselves last week to spend some time with Colleen, Elisa, Sadie, my mom, Michelle and Ryan. On Thursday Marisa and Hannah came over with Sydney and Grace for a play date. It was a lot of fun to watch the five kids interact and spend time with Marisa and Hannah. Elisa and Sydney helped my mom make lunch and ate an entire green pepper.
Grace can move around, but she spent some time hanging out with the immobile ones - Sadie and Ephraim.
Grace is a little peanut and Sadie is off the charts for height - so even though they are 5 months apart they are the same size.
Elisa and Sydney reading a story with Hannah. Thursday was a lot of fun and made me wish that I lived in Oregon so I could see them more frequently.

Just Like Dad

Everyday when Forrest gets home he changes into basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Yesterday Ephraim (who is 6 weeks can you believe it?) decided that he wanted to be like his dad and wear basketball shorts too - especially since it was so warm. When Forrest got home I had to take a picture of them looking alike.
Ephraim sleeping in his cradle. Notice that one of his legs is bent up in the air. Forrest sleeps the exact same way. I didn't realize that "Like Father, Like Son" would start so soon.

A Week of Reflection

Ephraim and I returned from a week in Oregon on Monday. We went down to visit my mom and my sister Colleen who was visiting from Wyoming. I have lots of fun pictures to share in future posts. I spent a lot of time this past week thinking about and talking about my dad. The 7th of May was Ryan's 22nd birthday. So far only my mom and I have had birthdays without my dad here. I hurt for Ryan - as it seems like Dad should still be here and it is hard to be happy when your dad is not there on your birthday. It has been 7 months but I still expect him to call me - and I hear his voice often. My mom, Colleen and I did a lot of talking and crying this week. We talked about how Ephraim looks like some of my dad's baby pictures, what my dad would be doing if he were here right now, etc. We talked about how my dad is still impacting people - he was recently given a meritorious service award from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. A few weeks ago, my friend Hannah called me and she had been thinking of my dad - so we talked and cried together. My mom, Colleen and I talked about how it is so great to have friends that share the depth of our pain with us and so many months later understand the need for us to talk and cry with them.

There were two very special moments regarding my dad this past week. On Saturday we tried to go shopping at the outlet mall (it didn't work out too well - Ephraim and Sadie had other ideas.) When we got there I went into the restroom to feed Ephraim. I was bored (he's a slow eater) and I was reading old text messages. The oldest text message in my phone is from my dad - back in August I was teaching him how to text and he sent me his first text message. It said "I luv you." It was amazing to see that text and is a sweet reminder of my dad. The other special moment was going to the cemetery with the three grandkids. I got to introduce Ephraim to his "Boppa." Elisa, Sadie and Ephraim were very loved by their grandpa. Even though he never got the chance to meet Sadie or Ephraim - he was SO excited to be having two more grandkids.

One Month

Ephraim turned one month old yesterday. It has been a month of discoveries.
*When he is hungry - he's hungry and will scream and cry loudly until he is fed. This is usually the only time he cries.
*He loves to cuddle. His favorite way to fall asleep is snuggled up on mom or dad's chest.
*Wallis barking does not faze him. Wallis licking his head does not bother him either.
*He loves tummy time.
*He likes his swing - most of the time, it really depends on his mood.
*He does not like his bouncer yet.
*He has been to the doctor's office 7 times in a month.
*His mom is a milk making machine and has 60+ bags of milk in the freezer.
*He has his mother's circulation - his hands are typically cold.
*He has finally figured out eating in the past week and now weighs a whopping 7 pounds 6 ounces. (slightly over the 5th percentile).
*He likes his car seat sometimes.
*He doesn't really like pacifiers - he prefers to suck on our fingers.
*He can get out of any swaddle we put him in - which is why we are going to buy a new swaddle blanket with velcro on the inside and outside.
*When he is sleeping - he will kick and move himself up in his cradle so that his head is right against the railing when I go to pick him up after a nap.