RE: Take Care

Hi Mom,

Well, I certainly didn't mean for an entire week to go by without an email but I have been so busy with work! I'm just trying to be prepared for my week up in SLC. We leave Fri night and I will work my 6 long days and probably won't be back until Nov or Dec, if at all this year. Owen will take a vacation (finally) and play golf and hang out with friends. He'll watch the kids for a half day or so everyday, too. I hope he doesn't worry about the shop too much. June was a bad month for the shop, so he's been hard on himself.

Anyway, thanks for your encouraging words of gratitude for being a part of the family. You have always made me feel so a part of it, and I am really proud to have you as my mother-in-law. I'm also really proud of you on your mission and people in the ward always ask about you, Woody, and your mission. How is it going? Are you keeping all the rules? Kim said that sometimes it's hard for you to tell the members of the ward "no" but you can always use the statement that it's the mission rules. Just a thought. Kennedy and Leo tell me almost everyday that they can't wait to be 6 and 4 years old to see Grandma and Papa Woody again. They really do love and miss you both so much! Kennedy learned about her "family tree" in Sunbeams today, and she was so proud of her tree, and she even mentioned it in her prayers that she really liked her family tree. On Friday, Owen was just feeling crummy about life in general and was apologizing to her for not being a very good dad. Her response was, "It's ok Dad, accidents happen!" :) Owen was reminded today how much both kids love him for who he is, a great dad. This was after he was chasing them around or having them chase HIM around the house. They love that physical playtime that I find hard to muster up the energy for these days.

And yes, with the warmer weather, I wonder how women get through pregnancy in AZ! I find myself swimming a lot with the kids. In fact, Kennedy is now an official swimmer without the use of floaties and can take deep breaths from one end of the pool to the next, just streamlining it! She took 2 weeks of lessons, didn't pass that course, so I took a 2 week break to work with her at home (she would swim 3-4 times a day for 45 mins to an hour each, Mom!) and when she started the lessons again last week, she was a different kid. She is SOO confident, and she REALLY loves it. Her ice-skating, dance and even art classes aren't as fun for her as swim. Leo, on the other hand, daredevil as he is, just doesn't really like it or just can't seem to pay enough attention to listen to the instructions all the way through to do what he is supposed to...

So... I am glad that you have had a chance to look at the blog. Like I said, you can post things yourself or just email me and I'll post for you. I'm sure that any young missionary there can show you the Permissions under Settings so that you can view who is invited to read and/or write on the blog. I made it private and only open for those invited to be able to view it. In the long run, this should be a great way to record all your mission "adventures!"

Last thing, I have an appointment to see my OB this week. We had an ultrasound done in June that indicated some potential abnormal heart thickness that might predict that the baby has Down Syndrome. We will be doing another ultrasound soon (likely this week or right when we get back from SLC), so we are praying that his heart is just fine. He also has some cysts in his brain but both Kennedy and Leo did too, and they resolved later. It must be the way my body grows these babies--I don't know. So, just keep us in your prayers that the baby will be just fine and healthy. For about 2 weeks, I was really worried, but after a lot of praying and pondering, we feel pretty at peace that everything will be just fine. No use worrying, right?!

Well, we love you, miss you, and we wish you happy early birthday! Kim said that you should get your Vonage phone this week or next (probably next).

Love,
Jeannie, Owen, Kennedy, Leo and we-can't-think-of-a-name-for-the-baby-yet