Good times at home ...

Thank goodness for Kelli and her willingness to keep up the blog in my extended ‘absence’. Actually, it’s been more like a confinement in the basement the past 3 months. Straight from work to downstairs – nailing wood, running wires (only got electrocuted once!), hanging insulation and the like. Thanks to the great generosity of many family members we were able to get the majority of the basement work done within the 3 months and before Thanksgiving. As such we were able to spread out a little more when the entire Jones clan came over for 4 days of family reunion bliss :) We had a great time enjoying one another’s company, playing games, doing activities and eating lots of scrumptious food

If you don’t mind a few moments of personal reflection – the last couple of months have been somewhat anxious and exciting all wrapped in one. With the economy in a downturn and a democratic president coming into office, one can only help wonder if moving from the government security to a private sector defense contractor was a smart move. My company seems solid and still moving steadily forward with our contracts. Our group of 10 people does a lot of preliminary design for new projects, so as long as the company is vibrant and trying to bring in new business, one can conclude that we should always have work to do. Right now we are doing the design on the replacement for the space shuttle. It’s a lot of fun and I’m really enjoying it. All the wondering and anxiety goes by the wayside though every time we have a family get together. I see the expression on our kids faces and those of grandmas/grandpas/cousins and the like and I get a feeling this is indeed where we need to be right now. We’ll just keep working hard and I’m sure things will work out.

The kids have been very good at their one line comments lately, but I haven’t been very good about writing them down. Collin just today during our tithing settlement had a pretty good one. The bishop turned to him and asked what we should pay. After some thoughtful contemplation he responded, “Uh, pay attention?” We all got a good chuckle out of that one.

We also had the opportunity to get some high school friends together. It’s been a long time since the old gang gathered in one place, so it was good to reminisce and have some laughs. We’ve really enjoyed the holiday season. We’ve been able to hang lights and decorate the Christmas tree along with all sorts of other decorations. We were even able to watch the first presidency’s Christmas devotional – live!

Trey is doing very well and growing by the day. All his brothers and sister are extremely helpful and good to one another. Savannah has actually mellowed out quite a bit since assuming the big sister role with the little one --- only to be replaced by Hunter who has had a harder time adjusting to having a new attention grabber on the scene. He’s become quite mischievous with everything – include peeing on the new carpet downstairs and hiding a video game under the plastic toy slide. Hopefully it’s just a phase :)

Well – till next time our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

The Sit Up Challenge(d)

Jessy issued a challenge to his family to do the most sit-ups in December. He's got it down to how many crunches equal a sit-up, etc. He never told the kids about it, but I think the boys have picked up on their father's actions on their own.

Merry Christmas!!

So, I was playing with the camera settings, trying to get a cool picture using a technique I saw on a local tv show, when I finally got a picture where the person wasn't blurred along with the background. Unfortunately, he was doing more than the walking I'd told him to.

I love Hunter.

Newborn Guess Who

Can you guess which Jones baby is which??? The answers are at the bottom...I'll have to cheat to make sure I get them right.





The babies are, from top to bottom: Hunter, Trey, Savannah, and Collin

Baby Trey

Here are the details of Trey's birth--it won't get too graphic, I promise. I went to the doctor November 4th to find I was dilated to 3 cm but nothing was happening (this was enough to get me excited--I've never dilated at all with the others, really). She did what is sometimes done to help things get started without meds (I told you I wouldn't get graphic). Nothing happened until we went to dinner that evening and I had regular contractions about 10 minutes apart for an hour or so. Then they stopped. I felt like labor was probably going to start either that night or the next day, so I talked to the kids about it and cleaned as much as I could--tried out the new Dyson and completely filled it up!-- before watching the results of the election and going to bed. At 1:45 I woke up with a major contraction, sat up and checked the time and then laid back down. Another one hit pretty quickly. When the third one came soon after that, I sat up to check the time again and saw it was only 1:50! I couldn't lay down any more, so I got up and went through a couple of more before waking up Jessy to time them and help me by pushing on my back. It took him several attempts at timing before he woke up enough to remember when the previous one started and to be able to figure out how long it was between them (let's just say I was in no mood to be amused with him at that point in time!!). The contractions weren't consistently spaced or the same lengths, so I was nervous I'd be sent home from the hospital, but they were pretty hard and not more than 3 minutes apart, so I gathered up my stuff and went out to the car. I'm not sure what Jessy was doing, but he eventually came out, too. (Okay, he was really tired from working on the basement and I was only out there a few minutes before he came out.) We left home at 2:30 am and Jessy only ran two red lights (they were dumb ones and nobody was around). About 10 minutes before we got to the hospital I really felt I had to push (we were on I-15). Jessy's face was a sight to see when I said that. He got very pale and started reassuring me that I did not have to push and would make it to the hospital because we were almost there. (I think he was reassuring himself.) As we were checking in to the labor and delivery unit, the nurses at the desk asked which baby it was for me--when I said my fourth and the contractions were really strong, they skipped triage and took me straight to a room. The nurse checked me right away and announced we were "at a 9"--suddenly there was a flurry of activity and the two nurses that had been casually setting things up somehow multiplied into at least 5 people all busily calling the doctor or trying to get an IV in or asking about my medical history or getting gloves on "just in case." Luckily the midwife made it to the hospital in about 10 minutes. She took one look, broke my water, and Trey was born with the next contractions. Like Jessy said, it was 22 minutes from check-in to delivery. Crazy! It was all such a whirlwind, but it was definitely a good way to do it when you want to go natural. The nurse told me that if I have another, I need to go to the hospital with the first contraction, since now my pregnancy history will have rapid labor to go along with extra-large baby. (My mom says that Trey came so fast because Hunter made the chute big. That might be too graphic, but funny anyway.)
Trey is gorgeous (what mother would say anything else?). I thought he was bald when I first saw him, but he has quite a bit of hair--it's just a golden-brown color rather than the black hair our other kids had. He has Jessy's lips, droopy left eye (at this point, I sometimes think we have a mini pirate), and little head (his head circ falls in the 16th percentile--our other kids are no less than 75%). When the nurses cleared out after he was born, he was so alert and just cooed and gurgled and looked all around while Jessy held him. He is a good baby and sleeps SO MUCH!! I always thought people were lying when they said their babies slept most of the time and didn't cry much. It is possible, it just took us four tries to get one of that kind! Everything with this delivery/recovery has been so much easier than the rest--and not just because it's the fourth time. I really feel blessed!As you can see, Trey is loved. I think Daddy appreciates the "good baby" factor as much as I do and he loves holding him at his alert times (plus he's a fantastic diaper changer). Savannah loves to hold him, is an expert at getting him to sleep, and has even fed him! Hunter can't get enough, and when his cold sore goes away, he will return to plastering Trey with kisses and cuddles and holding him, then returning him, then wanting him back, then... Collin said he would not like the baby if we named him Trey (he thought we should name him Collin, or as a last resort Hunter, because those are the best names), but as you can see, he was all smiles when he met him for the first time. We love our baby and are so glad he finally came to join our family!

Trey Harry Jones

Good early morning, everyone! We FINALLY welcomed Trey into our family early this morning (November 5). Kelli had been having some minor contractions before bed, but then woke up at 1:45 with the major 'ouch' ones and soon we were on our way to the hospital. As it turns out -- we cut it a little too close. By the time we actually got to the labor/delivery area, she was dilated to a 9 and a mere 22 minutes later Trey was born. He weighed in at 7 lb 2 oz, 20" and was very alert and awake. Kelli did great and mom/baby are both doing very well. We will give more updates ... but for now it's about time to sleep :)

Mixed in our some Halloween pix of our witch, jedi and astronaut (Hunter changed costumes from a dog to an astronaut multiple times ...)

Good times

With it being a few weeks since our last post, some of you may be wondering "Did she have the baby? Is that why they haven't updated?" You can stop wondering. The answer is no. But in the meantime, we've had a lot going on. (And I'm sure I'll miss most of it in this post.)

First of all, we had a fun weekend when the Jones side came up over the holiday formerly known as UEA. We celebrated grandma's birthday, carved pumpkins, made caramel apples, had a yummy dinner and made and decorated cookies! It was fun for all!

Collin also had his last soccer game of the season that Saturday. It was a great game (forgot the camera), and it was exciting to see how much progress the team has made since the first game. Way to go Great White Sharks!

Collin continues to have his BYU fetish fueled by uncle Chris. He has worn his Harvey Unga jersey 3 days in a row--I finally had to quarantine it until laundry day (then Hunter hid it and it missed the wash! Tragedy!!). He was wearing it at Smith's one day and a grandma told her granddaughter, "Look, there's Harvey Unga! He's littler than he looks on TV." Collin didn't hear it, but it was cute.

Savannah has been busy with school and activities. This week is not only Halloween, but also red ribbon week. Today was crazy hair day. Here's a sample of her "craziness."

Hunter is doing well. We went to a "well-child checkup" even though he is in-between usual check-up times. It was to find a pediatrician for us before the kids REALLY need it. The doctor was great. Hunter enjoyed being nakey (down to his diaper, anyway), for the visit. We found out that the great, big baby he was has moved from the ginormous category to the small-to-average category (they don't do height/weight charts in Australia). He is 18th percentile for height, and 50th for weight. His head continues to be large--75th percentile. And he uses that big noggin well. He is always in an imaginary scrimmage with Collin. He is by far the best Wii boxer in the family. And, of course, that head holds all his crazy brains--the kid comes up with some wacko things. I guess that happens when you are the third child.

Jessy has been making progress in the basement. He can't wait until it is done so he can work on the yard or play with the kids instead of being down there all the time. (He did get out and dig up the garden, taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather we've had (after the early snow)). He is working on the finish work and hopes to be able to paint before the baby comes.

As for baby #4...there is nothing really to report. Besides feeling like I'm lugging around a watermelon and sometimes not being able to walk at all, there is nothing new. According to my original dates, I was due October 25. That day came and went as we spent the day travelling to and from Provo. I've had some days (always Sundays, oddly enough), where I've had 6+ hours of contractions, but it has done nothing for me. I'm hoping the change in weather this Sunday will bring about some action, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high. The midwife asked when I thought enough was enough, and I said I probably don't want to go longer than next weekend (November 7 or 8), so that will be my induction time frame if it goes on that long. I'm not too disappointed that he waits until Halloween is over, but I have predicted that he will come on either November 2 or 4...we'll see about that. I won't be sad to say good-bye to the heartburn/reflux, pinched nerves, and extra weight that just seems to keep appearing (I put off buying Halloween candy as long as possible, but parties and trunk-or-treats start tomorrow, and I knew I wasn't going to get back to Target before then, so now that they're here, I have to eat them. Almond Joys and Reese's peanut butter cups--they both have nuts, so they should probably be banned from trick-or-treaters anyway!). In response to the requests for a belly shot (it's funny that only you Aussies ask to see this!!), I'm posting one, but Jessy says I look mad and I think it makes me look bigger than I am (don't pictures add 10 pounds? or is that just video?). I'm not really in the mood for photos these days, I guess. We'll be sure to update when there's news to report!

Soccer and Snow

We've had some great laughs with the kids recently. First is Collin and his 'prowess' on the soccer field. He's been doing really good ... so good in fact that I need to bring in the reigns a bit. He scored a couple of goals last game and I kept telling him to get his teammates involved and help them score. So, the next time he was on a break away it was just him and the goal. He stopped, looked around, and then passed right to one of his teammates who then scored. He's been doing just awesome and we are all very proud of him.

The other big news is the dump of snow we had this weekend. Good thing it didn't hit while we were at the BYU game, but it did back home! Above is a home video of the kids enjoying some of the their first snow in a number of years (and for Hunter his very first!)

Kelli was having some pretty good contractions tonight so hopefully we are getting a bit closer :)

See ya!

Full Term!

Well, thanks to those who voted for our baby's name. And especially thank you for out-voting Stinky Doo-Doo. Hunter will be disappointed, but I'm sure he will be using it for a nickname. In case you didn't guess, Collin would like the baby to be named Jett. Trey is one the adults in the house are tossing around. I guess we'll have to wait and see...

We are officially full-term with this pregnancy. For most people, that means the baby could come at any time and be healthy. For us, it means our baby will come in about 4-5 weeks. Who knows, though, we could get a miracle! (Please just wait until I get the Halloween costumes done and Jessy is done travelling!!! But if you really must come now...okay!!)

Since the last post, Collin and Savannah both had their first field trips of the school year--Collin on a nature walk to the Ogden River Parkway, and Savannah to the Ogden Nature Center and the Treehouse Museum (or Moo-seum, as she still insists on saying). They both loved their adventures.

The Lindsay side of the family had a family reunion last week and it was fun! The mountains in Park City (and on the drive there), were pretty with the fall leaves and once we got there it was non-stop cousin time--yea! In fact, we didn't see Savannah hardly at all on Saturday and she had a blast with her distant cousins.

We travelled to Salt Lake again this week for my grandma's funeral. She had a massive stroke two weeks ago. I'm so glad we went to the funeral because it gave me a different perspective on her life--it's funny that you don't really realize that people had a life before you knew them (like your parents or grandparents). It was fun to hear the memories of her from her children and see the slideshow put together by Keith.

This weekend was fun--Grandma and Grandpa Whetstone came up Friday and Chris came Saturday. Grandpa helped Jessy in the basement, we watched General Conference, went for a drive in the canyon, and maybe most importantly, watched Collin in his soccer game. We love having them here and hope they didn't go home with more than they came with!!

As for Collin's soccer game--this week he estimates to have scored about 7 goals (it was around there--we all lost count). Lucky for me, I got one on tape. Between Savannah in my face, Hunter on my lap, and the fast pace of the midget-sized game, I don't always get the camera on in time (like when Collin did a goal kick to himself and took the ball all the way downfield for a goal). On Saturday, his team really beat up on the other team (other kids on our team scored, the other team didn't get a goal), but the other team didn't seem to mind much.

I should probably go back to bed.

Busy Days

Well, things are just getting busier and busier around here!! That's what happens when summer winds down. And we are excited for fall to start tomorrow (one season closer to snow, as Collin puts it).

Collin continues to LOVE soccer. He and Jessy are busy with practice and games (I guess we all are, since we usually go watch). He scored 5 goals in his second game, and this past week scored two (5 of the 6 players on his team scored--it was great!). Preschool is going well and it is his favorite part of the day.

Savannah loves her tumbling. Her tooth fell out (2 hours or so after school pictures were taken...I guess there are always retakes). She also loves school and her favorite parts of the day are riding the bus, recess, and lunch.

Hunter is a crazy man, but we love him. He dutifully tags along to all the extracurricular activities and is pretty good about it. He also is my little helper--with laundry, sweeping, garbage emptying and yardwork.

We've been going to the BYU football games (I nearly died when Jessy agreed with Chris that we should get season tickets), and love spending all day in the car with Erica and Mark, at the tailgate party with the Whetstone side of the family (and Jenny and some friends), and at the game. Hunter makes the rounds of sitting on everyone's laps (until he gets a stinky diaper...) and loves watching "the gun" (they shoot a cannon after each score). Collin follows the game pretty well and is very much into shouting "first down" and singing the fight song. Savannah's favorite part of the game is going out with Angie and Colton when he gets restless and doing cartwheels in the shade (and sometimes being spoiled with Dippin' Dots). It's a good thing BYU is having a good season--it's keeping Hunter and Collin happy, at least!

Jessy has another full-time job. He is working like a mad man on the basement. He just finished the heating and AC duct work, and is now working on wiring the lights and outlets. The plumber will be in next week, followed by the drywall crew in the beginning of October. He's set on finishing it before the baby comes, and I believe that he will indeed. He just got a new calling as well. Any guesses? He's the second counselor in Young Mens and the scoutmaster. I know he'll be great at it--he's had a similar calling in our previous two wards!

Speaking of the baby, I had an appointment this week (I was so excited-ha!-to get there, I got pulled over. Thank you, Mr. Ogden Policeman who called it a "pregnant moment" and let me off with that!)--according to the ultrasound, we are on track to have a 9 1/2 pound baby...again!! Isn't once enough for anyone??? I also got a job. Kind of by accident, but I'm not complaining. When we first bought the house and all the details on the mortgage and payments and everything, Jessy was wondering how we could pay it off and half-jokingly told me to apply at some local colleges to teach (he knew I liked doing it in Albuquerque, too). I checked a few out and actually applied to one, just so they would have my resume on file. (The HR people told me to do so because sometimes they need a substitute or something.) Nothing happened for weeks and I wasn't devastated or anything, but then, out of the blue, I got a call saying that this person wanted an interview with me. No details, so I figured it was about subbing. When I went, they said they wanted a person to teach at night at this other campus. And it has worked out great! It is more like a tutoring position as there are three sections of math, ranging from basics to advanced algebra and trigonometry. The students can enroll anytime and then they just work their way through the packets of each class until they are up to speed for what they want to do (nursing at Weber State, advanced electrician classes, etc.). It is ideal for me--I go twice a week for 3 hours. Just enough to get the mental stimulation I need and enough for the kids to miss me!! I also started working with the activity days girls, which should be a fun challenge--those 9-year-olds are crazy!!

So, our lives are getting busier, but it's making time go faster as we wait for Baby 4 to join us!

In case you need a reference...

Nanny McPhee

Napoleon Dynamite

Nanny McPhee and Napoleon Dynamite

When Savannah came home yesterday, I noticed something wrong with her mouth as she was talking to me. She proudly showed off her loose tooth. It looked like Nanny McPhee's scraggle tooth, but I didn't say anything so as to not hurt her feelings. When Jessy came home, I told her to show dad what was different about her. Jessy immediately said, "You look like Nanny McPhee!!" I about died laughing! It's gotten worse today, it still hasn't come out, and tomorrow are her school pictures!! Jessy tried to pull it out tonight, but he couldn't do it like Grandpa did it, so she just may have her scraggle tooth for this year's pictures.


We also have our resident Napoleon continuing to dress himself and amuse his mother (and probably all those who drive past our yard). Not only does he put on his boots with every outfit, but he found his "mailman helmet" today, and has taken up wearing that again. He's quite a sight, out there digging in the dirt with his get-up! We love our Hunter!

Seven years later and still going strong

For anyone who has never witnessed a Savannah tantrum, either as an infant or as she has gracefully matured, here's a small taste. She had toned down by this time, but we thought we'd preserve a memory or two for posterity.

Game On!!

Collin had his first soccer game yesterday – and he was on cloud nine the entire day … with the small exception that he was so disappointed he couldn’t play another game the same day. His game was at 8:30 in the morning and he just couldn’t wait … good thing he didn’t have to wait until the afternoon! Mom and Nathan came up and spent the night to catch his early morning debut and it wasn’t a disappointment! The ‘White Sharks’ as they have labeled themselves (and as evident by the color of their uniforms – Collin wanted to be called the white crocodiles but he was out voted --) were pitted against the Red Dragons in a ‘classic’ match. The fields are set up so that there are two PVC goals on each end of the field which is about 30 yards long and 15 yards across. Collin was just excited by the fact they didn’t have to use cones for the goals (unlike practice!) They play 3 v 3 with 6-minute quarters and a break long enough to change the players out. Collin started on the sideline (the whoas of being the coaches son) but we were quickly down 4-0 by the first quarter because the other team had quite the bruiser who literally threw elbows and ran kids over! The kids fought back though and Collin scored two goals! They were running all over the place. It doesn’t take much to knock the boys over, and they are overly dramatic in their response to a little kick in the shins or running into each other. All in all it’s hilarious to watch. Collin’s teammate Cooper added one more goal in the second half and the game ended up a 7-3 loss for our team. If there was any disappointment about losing, it didn’t show long once the koolaid drinks and fruit roll-ups came out of the bag. That is, of course, except for Collin. As we were walking back to the car, Collin asked if we lost. I told him that the other team scored more goals than we did, so yes, we didn’t win. Collin thought about it for a moment and then responded, “Dad, I don’t like to lose.” … in a somber tone. The he added, “I’m going to go tell my friend Carson that we had our first game today … and lost!” I responded with, “Why don’t you tell him you had your first game and had fun.” He thought about it for a second and then said, “I’ll tell him that later.” Not sure where he gets his competitiveness from … not that he ever had a chance between Kelli and I. We did have a lot of fun and look forward to many more games and fun. Just another funny saying from one of the boys -- at practice on Wednesday I was trying to teach them to pass. One of the boys picked up a weed (obviously wasn't pay too much attention to the important task at hand) and turned to me and said, "My Mom has these kinds of flowers in her yard!" Yes, many more fun days on the 'pitch'.

And one tired boy as a result!