2008 in Review- Kind Of

So I am finally getting around to contributing something to the blog. Part of my delay has been due to the fact that our pictures have been in such disarray. But I had a couple reasons to spend a little time organizing some of our digital picture files this weekend, so I thought I'd start by posting some of my favorites. Nothing in particular, just a partial (very partial) year in review for us for 2008. Hope you enjoy the photos and someday I'll get around to posting again and will be able to make it more interesting next time. I enjoy everyone else's blogs so much, I guess it's time I contribute something.

Myrtle Beach May 08

Peter Pan, Captain Hook & Tinkerbell

Halloween 08

Happy Kids July 08

November 08

Seth James Meeker

Seth was born on Thursday, October 30 at 12:12 am after a very long (for me) labor. He was 7lb.6 oz. and 20.5 inches long. Still pretty big for 3 weeks early. I'm glad I was induced early this time.
He's had jaundice, so he's been under bilirubin lights for the past week and the other kids are beside themselves because they haven't been able to hold him as much as they would like. But he is such a good baby and does so well even though he has to spend most of his day under something that glows like a fly trap. Frankly, the lights are driving me a little nuts. Now, to the pictures!


We thought the nametag at the hospital was funny. We don't think Seth is creepy at all, though.

Halloween

Here are our two unkempt vampires, Snow White and Pocahontas. The kids had fun at the ward Halloween party and then trick-or-treating. And they've been so nice about sharing their candy. What great kids.

Fall Pictures

We went to the gardens at Jared's office a few days before Seth was born and took fall pictures of the kids. They turned out really well. Good job, Jared. The weather has gotten very cold very fast, so I don't know what we'll do about Seth's fall picture. We may have to settle for an indoor one.

Back to School

The kids went back to school almost 4 weeks ago, but I am cutting myself some slack for being so late posting this because I'm pregnant. My brain is functioning very s-l-o-w-l-y right now.

The girls like to lay their clothes out the night before a big day. You can't see in the picture, but they even have socks tucked into the bottom of the pants. Crazy kids. I thought it was also pretty funny how they made the shirts holding hands.


Here are all the kids before we headed out the door. Laurel was so excited that she couldn't pull off a normal smile. All of the kids have been really excited about walking themselves to school this year, and I'm not complaining either.

Megan actually started a week after Laurel and Ben because the kindergarten teachers like to interview all of their incoming students the first week. Jacob was really mad that he didn't start school this year, but we started going to story time at the library again, so he has forgiven me.

He also sneaked (snuck?) the camera off of the counter and took lots of pictures of his feet with toys. This one was actually in focus.

Maggie is here!

Margaret Ann Dunkley was born Wed, Aug 20th at 12:29 pm. She was 8 lbs, 7 oz and 22 inches long. We arrived at the hospital at 7 am for our scheduled induction, and I had already started to dilate (a pretty sure sign that she would have been born that day anyway.) After starting the induction at 8 am, Greg and I walked the halls for about an hour and then the doctor broke my water. Things moved along pretty smoothly until about 11:30, when I had dilated to about 8cm. For the next half hour, the contractions were pretty intense, but didn't produce much change. The baby seemed to be a little posterior, so they had me try some different labor positions to encourage her to turn. After another half hour, that seemed to do the trick. It was a good thing that they had set up for the delivery at 10:30, because she came out on the first push! Her face was quite bruised from coming out so quickly, and most of the nurses who saw her were initially concerned that she wasn't breathing. After the first day, most of the purple had faded.
Here is Maggie's curly hair after her first bath. She pretty much slept through the whole thing.
And this is pretty much how she has looked since then. She is a good eater and a good sleeper, and she loves her binkie! We are excited to have our new little girl home with us, and we are all enjoying her sweet disposition. She already has her dad wrapped around her finger. After such a quick and easy labor, I feel great! It's probably a very good thing that Mom is here to help out, or I would probably be overdoing things. But with Grandma around, I get to take naps and showers and eat yummy healthy meals, and the kids are having a great time. We seem to be making the transition to 4 kids quite well, at least for the time being! Hopefully it keeps going this well after Mom goes back home in a week.

Anna in the News!

Anna wrote about a recent pizza delivery experience on her blog that has gotten a WHOLE lot of attention here in Utah. She was even on the news last night. The above picture is courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune.

My Run In with the Majority Leader in the Utah State Senate
I won't tell you his name because I'm afraid it could get me in trouble. Maybe this post could get me in trouble even without his name. Probably not, though, because there's only, like, 20 people who read my blog, and half of them don't live in Utah. But you won't have trouble finding this guy's name online if you're curious.

Work tonight was uneventful as usual, until my second delivery of the night. I show up at this pretty house with a 3 car garage and lots of expensive camping equipment airing out on the front porch. A boy, maybe 12 years old, answers the door, asks the amount, and yells it to his parents who are in the kitchen. I pull the pizzas out of the bag as the father walks out to me.

"Can you take a check?"

"I can't take a personal check. We accept business checks, but not personal
checks. Sorry."

He gets huffy. "Well, then you can take your pizzas back."

I'm thrown off a little. At worst people are a little annoyed that they can't pay with a check, but no one has ever told me to take their pizza back. I don't really want to go back to the store with $30 worth of pizza wasted. (It wouldn't have been entirely wasted--the employees would have eaten it for dinner, but Nick wouldn't have charged us for it, so it would have been a loss to him.) I'm deciding what to say, but he doesn't wait for me.

"Look, I'm the majority leader of the state senate, I've lived in this house for 30 years, and I've never bounced a check." He's gruff. I am uncomfortable, my eyes pleading, but I say nothing.

"Do you know what that means? I'm a public figure. If I bounced a check, it would be all over the papers. I'd lose my reputation!"

My jaw drops as though I will say something, but I can't figure out what words are supposed to come out. He starts to walk away. "If you don't have cash, you can call the store and pay with a debit or credit card, and you can still have the pizza," I manage.

"What's the number?" He sounds angry enough to become abusive at any moment. Even taking my anxiety disorder into account, I believe this is a rational fear. "Who should I talk to?"

"Whoever answers the phone will be able to help you," I say, assuming he is just going to pay the bill. I give him the number.

The phone call: "I'd like to speak to the manager...Good. What's your name, ma'am?...Oh. What's your name, sir?...My name is _____. There's a nice young lady here who says she can't take my check."

From the tone he's been using, I'd never have guessed he thought I was a "nice young lady" or even a human being with feelings.

"Look, I'm the majority leader in the state senate..." etc., everything he told me.

"No one told my wife you don't take checks when she made the order."

I was not about to step in and tell him I took the order and had given her the option of cash or credit, saying nothing either way about checks. Luckily, the wife spoke up and said what I was thinking. She and her daughters were clearly embarrassed.

"Look, I'm a CPA, so I know a check is the same as cash."

Yeah, if it's a cashier's check.

"Where are you from? I'm from Chicago. You're probably from New York, right?"

How is this relevant?

"You're from Massachusetts? We're both Easterners."

Since when is Chicago considered the East?

"Then you must understand that a check is the same thing as cash. I'm from an old school of thought and I'm a CPA, so I understand that a check is as good as cash...Yes, I understand--trying to build a business and everything, but it's all money in the bank...Yes, you can talk to her."

Mr. Logical Fallacy hands me the phone, and I'd like to say, "Nick, I'm sorry I sicked this long-winded bastard on you," but I just say, "Hi, Nick." He tells me I can take the check as long as the man shows me his driver's license and I write the license number on the check. I hang up the phone and tell Mr. Impressive Title what Nick said.

Taking the phone back, "What's that number again?"

Why is he still pissed? He's getting his way. I really hope the restaurant's not busy right now because Mr. Doesn't Know When to Stop has been keeping Nick from making pizza or doing anything else for several minutes, and who knows how long he'll talk this time.

The second phone call: "Nick? This is ____ again. I'm going to give you my American Express number, and pay for it that way."

Huh? Why have I been standing in this guy's front hall for the past 10 minutes?

"Look, why should I give my credit card number and the security number on the back when some unscrupulous business owner could make fraudulent charges on it?...A check is the same as cash--"

Again? Really?

"--but with a check you get the amount I give you. Don't you know what someone could do with the account number for a card with no credit limit?"

1) Is he accusing Nick of being a corrupt business owner? I thought people were supposed to distrust politicians, not the other way around. 2) Is he bragging about his credit?

An embarrassed daughter emerges from the kitchen and tells me I can put the pizzas down if they're getting heavy. I thank her, but hold on to the pizza. Somehow, having the boxes in my hands is giving me a sense of security. Without them, I would feel naked and vulnerable.

Mr. Ridiculously Pissed Off gives Nick the credit card number and angrily reiterates everything he has already said in both phone calls. After he hangs up, he takes the pizza from me. "This isn't your fault. You've been very professional about this."

Since when is staring uneasily at the pizza boxes I'm holding considered professional? Whatever.

"I'm sorry about this," he continues, but he still sounds like he's stifling profanity with great difficulty.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry for the confusion and inconvenience." Let's end this amicably. I turn to the door.

"Hold on just a second."

Ah! I just want to get out!

"Does anyone have any cash? I don't have any. Someone have a couple bucks?"

One of his daughters comes up with $2. Crappy tip, especially after making me suffer through that ordeal.

Aren't politicians supposed to be charismatic and stuff? I guess it doesn't matter what they're like in their private life. Maybe it should matter. Needless to say, now that I am registered to vote in Utah, I will not be supporting ____, current Majority Leader in the Utah State Senate. If you live in Utah, I hope you won't support him either. He is obnoxious and prideful. He argues illogically, citing irrelevant details as some sort of proof. I suspect his overly aggressive and defensive behavior masks some insecurity. But what do I know?

Nesting

So, over the last couple of months I have been hit with a major case of nesting. I think that this is the first time I have really felt this instinct because this is the first time I have not had to move 4-8 weeks after giving birth. Since I haven't had to pack, I have had to find other ways to keep myself busy.
I started out by working on the outside of the house--we repainted the exterior and got grates installed over our basement window wells.
Then I got the new nursery furniture set up and the baby's room decorated. The kids helped me get out the new car seat and stroller and have spent the last several days putting dolls in the car seat and crib and calling them "Baby Maggie."
I finished making a special blanket for the baby (not that she will need it much in the middle of August) and working on some baby gifts for James and PJ's and Karen and Jared's new arrivals. No pictures, though--I don't want to ruin the surprise!
I washed and organized all the baby clothes and put them away. And before Mom came, I made sure that I got a chance to paint the office and get it organized so she would have somewhere to stay.

There are still a few items on my "to do" list, but they will have to wait, since my induction is supposed to begin at 7 am tomorrow. Somehow, balancing my checkbook never quite made it to the top of the list. But it will still be there when I get home. And so will the newest member of our family! I will be sure to post some pictures of Maggie soon.

Hawaii

Jared and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a little early this year since we'll have a 1 month old baby in December for our real anniversary. The stars aligned for our trip to Hawaii; we got bumped to first class for our flight from San Francisco to Honolulu because the flight was full and then upgraded to a convertible for only $10 more a day. It was pretty nice.

Here's Jared in the fancy car:


The view from our hotel in Waikiki (notice the dog surfing):


On the ferry to the Atlantis submarine (it was fun, but Jared saw more when snorkeling):


And, of course, the fire eater at the Polynesian Cultural Center:


We had a great time. A million thanks to Mom for watching the kids for the week. I'm sure it was tiring, especially since Jacob accidentally slammed the door on her toe the first day and she was in a walking cast the whole week. Yet, the house was still cleaner when we got home than when we left. Amazing, Mom. Thank you, thank you.

CUL-DE-SAC OF FIRE!!

Music! Pyrotechnics! Third degree burns!



The first year we lived in our house, our neighbors invited us out for "cul-de-sac of fire" on the Fourth of July. Since then, we have been contributing fireworks and man-power to this annual event, and inviting more of our neighbors over. It has gotten to be a pretty big deal around here. And a pretty impressive fireworks display. No, we haven't had any burn victims and hope to keep it that way.

We may not have Blue Man Group or Miley Cyrus like Stadium of Fire, but we do have free popsicles. Come visit us for the Fourth sometime; it's much better in person. In the meantime, I'll see if I can make the video of the finale a little smaller so I can upload it.

Megan's birthday

Megan turned 5 on Wednesday. She has been asking how close her birthday is for about two months, so she was so pleased that it finally arrived. She was upset that she had to wait to open her presents, but was very excited and appreciative once she was allowed. She feels like such a big girl. Now if we can just get her to stop sucking her thumb...

Busy Week

We've had a busy (and fun) week. Last Saturday we went to the carnival at Orem Summerfest. The kids had a great time. Most of the rides were just for kids, but we all went on the ferris wheel together. Jared and I there proved ourselves to be big ride wimps. We were both holding on for our lives. Although, in our defense, they were running it really fast to get more people through the line.

Laurel and Jacob on the pirate ride.


Megan and Ben on the same ride.

We have also been doing out summer "field trips" because we really, really need to get out of the house sometimes. This week was the aquarium.

Here's Jacob checking out some anemones.


And everyone in front of the jellyfish tank. It was dark, so I couldn't quite tell when they were ready for the picture, hence the weird faces. I also searched for a sign to see whether I could even take flash photos. I found it right after I took this picture. I was really worried that I had traumatized the jellyfish, but then I realized that jellyfish don't have eyes. So they're probably ok.

Favorite Things

Ok, this is for Leca. And whoever else is interested.

These are the most delicious tortillas in the world. They are worth the trouble of cooking. We get ours at Costco, but I've seen smaller packages at the regular grocery store.

Also very yummy. I like the raspberry filled ones best, but I couldn't find them last time I was at the store. So sad.

Same thing as magic eraser, but they have a blue sponge on the back so you can use every bit of that disintegrating eraser sponge. I don't know how any mom ever got along without these. It got permanent marker off our wood floor. Need I say more?

Gardening

Last Monday, the kids and I decided to get some stuff planted in the garden (finally). We were a lot late getting our stuff in the ground, so we bought some plants instead of doing seeds. The kids were excited to try out their new gardening gear.


Here they are with the plants they chose (two tomatoes, watermelon and eggplant). They were really good about pulling out weeds with me and are keeping things watered, too. Hopefully these plants won't mysteriously disappear like most of the seedlings last year (darn birds).

Phoebe's Big Day!

So, with Phoebe officially 8 years old and all of the grandparents in town, Phoebe was baptized on May 31st. Her cousin Ricky from Greg's side of the family was baptized the same day.
Yes, I did make her dress (Greg's mom did the silk flower embroidery). After a few late nights, I kept asking myself "Why am I doing this?" and the only answers I could come up with were "Because I wanted to" and "Phoebe will only fit into a size 6 for so long". But it turned out beautifully and Phoebe loved it. As she put it "I like it because it is so soft. (Unlike her Christmas dress that itched) You should make all my dresses out of this." Yes, every little girl should have an entire wardrobe of 100% silk dresses.
We loved having Dad and Mom and Uncle Thomas here for the baptism. It is always so fun to see them. We just wish we lived a little closer so it could happen more often!
Check out Phoebe and Cader's smiles--Phoebe is trying not to show us her missing front teeth. I'm not sure what Cader is doing.

Preschool Graduation

Megan graduated from preschool on Thursday. She was in a really small class (5 kids), so it was a nice, short program.

Each of the kids chose their favorite preschool song to sing.


I'm still amazed that she will be in Kindergarten in the fall, but I'm getting more used to the idea. She is excited that there will be girls in her class. She was the only one in preschool.


That diploma is good for so many things.