New Trick of the Day

McKay figured out how to pull himself up to standing today. He has been trying to and today he 'mastered' it. Now bedtime is interesting because he has figured out how to pull himself up in his crib but he can't get back down yet. We are counting our blessings he didn't get 'mobile' much before now... watching him while trying to do taxes & homework has gotten pretty tricky! It is so fun to watch him discover each new room. This morning he went in the kitchen and thought that was the coolest thing ever! We baby proof each room as he discovers it; yet somehow I have a feeling he is still going to be able to find things to get into!

Busy Week!

This week McKay got 2 teeth and started crawling. Yeah, all in one week! The 2 teeth are on the bottom. We have been amazed at how much better he gets at crawling every time he does it. He hasn't played with his toys much the last few days... he has a whole house to discover! Jordan and I were in the back bedroom and McKay was playing in the front room. Next thing we knew, he was half way down the hallway to find us! My boy is always on the move! I have some videos to post... when I have a little time. :)

We finally got to meet Maisey and Laurel Stevenson this weekend (Jeff & Hannah's babies). They will be 6 weeks on Tuesday and were delivered by the same doctor who delivered McKay. They are beautiful little sweet girls. It was fun to watch McKay turn one way when Maisey would make a sound and then the other way when Laurel would. I think this is the first time he has actually LOOKED at the baby... he usually just looks at the person holding the baby.

Here is McKay meeting Maisey (or Laurel???)

McKay - 7 Months

I can't believe my boy is 7 months! We can feel a couple of teeth poking through his gums, he is VERY close to crawling (he is scooting around now), and he is extremely interested in everything and everyone around him. Every sound gets his attention, which can make meal times very interesting. He loves to eat (most foods anyway) and follows each bite up with an 'mmmmmmm'. You can tell he is getting full when the mmmm's slow down. He is getting really fast at grabbing things and often hits the spoon at the perfect time to dump its load on his tray (Daddy loves it when that happens!) On a typical day, McKay takes a 1 to 1 1/2 hour nap in the morning, a 2 1/2 to 3 hour nap in the afternoon, and another 1 to 1 1/2 hour nap in the early evening. He usually sleeps 9 - 9 1/2 hours at night. (too bad we don't get to sleep when he does!) Overall McKay is a happy, easy-going baby and we love having him in our home.

I took these pictures at my Grandma Cardon's house in Benson, Utah. McKay is sitting on the furniture my Great Grandpa Fullmer (Grandma's father) made for them when Grandma and Grandpa got married.

I was changing the water for my roses Sunday night and took a few of the most fragrant flowers in for Jordan and McKay to smell. McKay didn't quite understand though and thought he was supposed to eat it!

McKay loves the new toys Jordan brought for him from the competition. His favorite is the hammer, though he also likes the bulldozer.

McKay and I went to Preston, Idaho Saturday morning for Grandma Wright's funeral. McKay loved seeing so many of his attentive cousins. This picture is of McKay with his cousin, Erin Moser.

Valentines Day

Well this has been a very unusual Valentines day. The element making it the most unusual is the fact that my valentine is in Nevada tonight at the ASC competition. He can't even call me today. Last night I was pleasantly surprised to find two boxes of flowers containing 3 dozen of the most beautiful roses I think I have ever seen or smelled on my doorstep. They are pink, white, and red. When I spoke with Jordan earlier in the day he told me his schedule for the night so I knew I couldn't talk to him until after 9 pm our time. I called to thank him for the flowers and he was as surprised at 3 dozen as I was. Apparently there was a mix up in the labeling and two labels were printed with my address and message. So instead of the intended one dozen, I have 3 dozen beautiful roses making my home smell like a fresh flower shop. I think it took me at least an hour and a half to cut and arrange the flowers into the two vases. They are some of the most fragrant flowers I have ever smelled and I am loving them. This is the longest Jordan and I have ever been apart. It is hard to be separated from your best friend on valentines day but we are planning to do something fun when he gets home - and no crowds! I am just glad I have my little McKay to talk to or I would be REALLY lonely.

Naptime & Bathtime

Like most babies, McKay LOVES to take a bath. It doesn't matter how tired he is, he is always happy when he is taking a bath. I love to watch his face when I take him around the corner into the kitchen and he sees his bath all ready for him. Lately he has been just sitting there grinning at me and sighing his content little sigh only he can do when I put him in the water... it isn't too long though before he is splashing and the whole wall behind the sink is soaked! It is amazing how much water ends up on me and all over the kitchen!

I actually had to take several pictures to finally get one with him NOT sticking out his tongue. Silly boy!

Lately we have been finding McKay in the funniest positions while he is sleeping or anywhere in the process of getting to sleep or waking up for that matter. In this picture he is actually asleep. Jordan took the picture just before he moved him. When McKay was sleeping in the billilights as a newborn, he would sleep with his arm up and his leg hanging much like he is here. We are finding he is definitely a side or tummy sleeper.

I love how happy McKay always is to see me when I come to get him up. We are so blessed to have such a happy baby!

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday, February 11, was my birthday. So many friends and family remembered and wished me a happy birthday. It even carried into today! I had an enjoyable morning with my sweet baby while Jordan went to a job interview in Sandy. Then I went to work for a few hours. I came home early and we went out for dinner to Cracker Barrel. McKay was perfect! He has gotten so it seems he is all arms sometimes so we wondered how he would be. He really enjoyed watching all that was going on in the restaurant, including the ceiling fans. We really like going to Cracker Barrel... lots of good food for a good price. After a quick stop at the mall, we came home and I opened the gifts I received from family. I really enjoyed visiting on the phone with family and friends. I had a great birthday.

Grandma Wright

Last night, February 9, 2008, Grandma Wright (my mom's mother) passed away just before 8 pm. This is a four generation picture taken with her on September 12, 2007. The last time we saw her was during Christmas break and we will never forget that visit. We brought McKay in to see her and she happened to be eating when we arrived. She demanded that we go to the other room where she could "hold that baby". While she was holding McKay, he was having the time of his life, bouncing up and down on her lap. Grandma thought that was the funniest thing she had seen in a long time. She was laughing out loud as I have not seen her do in a long time. When it was time to leave so Maria could feed McKay she replied that, "we have all seen a woman nurse and you can sit right there and feed him." So we told her that McKay eats cereal as well and we needed to go home to feed him. To this she politely suggested that we keep a box of baby food in our trunk and rotate frequently to keep it fresh. Needless to say, her persistence conquered and we ended up staying an extra half hour until McKay could not last any longer. Looking back at that day, we are sure glad we stayed with her as long as we could.

Grandma Wright has always been special to me. I have grown particularly close to her through my life. I have great memories of her babysitting me as a young boy and fixing me hot dogs or Ramen Noodles for lunch. In later years I spent a lot of time with her at her house mowing the lawn weekly and doing other jobs for her. After the jobs were complete, Grandma would always insist that I come in and have a sandwich, root beer, and a castco. She would sit in her rocking chair in the kitchen and we would talk while I ate. Grandma has always been there to support me in all my church and school activities and has always expressed genuine interest in my life.

Because of a BYU trip that I am committed to go on, I will not be able to attend her funeral so last night I decided to get in the car and drive up and see her one more time after hearing the news that she was not doing well. Unfortunately, I did not make it in time; she passed away shortly before I got there. I still took the opportunity to say my goodbyes to her. She looked so peaceful and relaxed and although she will be greatly missed by myself and many others, we are also happy for her to finally feel relief and to be back with Grandpa.

I know I speak for all of my family when I say that we love our grandma, we will truly miss her, and we are so happy for her.

P.S. I now have mad bogging skills, Maria taught me how to create my first post. Jordan

Ready, Set...

I was finally able to catch him on camera up on all fours, rocking back and forth. It is only a matter of time before he is crawling! I don't think a naptime goes by anymore without him up on all fours in his crib. He is also getting good at detecting when we are checking on him. Not so good...

Playtime!

McKay loves it when anyone gets on the floor to play with him. It usually
includes him 'playing' with your face with his little fingers. It is amazing how
much his little pinches can hurt!

McKay loves to play with the legs of our TV tables. His little fist fits
perfectly around the leg.

Last Thursday night Jordan and I had a recruiting dinner/presentation to go to and Mandy watched McKay for us while we went. It was his first little 'play date'. It was cute to watch Ari and McKay eye each other. They 'played ' well together and it was so nice to not have to worry about McKay. Thanks Mandy!

McKay loved watching their fish!

Our Boy McKay

McKay loves having his books read to him. In fact, I think he may have them memorized he hears them so much. Maybe it is time to visit the library.

McKay likes to sit on my bed and play while I am getting ready. He doesn't stay sitting up for very long anymore because he thinks it is SO funny to take a nose dive on the soft bed and laugh when mom notices. He also likes playing peek-a-boo. He puts his head down on the bed and waits until I say 'Where is McKay?' and up pops his head with a big grin. We have so much fun!

Hmm... Who is settling down who for the night?

McKay has discovered his tongue (again). He loves sticking it out. I think he likes how it feels on his gums. I just know one of these days a tooth is going to poke out.

McKay is as mobile as he can possibly be without crawling or scooting. The front room is HIS domain. He LOVES playing on the floor with all his toys and by the end of the day they are all over the room. Unfortunately, his mobility also means that he frequently has a difficult time falling asleep because he is rolling all over his crib. We can always tell when he is stuck by the sound of his cry. It changes from a 'mom, dad I'm awake' to 'HELP, I'm stuck!' Many times we have gone in to get him and wished we could run get the camera to take a picture of him SO stuck but that wouldn't be very nice so this is the most we have.

President Hinckley

Yesterday was the funeral of our beloved prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley. All week long I have been watching the documentaries on TV of his life and legacy and feeling like someone very important and influential in my life is gone. He truly has left footprints in the sands of time and on my heart. He has been my prophet for so long it is hard to remember anyone else. I was 14 when he was sustained as prophet, seer, and revelator. He was my prophet all through high school, college, marriage, and the birth of my son - all very important events in my life. He always seemed to know exactly what I needed to hear. He has always been able to inspire me to stand a little taller and to try just a little harder to be better. Sunday night when I heard he had passed away, I sang the song he wrote 'My Redeemer Lives' to McKay as I was laying him down for bed. I have always loved that hymn but I think now it will have a very special place in my heart.
I know we will all miss President Hinckley. It was a little sad to see his chair between President Monson & President Eyring empty at his funeral. And yet, I can't help but think that even though we are all so sad he is gone, we must rejoice at his passing. He lived a wonderful life; one that was completely dedicated to the Lord and to building up the Kingdom of God on the earth. He worked hard right to the end; what a perfect example of enduring to the end. How exhausted he must have been and yet he got up every morning, put on his shoes, and went to work. Truly amazing! I can only imagine what his reunion with his sweet wife must have been like. He missed her so much and yet he carried on. I am sure there was something funny said - they both are wonderful examples of people who can find humor in any situation. When President Hinckley dedicated the Gordon B. Hinckley alumni building at BYU he mentioned that he wished his wife were there. She has a chair on campus with her name on it. He suggested maybe they could move her chair into his building so they could be together again. What a sweet yet humorous way to say how much he missed her.
I know President Hinckley was a true prophet and that he was the Lord's mouthpiece on this earth. Even though we millions who have been deeply touched by President Hinckley feel that something is missing from our hearts, the Lord has called his humble servant home and we should rejoice in the tremendous success of his life and in the happiness our prophet must now feel. President Hinckley left a legacy that will never be forgotten. Tomorrow the new first presidency will be announced. What a wonderful church the Lord has organized with perfect order. We have no need to fear. The Lord has a new prophet who has been prepared to lead and guide us in the coming years. What a marvelous time to be alive!