Andrew's baptism

Andrew was baptized this month!


His two friends were baptized the same day - John Hilverda in his primary class, and Cory Cummings, who used to be in his class before they moved to Texas (they were visiting Utah for the holidays).

Here's a picture the stake primary secretary took as we all walked down the hall to the font.

You can see both Uncle Joes in the background and some cousins. I never got any pictures of everyone eating at the lunch afterward. It seemed to go really fast. Everyone was picking up the chairs and tables when I turned around (we are an efficient crew).

Max and JB had ditched their ties by then so they look matching handsome casual below.

People talk a lot about "so-and-so's choice to be baptized," and I get it, there's power in using that word -- but sometimes I still think these 8 year olds are so young, what do they know? And so I talk about this important step in their life, and how Christ was perfect yet he was baptized and we follow his example. And now Andrew will have the Holy Ghost with him.  Kids need it more than ever these days to be a guide and a comforter.

New Year's Eve

We sure missed Katie this year at the New Year's Eve party with the Peters. She is serving a mission in El Salvador and doing such a great job (but could use any prayers people would like to send).

 

JoLynn and Roger are just such dear friends. And now Roger is in the bishopbric!

We ate and ate, then did all the poppers and noisemakers and went to bed before 10pm.

Glow sticks and glow rings and glowing glasses were a hit.

The boys played the Wii downstairs while the adults talked and watched the Utes lose the Holiday Bowl. It feels like that was all ages ago! I guess it was.

Radio hosting duties

I may be a professional journalist but I am a horrible picture taker. How do people take selfies that look so good? Huh? I still don't even know where to look nor how to frame the shot at all.

Nevertheless, the hosting opportunities I had over the last couple months had to be documented.

I filled in with Dave Noriega on the Dave and Dujanovic talk show (9a-12) on November 21st and had an absolute blast. I found out later that they wanted me on again, but there wasn't someone to fill in for me in the newsroom.

I co-hosted with Tim Hughes one Friday morning on our morning drive, and got a couple nice texts from listeners in to the station account saying they liked me! I wrote back, "Mom? Is that you?"

I recorded "A Woman's View" for air two Sundays ago (a sample is here: https://kslnewsradio.com/category/podcast_player/?a=35055&sid=2001&n=A+Woman%27s+View+with+Amanda+Dickson)

I've also done the noon news a few times now. Here's my attempt at documenting that.

And you can hear a sample of the last noon news I did here: https://kslnewsradio.com/category/podcast_player/?a=35153&sid=2024&n=Utah%27s+Noon+News

Millie the sleep monster

Our 2 1/2 year old is allergic to her crib. 

She in the past month or so has taken to screaming at nap time and bed time. So, JB often takes her out to the couch and holds her so I can sleep. I have no judgement for other parents any more and their sleep decisions. 

He'll take pictures of when she finally decides to curl up.

On weekends I take the watch.

Sundays are a different matter. Afternoon church means a sleepy girl. Sometimes she stretches out on the floor of sacrament meeting.

 Then last Sunday, she curled up on Max and my friend Valeri snuck a picture.

He kept looking over at me like, "I can't move!" and I was like, "Don't move! She needs a solid hour!"

This Sunday we go to 9 am and that will be great. She can nap in her crib. That is, if she doesn't scream the whole time.

Christmas

Christmas Eve came with the traditional pizza and new jammies at Nona and Papa's house with the cousins who were in town.

Bigs

Middles

Littles

James has been counting down til Christmas for weeks. He caught sight of a package of dinosaurs I had hidden for him (I found a whole bunch at Savers thrift store), and I must confess I started to use them to try to bribe him into better behavior. It was touch and go almost hourly.

Millie's Christmas cost $2.50 (DI and Savers and a neighbor) and she was in heaven with new girlie toys.

I think we did well with selecting the other boys' presents. They seemed very pleased.

 

And we didn't get one of me with my presents.

But you can kind of see me below.

My phone camera was wonky but I did capture the hours spent with Lego building

And the joy of these teenagers at heart with Max's new longboard

Christmas activities

While the boys are out of school and I have been staying to fill-in host the noon news, JB took the kids downtown to see the Christmas decorations.

They went to the Grand America...

And the next day to Temple Square.

What a good dad, trying to stay sane. Snow may be pretty, but it is hard for boys to get the wiggles out inside the house.

Andrew's 8th birthday

Andrew Rockwell turned 8 years old the week before Christmas! 

I went into labor the night the Provo Tabernacle burned down, I slept at the hospital with the epidural, and he came the next morning. And they brought him back to us after his bath in a stocking.

For his birthday dinner, we went to Chick-Fil-A and he got a kids meal as a special treat. James howled at the injustice of it, and insisted he have his birthday right then and there, too.

Here's our kissing picture, taken by Max.

Then we had cake at our house with Nona and Papa.

Andrew is a joy. He gets attacked by a jealous James, bossed around by two older brothers, and Millie has him always doing her bidding. But he remains cheerful and optimistic. Except when he's a puddle of tears over something that seems inconsequential to me.

I had a bad mom moment when on a typical Saturday, when I was hollering for him to hurry up and finish his chores and FOR THE LOVE get dressed, and he started to cry. Then I had a good mom moment and stopped everything and sat and held him and apologized for yelling.