Gratitude

I was able to go to the temple today.  I love our temple here in Spokane.  It's like going home--it's cozy and familiar.  I love how I see the same people there on any given session.  I appreciate the example of the "senior" members who serve in the temple so regularly.  As I was setting in the celestial room, I was overcome with gratitude for so many things.  At this time of year we all reflect on how blessed we are.  I was able to spend a few weeks in Utah over the holiday, and in the spirit of the season, here are some of my thoughts of gratitude.

I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation.  Many of the events in this life would be intolerable without this doctrine.  My testimony has been strengthened so much the last few years as I have supported many loved ones during difficult times.  Our dear friends/family, Jennifer and Todd Cooper, returned to Spokane to bury their beautiful baby boy, Carter Keith Cooper, next to his grandparents.  He was stillborn on Oct. 17th, only 2 weeks early.  Apparently he didn't need to spend any time on this earth.  He was perfect in every way.  These things don't make sense, but with our eternal perspective, we all continue to carry on.  Thank goodness for the peace the atonement brings.

I am grateful that my Mom is doing better.  It's been over 3 months since Mom was released from the ICU.  She recently was transferred to a facility in Richfield to continue her rehab and physical therapy.  She needs to get stronger in her legs before she can go home.  She still has pain, and it's been difficult for her to work hard in therapy every day.  We are grateful to Dad for his diligent care of Mom, and continue to pray for her.  Sometimes it's hard getting older.

I am grateful for all our awesome extended family.  This is a picture of Brent's parents, Bob and Pedie McLaws and Grayson.  They were in Utah for a few days just before Thanksgiving.  We had a dinner at the Lewis' with them and the Figgats.  It's always fun to see them--wish we could do it more often.  I was also able to catch up with Jerry at lunch before heading to Richfield for Thanksgiving.  Shayla, Kara and Quin also joined us in Richfield.  Mom was able to spend a few hours home with us for dinner.  We had a great time running, playing football, eating, and bowling.  I actually bowled great (for me) but was edged out by Jace--no surprise there.  He throws a powerful ball!

I am grateful for the miracle of birth.  In our family, this isn't just a trite phrase anymore.  For some reason, getting pregnant is difficult for our daughters.  Brittney and Stu waited a long time for Grayson, and thank goodness for the medical marvel of IVF.   Now Camille and Russ are beginning that process.  I guess we just need to learn to be patient and rely on the Lord.  Isn't it interesting how he chooses to teach us all that lesson a little differently?  Little G loves his Auntie Camille!  She is teaching him how to play the piano already--he seems to be Stu's son and loves music.  Camille will be a terrific Mom too one day soon.  We are anxiously awaiting little Lewis babies!

I am grateful for a fabulous husband.  I certainly won the jackpot when I married Brent.  He's a great friend, husband, father and now grandpa!  He was been so busy the last little bit with work.  He's been traveling a bunch and between that and his various other responsibilities, he's stretched pretty thin.   I appreciate how hard he works and most of all how well he handles whatever comes his way. He truly is the rock in our family.  He somehow always seems to make things work out.  I'm one lucky girl.  In this picture he and Little G are watching some TV. I think it was the History Channel--Grayson sure looks riveted!  (Don't worry about the owie on his forehead. . . you should see the other guy!) 

I am grateful for freedom, liberty, and this wonderful country we live in.   I don't have a picture of Grayson waving the flag (not yet!) but since he seems to be in all the others, why not have another one of him. . . Grandma's prerogative!  Seriously though, it's no secret that I was not happy with the results of the election.  I truly am concerned for our country, but I also know that we are so blessed to live in the United States of America.  I have my health, many temporal blessings, a great family, wonderful friends, and the Gospel.  It will all be OK. 

Journaling

I was checking out a few blogs over the weekend, and dropped in on mine.  What?  It’s been 5 weeks since I posted last?  While I often consider my daily life uneventful and routine, I have been busy and as this is my current attempt at journal keeping, time for a quick update. 

As I sit here today, my mouth is numb from an unplanned visit to the dentist. I have always felt that we have been lucky when it comes to doctor visits, but teeth, now that’s another story. All the kids have had braces, and cavities and such were all too familiar. Both the girls have had implants, and now I have joined the club. Friday I was eating a simple turkey sandwich and my left incisor just broke off at the gum line! Oh my gosh! I had a goofy gap in my smile and luckily my dentist even answered his home phone on Friday afternoon. He patched me up for the weekend, and this morning I had implant surgery. Our family would have some crazy smiles without dentistry.

After we arrived home from our last trip to Utah (details in previous post) it was a few weeks of catching up on our responsibilities in Spokane.  As I am currently serving in the YW as Mia Maid counselor, I had much to do.  We have 13 beautiful girls and it is a privilege to associate with them.  I marvel at their goodness in this crazy world they live in.  So much has changed (and mostly NOT for the better) since my girls were young teenagers.  Their challenges and circumstances are tricky, but they are holding fast to their testimonies.  September’s weather was spectacular and I spent as much time as possible outside.  Brent has been super busy with work (seems I always say that!) and traveling quite a bit.  We are grateful for employment and a paycheck, so I won’t complain. 

With Mom still in a rehab facility in Provo, I was only home for 3 weeks before I headed south once again.  She was transferred to a new place, and without going into a litany of details, we have discovered that unless a patient has a determined and well-informed advocate(s), no matter how good the doctors may be, things just get forgotten, and “things” happen.  It’s been frustrating.  So, I went to check on the situation at the new place and spend some time with her.  Of course it is always good because I am able to spend time with the kids and Baby G as well.

Brittney, Stuart and Grayson are doing well.  Grayson is 3 months old now, over 15 lbs of pure baby chub, and wonderful in every way.  Brittney returned to work the first week of October, and I was able to take care of Grayson that first week.  Stu had to travel to California for album/band business, so Baby G and I just hung out with my Mom and I loved every minute of spoiling him rotten.  Brittney has been able to reduce her hours some, and they are patiently (not!) waiting for Fictionist’s  album to be released.   It is so fun seeing how happy B and Stu are.  They are great parents and Grayson is the most beloved baby on earth.  We waited so very long for him, but he was worth the wait.  That little axiom you’ve all heard applies here:  “I never said it would be easy.  I only said it would be worth it.”

On that note, Camille and Russ are also doing great.  They have been working on their yard and home, and keeping busy with projects and friends.  We found out this week that they as well are on their way to IVF (see her blog).   I never would have predicted that both my girls would have issues with fertility.  I’ve pondered this a lot the past 3+ years, and of course, there are no answers.  It just is.  The trials and challenges that we all face don’t make sense most of the time.  The trick is to remember that with faith, hope, gratitude and charity, miracles happen.  And just like I’m so grateful for dentistry, I’m very grateful for the medical science of IVF.  I like to think that my grandbabies are just extra special and are taking “extra credit” up in heaven.  They are being prepared for something very important and will arrive only when they have finished their pre-earth training.  Like Grayson, Baby Lewis(s) will arrive as “old souls” no doubt.    We are just so ready to meet them.   I guess I’m not surprised they are over-achievers . . . they are just like their future parents!

Jace  is doing great in school and is busy, busy, busy.  As an accounting major in the junior core, his class load is tough.  He also is involved in several clubs and fellowships.  He plans to get an accounting degree, and then an MBA, all while focusing in the field of social innovation.   He is going to California in a couple of weeks to meet his mentor.  Honestly, I don’t fully understand all the parameters of the career path he has chosen.    All I know is that he is doing a great job of building a resume and a profile.  He will be well prepared for his post-collegiate future.  He is always on the lookout for the future Mrs. Jace, and no doubt she will be as awesome as he is.

So with that, this journal entry is complete.  I’ll just leave you with a few pictures of the cutest baby on earth (since the others are stubbornly waiting up in heaven right now!)  Enjoy.

Grayson and Uncle Jace.  Jace was a chubster just like G when he was little.

Grayson and Uncle Russ just chilling on the floor.

Giggling! 

Beautiful Baby Grayson

He loves to stand on his legs already. 

All tuckered out. . . hanging with Dad.

August Revisited

We didn't make too many plans at the beginning of the summer.  Knowing that Grayson would arrive sometime in July, we kept our summer schedule pretty flexible, and anticipated a rather low-key, lazy season.  Well, now that we are into September, I wonder where the time went, and would have to say that August was especially busy.  In chronological order, here in words and pictures is a summary of our recent events:

When Brent was Bishop he promised the YW that he would take them on an High Adventure.  They always felt it was unfair that the boys had "cool" and more extreme summer activities; so, last fall we planned a YW High Adventure.  Even though he is no longer the Bishop, our current Bishop was grateful that he was willing to still take the girls on the promised trip.  We went to Upper Priest Lake in Idaho and backpacked into a remote camp site.  My pack weighed 40 lbs!  The first day we went about 7 miles fully weighted.  On the second day we used day packs, but hiked about 16 miles, up and over Plow Boy Mountain.  On the third day, we were fully weighted again as we hiked out the 7 miles.  It was hard!  The girls were amazing and we had a good time.

We were clean and full energy before we started!

Brent helped one girl carry her pack on the way out. . . probably was carrying close to 80 lbs!

Back to parking lot. . . we survived!

As we were enjoying a "reward" day at the lake on our way home from the High Adventure, I received a call from my brother Jerry that my Mom was in the ICU in Provo.  She had pneumonia and a collapsed bowel.  Since she is a stroke patient, and already very weak, her prognosis was a bit scary.  Therefore, on Monday I got on a plane and headed to Utah to check on her.  Coincidentally, that was the exact day that Jace was arriving in Utah from his summer in Africa!  He had been gone 10 weeks, and oh what an adventure he had!  I could post so many amazing pictures of his time there.  Just go to his Facebook page to check out his album "This is Africa."  Here are just a few:

That crazy kid bungee jumped off a tower over the Nile!! 
Thank goodness he didn't tell me about it until it was over. 

He taught business and accounting classes to micro/non profit business owners in Uganda. 
He loved teaching, and quickly grew to love the people as well.

He got to play in the local community basketball league!  Wow . . . white men can jump!

Love this picture. . . aren't the children adorable?

A family he spent quite a bit of time with.

Jace was in Africa on July 15th and missed being "live" for Grayson's birth.  We were actually on the phone together when Stuart came into the room with Baby G for the first time.  I think I hung up on Jace pretty fast!
 These two pictures are of Jace meeting Grayson for the first time.

I stayed until Thursday, at which time Brittney, Grayson and I flew back to Spokane.  Mom was stabilized and responding to treatment, so we felt OK about keeping our vacation plans.  We were headed to Trinity Lake for a repeat of our fabulous houseboat vacation.

Grayson's first plane ride.  He did awesome.

Trinity Lake was just as wonderful as last year.  If possible, there were even LESS boats on the lake with us.  School had started that week for the locals, so I swear we only saw a handful of boats all week.  Like Camille said, it is a true vacation for the McLaws Family. . . we are forced to ignore our cell phones, computers, etc. (except for Brent's Ipad we shared and a basic verizon phone we bought with pre-paid minutes since we wanted to check on my Mom).  We are captive on this houseboat and when not out on the lake skiing or boarding, we really did truly just relax.  We had "McLaws Movie Matinees" every afternoon (Brent brought a projecter, large white sheet and speakers.  No wimpy TV arrangement for us!) followed by board games or naps.   Of course we ate very well.  Having a full size kitchen is great.  The water truly is waveless. . . in fact we are probably even more snobbish about "Daddy water" than ever before.  We hope to be able to go again next August.  Here are a few snapshots:

Grandpa B and Baby G

I think this was an early morning ski run.  Stu's just waking up.  It's too bad that babies don't know that their
Daddy needs their sleep when they are on a houseboat!

Jace looking pretty smooth out there!

Grandpa B jimmied up a little "lifeboat" for Grayson out of some life vests.  He loved it. 

The Maxfield Family



It's what I do best. . . I'm the flag Mom!

Ahhhhhhhh!

What a group of manly men! 

Stu trying out the skurf board.  I think he was trying to lasso the boat!

Russ looking pretty sharp.  He never stopped. . . that guy would go forever.

"Stu the Fearless."  We decided that a helmet was prudent (to go with his glasses that were tied to his head!)

The kissing couple again. . . aren't they the cutest?

After our week at the lake I hitched a ride back to Utah with the kids and sent Brent home alone to Spokane with the boat and gear.  Since Mom was in the hospital, I wanted to be there.  Luckily she was discharged from ICU and sent to a specialty hospital in Orem.  As she was on a ventilator and feeding tube, her recovery is going to be slow.  Fortunately her body is healing, and as of today she is free of pneumonia and her bowels are unobstructed.  Her struggle will be regaining her strength.  She is extremely deconditioned and very weak.  She is "resetting" her health care and learning to live with less pain meds and working at becoming stronger so she can go home.  We hope that within the next several months she will be much better.   We are all trying to be her cheerleaders and encourage her to fight for a better quality of life.  One silver lining is that I have been able to spend more time with my brothers.  They all are great examples to me of caring and loving sons. 

On Labor Day weekend Brent joined us in Utah and we prepared for Grayson's blessing day.  It was a wonderful day all around.  When I think back to how long we have all waited for this miracle, it is truly overwhelming.  We are so grateful for him and it is amazing to not only feel the joy personally, but to see the joy and happiness radiating from Brittney and Stuart and their little family.  They had such good support from family and friends on this special day. 

Everyone who came to celebrate with Grayson. . . family and friends.

These men all participated in the circle as Grayson was blessed.

Our family. . . it's growing!  Yea!

Me and my beautiful daughters.



Mommy Brittney

Daddy Stuart

Grayson is starting to smile! 

He grows everyday.  Look at those cheeks!

Our beautiful baby boy.

Auntie Camille and Grayson have a special bond.  He is always good for her. . . he loves her!

On Labor Day we enjoyed a fun family day too.  We had a yummy breakfast at Kneader's and then that afternoon we went up American Fork Canyon and hiked for a while.  It was Grayson's first hike, and he was quite the little dude.  In fact, he was just ahead of his Dad the whole way!!! (lame joke, I admit!)  After hiking Jace was able to join us for dinner and a movie.  He spent both Saturday and Labor Day in the library studying. . . no messing around when you are in the accounting junior core.  It's going to be a busy semester for him. 

Whew, so that's the last month or so!  Super long post, so if you are still with me here, thanks for sticking it out.  Like I've said many times on this blog, family is where it's at, and I'm so grateful for all my family.