Dear Family,
Connie’s here!!!! That’s the only news I care about this month. ;0) She and her family arrived in Ephraim, UT on the 7th. Ryan, Jared, and I drove down to help them unload the truck. Admittedly Jared and I did very little work. Jared played with his cousins (which was helpful in its own way). I carried a few boxes and brought food. Ryan did all the heavy lifting (well, not just him, Whitney and the other men as well). Connie and Whitney had scheduled the elder’s quorum to be there at 7 p.m. to help unload everything, but Whitney and everyone had the job done before they even got there. And that includes unloading Connie’s baby grand piano! The move’s been very eventful, but that’s Connie’s story to tell you. Now my prayer efforts are redirected towards getting Tammy out of AK and down to the lower 48. : )
Kwigi’s broken leg is healing well. Tomorrow he gets his 2nd x-rays to see how well the bones have healed. We had a setback the week of the 4th, on the 4th actually. Kwigi’s paw got an infection and swelled terribly. Initially I thought his new cast had been wrapped too tight (he gets a new one once a week). But after getting it rewrapped in the morning it just got worse. So we were back at the vet again in the afternoon (thank goodness they were opened on the 4th).
Turns out our vet served in the same mission as Ryan (Düsseldorf, Germany) only he was there much later (1998-2000). In fact he was there when the mission was dissolved and divided into the other German missions. And Sandra, one of the vet techs is from Switzerland. She overheard me talking to Jared in German and got so excited. She asked me where I’m from and when I said Chicago she was surprised and said, “ok…..das macht sinn.” (that makes sense) But since then she says she and Dr. Merkley only talk to Kwigi in German because we talk to him in German at home. Dr. Merkley says he has a lot of clients who train their dogs in German with German commands. One lady is really funny addresses her dog with the formal you. She was in one time and yelled at the dog, “Nein! Sitzen Sie sich!”
Last month I took it upon myself to rearrange the shelves and hanging bar in his closet unit so he can better reach all his own clothes (and better yet, put his own clothes away). I had lots of fun using Ryan’s power drill. He had less fun finding out about it when I proudly emailed him. He replied:
“Eeeek . What did you use the drill for? Just for unscrewing things I hope?!? No new holes, right ?”
I must’ve scared him taking things into my own hands because all of a sudden he’s plunged himself into house projects that have been sitting for a long time. He’s tackling that “honey do” list like it’s a race against the unpredictable wife who might wield a paint brush or hammer any day now. I’ve either stumbled across something brilliant or diabolical.
Jared’s latest obsession is Beyblades. I don’t know if anyone else’s boys (or girls) are into these battling tops, but it’s all Jared can talk about. I’m having a hard time convincing him that while I love to hear about his “Beys” and which “Bey” has which power, I’m not as big a fan of Beyblades as he is. Some days Ryan gets home and I quickly say, “tell Daddy about Beyblades. He’s been at work all day and missed all the action!” Other days I have to tell him that mom would like to talk about something else. And the rest of the time I try very hard to listen to every detail. I’ve realized that parenting can be mentally exhausting too. But Jared lets me play with his “Beys” anytime I want and they are kind of fun to play with.
Jared’s growing up so fast. I’m having a hard time letting Jared grow up. I should be more specific. I’m having a hard time letting him use the men’s room when Ryan isn’t with us. If Jared isn’t out as soon as I think he should be, I’m cracking the door with my foot and calling out “everything ok, Jared?” I’m starting to annoy the other men in the bathroom and Ryan says I’m going to get us kicked out of someplace sometime. Last month was OC Tanner’s Lagoon Day. The only day of the year we go to Lagoon because Ryan’s work pays for it. Jared invited a friend and during dinner Jared and I both had to go to the bathroom. Jared promised to meet me right outside when he was done. I finished as fast as possible and waited and waited. I peeked into the men’s room (it was the doorless entry type) and could see the stalls and urinals.
I called out for Jared and didn’t get an answer. I felt this very sure feeling inside that Jared had gone back to Ryan at the pavilion. But did I listen? No. I kept stepping into the doorway and calling out for Jared. In my mind I was thinking that I was not going to be the mom who assumed her son had gone back to dad while some creep was keeping him quiet in the bathroom. I prepared myself mentally to charge into the bathroom and beat up any bad guys if I had to. I was ready. The only sane thing I did was call Ryan and ask if Jared was there and asked him to call me when Jared showed up. While I waited I kept peeking into the bathroom and calling for Jared (and preparing myself for battle). Finally a man got so fed up with me he asked me who I was looking for. He asked if there was a Jared in the bathroom, and when he wasn’t there, he said, rather annoyed, “if he isn’t here, he isn’t here.” I thanked him but refused to abandon my post.
Just then Ryan called to say Jared had indeed arrived safe and sound back at the pavilion. When I got back to our table Ryan intercepted me and said, “now, before you say anything to him you should know that he looked pretty freaked out and scared when he got here. He says he waited for you and couldn’t find you.”
About a week later we were at the stake center to meet with Pres. Watkins. We let Jared play in one of the nurseries while he waited and when we went back to get him he was gone. There happened to be an older singles adult dinner/dance going on (some of the men seemed creepy to me) and as we searched for Jared I prepared myself for battle again. And yes, I checked the men’s room. We found Jared outside wandering around. He got bored waiting for us and decided to do a little exploring.
And somehow despite my insanity Jared appears to be perfectly healthy and sane. I haven’t scared him off men’s rooms and he’s confident and ready to conquer the world. I’m sure eventually I’ll scar him for life and he’ll need extensive therapy. But so far I haven’t even embarrassed him yet. And I stress, yet.
Love,
Sherry, Ryan, and Jared
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