Paci Send-Off Part Deux

Inspired by the success of the first paci send-off, last month, Kennedy kissed all of her pacis good-bye. We followed the same model we used for Claire and started by prepping Kennedy verbally for a few weeks by telling her that her binks were going to go up, up, up to Heaven. We then held a party complete with helium balloons for the official transport of the pacifiers. When the big day finally arrived we all went outside and Dave tied Kennedy's pacis to the balloons one-by-one.

We then gave Kennedy the chance to get one last quick suck in and then she was able to launch them off herself. There were some tense moments when Kens took her paci and the attached balloon and ran. It took her a few minutes to come back to us ready to say good-bye. When she did ultimately let go she would cheer and jump, surrounded by her family doing the same. She felt so proud, but was often tenuous as well.

Our last set of balloons were a little overwhelmed by the final cluster of pacis and they slowly took flight and then were snagged on a power line. Kens stood speechless staring at them and I worried that the daily reminder of her snagged paci could really undermine the send-off. Dave sent our nephew to get his BB gun to try to shot the balloons down, but miraculously it un-snagged and took flight.

Kennedy has handled her binks good-bye really well. She cried for them a few times in the first few days after the launch and replayed the footage on my phone of the send-off for an hour straight several days in a row, until she accidentally deleted it (really sad day for nostalgic mom and dad). I know it may seem like a little thing, but I was so proud of Kennedy's bravery and the time she took to process out the bittersweet big change.

April 24th, 2011

On Easter Sunday, our little David received his baby blessing in church. I love hearing Dave bless our babies. I feel like by the time they are blessed that I have am beginning to get an idea of who they are and I love to see this captured in the blessing and to hear the little surprises about what's to be as well. All of the Thatcher brothers, Brent, Mark and Paul, my brother Aaron and Dave's father were in the circle. Dave gave a beautiful, inspired blessing. He must have been pretty nervous though because this is the first blessing where I have seen the father forget to take the baby to the circle. When they announced that it was time for the baby blessing, Dave and those people we had asked to be in the circle went to the front of the congregation. Dave was busy organizing everyone into the circle and just forgot the little man of the hour. I held him aloft so that Dave would remember him and he rushed back to get him just in time.

Dave gave David Hezekiah his name and blessed him with:

Knowledge and curiosity to learn about where his name comes from
Understanding that he is blessed and loved of the Lord
Awareness that the strength he will possess throughout life comes through God
A clear mind
An active mind
The ability make logical decisions in combination with spiritual decisions
A body that will be healthy and strong and serve him well
The ability to watch over his sisters and defend and protect them in all situations
A desire to search the scriptures, to learn from them and love them
An understanding that the truths he finds in the scriptures will protect him from evil and wrong doing and guide him throughout his life

The little surprise? that baby David would watch over and defend his sisters. It made me love him all the more to think that my junior would look out for his elder sisters in life. This is a trait that I didn't even realize in my own brothers until the Lord blessed my son with it and now recognized I can't imagine a better quality. I can't wait to see all these attributes develop and for Baby D to learn these gifts can and are his for the taking as he learns to love the Lord.

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mom,

The summer I turned 18 was a difficult one. I had just graduated from High School and you and dad had just separated. My best friend, Siobhan, who was was living with us my whole senior year had also just returned to Australia. I was preparing to go away to BYU-H and was in so many ways in between worlds. I was feeling a lack of center and wondering if things would ever be the same. One very ordinary day, toward the end of the summer something magical happened.

My friends, Rebekah, Anna and Chun, came over to dinner that night along with Ian's best friend Kyle. Between you, me, my three younger brothers and our four friends, we had quite a full table. You made dinner—fried chicken and scones (yes, I am a living testament to the fact that you once deep fried foods and we, including you, loved it). We all sat around first eating and then talking and laughing for the longest time. At one point, I looked around the table and realized that I was happy and although some things had changed so many things were still the same. I felt taken care of. I felt accepted. I felt loved. I felt pampered. I felt comfortable with my friends in my home. I felt welcome. I felt surrounded. I felt washed over in blessedness. I felt family. It was all so wonderful, because amidst my summer of changes, without ever spelling it out to myself, I had wondered if I would ever feel these emotions again, or at least wondered if I would ever feel them all at the same time.

As if to punctuate my Aha! moment and the virtual deluge of genuine happiness in the room, and afternoon thunder storm started. We sat at the table listening to overpowering booms and saw flashes of light out the windows. At some point, the house must have been hit by lightening because a fairly large spark flashed down the light fixture at the dinner table and blew out the light. Even during this surge of electricity we all sat at ease continuing tell stories and laugh—you even told a funny story about dad. I again felt the electricity of family and had one of those strange out of body/in body experiences where you are watching a room with you in it. I took a mental picture looking down on us and all our homespun happiness.

Now I am a mother, I look at this night so differently. I realize that this night happened because you facilitated it. You orchestrated that feeling in our home and in our life by the way you treat your children and others. Not only during that dinner when I was an 18 year old, but now. I also know that to really orchestrate "family" you have to be present and in the moment, not just here and again, but virtually all the time. You have to put yourself second, and sometimes third. You have to power through difficult days and choose happiness.

Mom, this Mother's Day I am so grateful for your sacrifices and for always making sure that our home is a place where love is found. I am truly blessed to have you in my life, always and forever.

Love,

Tara

Mothers who found forgiveness

There is a lot that we as mother's can do to teach peace and to live peace this is a wonderful start.

Salvation Mountain

A couple of weeks before baby David was born Shari, Melissa and I took the wee ones on an adventure to the Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain. The Salton Sea is an enormous salt lake (15 by 35 miles) here in the desert. It was created by a flood in 1905 and is still holding on thanks to the little annual rain and snow run-off we get. After a visit to the salty shores we then headed to Salvation Mountain situated exactly in the middle of nowhere. Salvation Mountain is a man made tribute to the concept that God is Love. The builder/artist, Leonard Knight, is now 87 years old and has been working on the hill for years. He is a gypsy at heart with a good soul and has lived in his truck on site for over a decade. The hill is make out of adobe, straw and paint, paint, paint. There are buckets of donated paint all over the site. The kids loved hiking up and down the site, while the moms cringed and desperately grabbed for them at every overhang.

The amazing thing about this place is that it exists. And it couldn't happen anywhere but in the boondocks. Nor could Leonard live just like he likes except in the middle of nowhere too. It made me grateful to think that there are still places where people can live out their dreams, not to mention spreading a little of God's love, just like they like and not be bothered by bureaucrats.

I know it will grow...

but I still had to cry when I woke up to Claire's handiwork this morning.

The Debut

A few weeks ago Lizzie and Lillie came over to take photos of baby David. I love them so much--the girls and the photos. They are both very talented and really captured the essence of my little Zen-like boy. They also snuck in a few of my herding cats-like girls that couldn't be more precious.