Vacation!!!

Well, this "weekly" blog is turning out to be more like a "quarterly" blog. Sorry folks! :) Time runs away from us, fast.

I wrote this portion WAYYYYY back in August when we got back from our North Carloina/Orlando trip:

We have had a fulfilling summer. We said goodbye to dear friends and family in July as a group of our favorite people all graduated. It's kind of fun to see how everyone's lives pan out. Our friends are leaving and making their mark on the world everywhere from Washington to Oklahoma. Hopefully we can keep in touch!

We had a very special chance to visit Chris's family this summer. My sweet friend, Kierra, who was my roommate when Chris and I were engaged, was able to come and stay with Zella for 10 days so we could take a much needed vacation. We left July 23 for Utah as soon as Chris finished his finals. Boy, were we all excited to have his done with the semester!

We hurried down to our favorite spot in Salt Lake, "The Gateway" shopping and entertainment plaza. We love it there! It reminds us of the Branson Landing touristy shopping center where we had so much fun two summers ago. Anyway, The Gateway, though built for the Salt Lake Oylmpics and has a modern aura, is connected to a beautiful old Union Pacific train station house. It is a fun place to eat, listen to live music, people watch, and to just window shop (which we are getting pretty good at - that window shopping!).  Westley's favorite part is the dancing fountains that kids can run through. Being the water lover he is, you can imagine he doesn't stay dry long.

We stayed the night in the Airport Inn Hotel, which was clean, though run-down, and the service was stinky. Oh well, it was good to get some sleep before we had to be at the airport at 4am. Westley was great on all of the flights but one, which is saying something because I think we were on 8 different flights at least throughout the trip. 

We flew into Norfolk about 6pm where we were picked up by Chris's little sister, Sarah. It was great to have time to spend with her and her husband, Brian. We had a lot of fun together. Sarah drove us to Grandma and Grandpa Grigg's house in Elizabeth City, NC. It was very pretty down there, with lots of trees and fields. Kinda made me homesick for the Midwest again. Idaho has some pretty places and a certain level of majesty from the mountains, but I sure miss my rolling hills and green luscious fields. Westley had lots of fun getting into his Great-Grandma's toys and just about everything else. :D What a boy! We loved spending time together. Westley also feel in love with Sarah's puppy, Dory. She quickly became "his" dog and would follow him around the house licking his fingers and toes and making his giggle. Whenever they were together, you could tell they were just as happy as could be! 

After four days at Grandma's we were sad to leave, but glad the vacation was scarcely started. I didn't realize how much work it is to get me to relax! HAHA. Sounds familiar... my dad always took several days to unwind before he could leave the workload and responsibilities behind. Hmmm, father-like-daughter, I guess. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Chesapeake with Brian and Sarah our last night in VA and went down to Virginia Beach in the evening. Westley LOVED the sand. He thought it was the coolest thing ever! We played mini-golf there too. It was a blast! 

We also took him to a fantastically huge playground in Chesapeake called The Fun Forest. We highly recommend taking your kids there! Except for the humidity, we could have stayed there playing for hours. 

We flew from Norfolk to Orlando, where we were picked up by Dad and Lisa. I have to say hands down, it was the best trip to Orlando we've ever had. Everyone enjoyed each other so much. Westley loved swimming with Grandpa every single day and we had a blast with everyone at Disneyworld too! We enjoyed spending lots of time with Aunt Jackie too. We love our family so much and look forward to future trips to spend more time together! 

We're Alive!

            These last few weeks have been a blur.  I’ve (Chris) been so busy with my upper level Biology and Chemistry classes that I don’t know when I’ve had time to breathe.  Lindsey has been very busy helping Zella, working in a new calling for our church, and keeping track of a baby who now runs around the house and growing up fast. 

Westley has been growing up a lot.  He is not just walking now but sprinting and trying to climb.  His favorite thing to do is walk around the house with a phone in hand talking and giggling to the imaginary person on the other line.  (I think he gets that from Lindsey).  His favorite food is any type of berry, especially Blueberries! He can’t get enough of them. 

Lindsey’s new calling in our church is being a secretary to the Relief Society Presidency.  The relief society is the woman’s organization in our church and let me tell you they are way more organized than any of the men.  Lindsey has her hands full, but she loves it, especially being able to get to know and serve the other ladies in our ward (congregation).  I’m very proud of her and all she does.  She is an inspiration to Westley and me.

 I still work with the young men, which at times can be a daunting task, but I love it.  I am grateful to see how prepared our youth are for the difficulties ahead.  I am also as mentioned before, trying to finish these last few semesters of my Bachelor’s degree here at BYU-Idaho.  I love learning how our bodies work at the molecular level.  It brings an added testimony to me of the Love and Miracle our Heavenly Father provided in the gifts of our bodies.  It amazes me all that goes on molecularly every second that keeps us alive.  Though they may become frail at times, our bodies were a miracle and gift from God. 

We love all of you (family and friends).  Thank you for your love and support.  Westley can’t wait to see his Great Grandparents and Aunt Sarah, Uncle Brian, Grandpa Joel, Grandma Lisa, and Aunt Jackie.  Just one month until we see you. 

Here are some new pictures of Westley. 

Spring Has Sprung!

Hooray! The warm weather is here! For how long remains to be seen, since we do live in Rexburg (aka Iceburg). We always seem to get crazy snow storms all throughout the "spring" months, sometimes even through summer! Let's hope it leaves us alone for a while, because Chris, Westley and I are loving the warmth. We got to go out to St. Anthony for a drive to look at the notorious Sand Dunes in the middle of the mountains near Rexburg. Here is a picture of what the dunes look like, aerial view: 

March was an extremely hectic month. Chris got his teeth fixed, Westley is starting to get some hair (kinda), and I, Lindsey, gave myself a haircut. New beginnings all around. : ) We are working even harder to eat healthier, exercise, and accomplish our personal and family goals. I have been working more diligently to combat my fibromyalgia pains through exercise, diet, and stress reduction. We really value our few short hours together for family fun. Here are some pictures of our activities: 

Storytime with Daddy

Our Little Monster

Looking at Easter Chicks

Helping with Housework

Chris helps a lot with this when he can by running home after work to give me a little bit to exercise and go out of the house before he has to hurry back to school. I am trying to do yoga and learn to relax the painful muscle cramps and foggy headaches that pop up all day long. We also have a deal, he will do the dishes every day, if I take the time to write a novel. He is so sweet. I'm really excited to be writing again, since I stopped when I got to college. I've taken up sewing again too, and am loving it. I'm working on a baby Ducky quilt for a friend, helped my cousin make an Easter skirt, and made a baby girl Onesie Dress for a friend's baby shower. Here are the skirt and the dress...

Chris has a new hobby that he has discovered as well. He will probably chide me for mentioning this, but he LOVES to sing! He is getting better at developing his voice and working the kinks out of his technique. Almost every evening before he goes to bed, Zella and I sit in the living room and listen to him practice. His favorite songs to sing come from Les Miserables and My Fair Lady, and always church hymns. We are working on expanding the repetouire. : ) I challenged him to try out for the local playhouse production of Les Miserables next month, but he probably won't have time to commit to it with all the things he is already involved in with school and church. 

Westley is growing by leaps and bounds. We took him to get shots recently and they said he is in the 93rd percentile for height and 87th for weight. He always begs for food at the table (but still eats EVERYTHING he finds off the ground :P), and has started to baby babble a lot more. He has said "Mama", "Bath", and "Dada" over the last two weeks. Walking with his baby walker toy from Auntie Jackie is his favorite thing. He is cruisin' around like nobody's business! Video collections below: 

Oh, by the way, we also just found out that Westley knows how to use the Wii remote to turn on his favorite Netflix show, Kipper... I'm in for a world of trouble now! :D Since the weather has turned fair, he and I have gone on more walks with my friend Lisa and her daughter Clair. Clair and Westley are pretty much best friends. Here are some pictures/videos of their fun together: 

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. We hope you have all had a wonderful Easter weekend! We are so grateful for our family, for the Savior, and for the sacrifice that He made so that we can be reunited with our dear loved ones again some day. We love you all and are grateful for your love and support!

Learning Lots

Dear Family and Friends,

We have been very bad about updating the blog the last two months! My laptop broke in November and Chris's laptop always seems to be in use for schoolwork. We have been incredibly busy with all of our different responsibilities in the home as parents and caregivers, at school, church, and in our community. It seems we never get to take a breath! :)

Christmas was wonderful for our little family. Thank you for the thoughtful gifts and cards from all of you! If you haven't gotten a "thank you" yet, it's because I am falling behind. We had so much fun watching Westley experience his first Christmas and enjoyed Skyping and Facetiming with both sides of the family. Even across the distances we are so grateful for the love and bonds we share with our loved ones.

Chris continues to work like a madman on his homework and studies. He is getting more and more knowledgeable about genetic recessions, cytoplasm, and cell functions. It is fun to watch him become so enthusiastic about his studies. He has recently decided that Chemistry-based football plays are an awesome idea and runs around the house with Westley and a football, shouting chemical compounds like "K₂CO₃" which is potassium carbonate, if you were wondering.... :D It's pretty cute and I love that science has sparked his inspiration. He does pretty well in all of his classes and often is elected to play leadership roles in his group work. I am allowed to be proud of my man! :)

The other work he throws himself into is his church responsibilities. Our church has a worldwide youth program that incorporates teaching gospel-centered learning, coupled with practical skills for everyday life. For boys, it includes the Boy Scouts of America program, and for girls, they have an equally challenging Excellence program. Every week, assigned leaders devote several hours of their time and energy to teaching and interacting with the youth (ages 12-18) in this program.

At the beginning of last month, Chris was assigned to be the Assistant Advisor over the young men ages 16-18. There are more than 10 of these young men over whom he has direct stewardship. He helps teach their Sunday lessons; meets in counsel with the boys and their leaders about quorum goals, objectives, and needs; helps them achieve things in Scouting and church assignments, as well as helps to prepare them to go on missions, achieve higher education, and get ready for a temple marriage. All of these things are important and hard, but Chris looks at the challenges and opportunities with a great character of devotion to his duties. He really cares about the boys he works with, and their good and bad choices affect him. He loves the work and really enjoys his time there. I am amazed to see him uphold those responsibilities, with school, and still provide meaningful time for Westley and me.

I am holding up pretty well too, considering all the struggles we've experienced in recent months. I am finally getting the hang of my daily routine with caring for Zella and Westley at the same time, while managing our home. Zella, who is the sweetest 96-year-old woman you'll ever ever meet, has been having a roller coaster of health problems, leaving me distressed and worried much of the time. After this last bout of it though, she seems to really be recovering well and has all of her old spunk back, much the relief of us and her family. She loves to sit and talk about just anything most afternoons and sometimes makes the cutest wisecracks that make Chris and me burst out in laughter.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to know her and to be like family. She depends on us so much that when she is away from home for more than a couple hours, she always asks when she come back home to "those kids who are so nice". She doesn't always remember our names, but she knows we love her and says how much she loves and appreciates us all the time.

Westley has reached HUGE milestones this last month. He has learned to self-feed pretty well with cereal puffs and little bits of fruit, has his 7th tooth coming in, AND has learned how to crawl marvelously! He is the cutest little munchkin I've ever seen. He is starting to get mischievous. His favorite thing in the whole world is to eat stuff off the ground. About 6-8 times a day he will be sitting on the floor and will end up with some random lint, food particle, or dirt clod in his mouth. It doesn't matter that I usually vacuum 2 times a day, he finds stuff!!!!

Yesterday we had a scary incident while driving in the car. He was playing with the plastic container to his cereal puffs in his carseat and all the sudden I started to hear him choke. He had partially pulled off the plastic wrapper covering the can and was choking on a piece. Chris pulled over at a gas station because my attempts to reach backwards and scoop it out were unsuccessful. It took a good three minutes and a series of gags for us to get it out of his stubborn jaws. It was scary but he was just fine, only mad that we'd taken away his fun. Chris and I came really close to having heart attacks and were shaken up for a half hour afterwards. Kids!

We love him so much.... his hugs, smiles, laughs, and sweet temperament. Everyone around loves him and we are incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to love and raise him. He is growing fast, has grown out of nearly everything we have for him (he's already in 12 month clothes at 9 months old!) and keeps us on our toes. The other day Westley squealed and gave Chris a big baby hug and Chris turned to me and said, "I didn't think a father could love his boy SO much!" That just about sums up the way we feel about our little guy. It makes the daily struggles and sleepless nights worth it!

Anyway, we are surviving and happy... and that's a pretty good combination I guess. We love you all and miss those who are far away, but think of you often and look forward to reunions in the future. Take care and hang tight! :)

Love, The Wymans

'Tis the Season

Let the Christmas festivities begin! We put up the tree, decorations, and started other Christmas plans. It's an exciting time of year. We are busy, busy, busy. Especially Chris... He worked a 58-hour week at his "part-time temp" job. :D Poor guy! Even though we haven't seen much of him lately, Westley and I feel his dedication to providing for the family and love him for it.

So far, we've had a nice weekend. We got to take our little adopted grandma to her ward Christmas Party at church on Friday, in pouring rain. We had a good time getting to know people and enjoying a nice dinner. There was an almost realistic nativity manger set up for the children to see what it would be like in Christ's time. Everything was well done and very peaceful. 

Yesterday we had a date night. You know what that means... GROCERY SHOPPING! Hahahaha. Funny how that seems to always happen on date night. Oh, well. We grabbed some sushi and rented the new Disney/Pixar movie, Brave, and snuggled up to watch it too. 

In the outfit from Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Grigg

Note the bib on our son... he is a slobbering monster now that he has been teething. It's made a horrible rash on his neck and cheeks, so we have to keep him constantly covered and frequently changed. He has really gotten the hang of rolling around to get just about anywhere. He isn't satisfied to sit up and look around anymore, he wants to be moving all the time. He has a cold this week, so I've been trying to cuddle and rest with him, but he wants to be up and around despite being grumpy. He wakes up several times a night with a stuffy nose and can't get back to sleep until I've given him a shower and a nasal treatment. It's been a little rough on both of us. :) He's pretty happy when he's in the bathtub though. 

While I was at home with our little sicky today, I worked on compiling genealogy. I've been learning about Chris's mother's side of the family and putting their info into our family tree. It's fascinating to learn about the people he comes from. I love researching in general, but to be studying people's lives is so fulfilling and intriguing to me. Doing family history always helps me put my own life into perspective, knowing that what I do in this life affects so many more people than just me. It is amazing to think about it. 

I hope that this month is full of great Christmas cheer for all of our family and friends. We are certainly feeling our blessings and hope that you will too. Keep warm, keep healthy, and spend as much time with your family and loved ones as you can! :)