2008-05-24 Indy 500

Brian, Natalie, Ava, Grandma and I went the Indianapolis Race Track and watched a 100 mile race run the day before the famous Indy 500. The cars were loud and fast - over 200 mph.

2008-06-02 Natalie's update

Just a quick update from us. We are doing well, all things considered. Greta is still sweet as ever, but is definitely asserting herself more. She still doesn't do any long stretches at night, but is becoming more consistent with three hour feedings. I guess I shouldn't expect too much from a two-week old. She is a great sleeper in the mornings from 10am-1pm. Too bad that this is the time that Elsa and Ava need breakfast, help with getting dressed, etc. Even with their simple needs, the girls have been the best helpers. They have played so well together and like to give lots of comfort and love to Greta.



With the addition of a newborn in the house, we have added the stress/change of a new job and pending move. Brian has accepted a job with Novian Health located in downtown Chicago. As many of you were aware, we also considered an offer with a company located in Scottsdale, AZ. Although I would have loved being closer to Utah and California and the warmer winters, moving to Chicago is an exciting venture in Brian's career. We are listing our house tomorrow, so I have frantically been cleaning out closets, dejunking rooms, dusting blinds, and painting walls and baseboards -- all the things that you like to do when you're completely exhausted from sleep deprivation. I hope that we have success with selling our house. The plan for now is that Brian will commute to Chicago from Indiana for the first few months. If we haven't had success with selling our house, we'll re-evaluate our family's needs as far as commuting, renting a place in the suburbs of Chicago, etc. Brian will stay at Lilly until the end of June and start at Novian on July 7th, so I still have a little time to hopefully establish good sleep habits with Greta before the change. Fortunately, I have great friends and neighbors who are so willing to help out in any moment. I will be really sad to leave our home here. We've loved our house, our neighborhood, ward, schools, etc. We could still be here for a while, so Elsa is still enrolled for kindergarten and Ava in preschool. As you can tell, there are a lot of unknowns for the moment.



We are still planning on our scheduled trip to Utah at the end of July/beginning of August. Hopefully, we'll get to see most of you during our visit. I've attached a few pictures of the girls that a friend, who is a professional photographer, took yesterday. She generously offered to take pictures and spent three hours here patiently waiting for Greta to nurse and fall back asleep so she could get the right poses and lighting. Brian was a little nervous when he came home to see a naked Greta on top of the piano. Good thing no accidents happened. :) Thanks to all of you for your calls and emails. I appreciate hearing from you.



Love, Natalie

2008-05-20 Greta is born

Greta had a difficult time breathing at first which gave Brian and Natalie a scare. Grandma and grandpa were with Elsa and Ava in a separate room and unaware of the drama. Once she got going, her breathing and everything else were perfect. She weighed in at 8 lbs 3.5 oz and was 21.5 inches long.



Greta got lots of attention from her sisters and her grandmother.

2008-05-18 Eagle Court of Honor

Five young men in our ward received the eagle award in a court of honor. The troop committee did a wonderful job planning this event. There were live eagles, falcons and hawks that flew from basketball standard to basketball standard. The Utah air national guard provided historic flags and conducted the flag ceremony.

2008-05-17 Salt Lake Century Bike Ride

As unbelievable as it may seem, I was able to ride 106 miles on my road bike with Michael. Of course he was ahead of me for most of the ride. Paula, Thomas and Coray rode 36 miles. I enjoyed the first 36 miles more than I enjoyed the last 36 miles. My muscles are not too sore on the day after, but I loaded up on ibuprofen after the race to cut down on the inflammation that happens after you abuse your body. I averaged 16.4 mph and sat in the bike seat for nearly 7 hours. My average heart rate was 158. I am hopeful that this made my heart stronger and didn't just use up my alloted beats before my time.

2008-05-07 Willow Creek 4th Ward Senior Banquet

My first YM/YW activity since being sustained in the bishopric was the annual senior banquet where the graduating seniors in our ward are honored. There was a terrific slide show highlighting each senior and their accomplishments which were more than a few.

2008-04-28 Palm Springs again

We spent another week in Palm Springs. This time with the Seals. We golfed a couple of times, stat at the pool, went bike riding, and saw the Palm Springs Follies. The follies are a group of 65+ women looking like Las Vegas showgirls. Some had been Radio City Rockettes and Broadway dancers. They were good, but we were the youngest people at the performance.