Tiny miracle, huge blessing!

I feel so fortunate today. I received a tiny miracle. Last year I misplaced my journal while traveling. I always take my journal on trips so that I can write while my memory is still fresh. I got home last year and realized that my journal was missing. It may not sound like a big deal but the record of our family for the past three and a half year's were recorded in it. It included the birth of Eliza and Thomas. I was distraught when I realized it was gone. We searched through all the luggage several times. We contacted the airline and the hotel. We thought it was gone forever.
It has been one year. Today I was putting away the last suitcase from our children staying with family two weeks ago. I know it is bad that I still had one suitcase sitting in the laundry room for two weeks but I kept having the feeling I needed to clean it out. I couldn't believe it when I pulled out my journal from a pocket I know I had checked many times. I don't know how it all worked out, but I am thrilled. I am so excited to have the entries about important milestones of my family.

May 29th- Happy Birthday Scott!
Scott turned 35 today. He says he is officially half way to old. I laugh at him. I planned a fun day together but it didn't exactly go as planned. We still love spending time together.
I took my mom to a YMCA boot camp class at 5:30 am. We hurried home and I made Scott's favorite-Porridge with golden raisins, condensed milk and brown sugar. Then I started on cinnamon rolls. I made 5 cookie sheets of cinnamon rolls. I made the biggest disaster in the kitchen and the kids took care of the rest of the house. We showered, styled hair, and got everyone cute. We loaded hot rolls, lots of kids and took off to downtown Boise. Scott was surprised and happy to share treats and show off his cute kids.
We then drove off to Janette and Mark's house. They took our van and children and went to the park. We drove to the temple and visited together. When we got into the temple we realized we were to late to do a session. We decided to eat lunch in the cafeteria together.
We went home and took on the mess. Scott even pitched in which made me feel bad. We created order in our house and went back out about 8 PM. My mom came over and sat at the house and rocked Gideon. We delivered cinnamon rolls to 5 families. We took a present over to the Skidmore home and visited with Levi and Amber. We loved having time together and even got a bite to eat and a little shopping in. Scott used his birthday time to buy his kids socks and shoes and visit friends and family. He is such a cool guy. I thought I was going to have this amazing date with every detail planned and instead we made the best of it.

Galileo Chess Tournament

Wednesday was the Galileo Math and Science school Chess Tournament. Kyle picked up chess this past year. He had played and won all the family and did well. We didn't know what to expect because Kyle had not joined the club and never officially played. He was excited all day. It was motivation to complete school assignments and chores. Kyle arrived on time and ready to play. He played four rounds and went two for two. He really did well considering he lost to first and third place. His rounds were really long. All the other children played in the gym with P.E. equipment. Scott got off work and added moral support in the last round. We are glad Kyle has pursued so many varied interests.

Two highlights this past week included:

Kyle was excepted to the North Star Charter School. It is a K-12 school with emphasis on business and economics.

Micah received his Bear award in Cub Scouts. Scott did a good job with the Pack Meeting. Micah is in a group of really awesome young boys. He has a sharp leader Launette Shaw. She is always organized and has the whole year planned out.

Boise Zoo

Tuesday was the first day Mom, Gideon, Thomas and Eliza were alone. Uncle Mark was home to watch Kadie and Mary and Kyle was in Utah with Grandma and Papa Stevens. We decided to go to the Boise Zoo and have a fun day together. We met Aunt Tami and her pre-school group. The sky was overcast and the weather was cool. It was the perfect zoo day. Usually half the animals are hiding and a million school kids are running around. We had the zoo to ourselves or close to it. We saw every animal except one of the cats. The zoo has the cutest new baby monkey. The penguins were swimming and even the zebra made an appearance. The best part was that Daddy surprised us and met us there. We were there all afternoon and had a great time. Tommy loved running around and not being stuck in a stroller. Scott was the hero and lifted all the little children up to see the animals. Tami brought yummy snacks. Scott and I went for a burrito and a smoothie afterwards and played in the park. Scott did have to go back to work that day and stayed until midnight but we loved having him all afternoon.

May 26, 2008

Gideon has a new favorite toy. He loves the bar stools. He constantly is pulling them down on his body or getting stuck in the middle. We all think he is so cute and he knows it. He will try to pull himself up on everything and is figuring out some crazy places to get stuck including the entertainment center. It is amazing how much joy a sweet little baby can bring into a home. All of the children love Gideon and are drawn to him. We are repeating the kissing cycle. Eliza would shriek and whine when Micah would come close because he would smother her with affection. Gideon has the same reaction to Eliza when he sees her coming in for another kiss or hug. I am glad our problem is too much love and affection.

Thomas The Train fans!

We are starting Gideon out early. He is currently a Thomas The Train fan. O.K. so electronics are Mom's least favorite form of entertainment but we do have other fans. Thomas got a DVD for Easter (Thomas and Friends). He asks for it everyday several times a day. He still doesn't talk at all so he gets his movie brings it to me and points at the T.V. Everyone in the family walks around repeating their favorite line "Thomas tooted happily".

Coburn Family Sweet, Idaho

This week while driving home from the YMCA; I had a visual reminder of the blessings of motherhood. We came upon a mother duck and her 4 ducklings crossing a main road in Eagle. The mother took great care to keep her children close as the little yellow ducklings followed behind. We were aware of the cute duckies and came to a stop but the on-coming traffic did not. The girls I work-out with were disturbed when the on-coming 4x4 ran over all 4 ducklings. Cars stopped on both sides of traffic to observe the accident. We felt so sad for the immediate loss to the mother duck.

This past week tragedy has struck our valley again. Just over one year ago two families from a small community (Sweet) tragedly lost five children. The children were car-pooling to seminary on a foggy morning and some how swerved off into water next to the highway. It is believed that the children were knocked unconscious immediately; there was no sign of struggle. It took two hours before the car was recovered from under water. Both dads were on the scene waiting and hoping for recovery of their children. Many people wanted to jump in and try to save them but the water was to cold. There are so many amazing details associated with this accident that are unnecessary to mention.

Last Saturday members of the same ward traveled together down the same highway to the cemetery for a clean-up project. A truck driven by a young eighteen year old boy was driving in the opposite direction when his trailer unhitched. The irrigation pipes became loose from his trailer and rolled into on-coming traffic. A truck hit the pipes, rolled off the twenty-five drop-off and down into the water below. Members of the ward following stopped and raced down the embankment to see what they could do. The first man on the scene attempted three times to jump out to the truck before he was able to beat the current of the river. The driver of the truck was a father of four. He had brought his eight, six, and four year old daughters to help that day with the service project. The dad having suffered a broken neck upon impact was pronounced dead on the scene. One of the most heart-breaking details about the accident is knowing who was assisting the accident scene immediately. Both fathers of the five children who died the previous year were right there at the accident. One of the fathers was able to get to the submerged truck in the river and hold up the heads of the two girls above water until help came. Two of the girls had been pinned down in back of the truck. Two of the daughters died before they arrived to the hospital and the six year old is in critical condition.

My heart goes out to the Mother who has lost her best friend and two precious daughters. I pray that her six year old pulls through with a miracle. My heart aches for the Walkers and Probst families who are reliving the pain of their loss. I also feel for the poor farm boy who was not drinking, doing drugs, or speeding who had the misfortune of a random accident that will haunt him for life. We are associated with these good people in one way or another and it hits home, the sanctity of life. I am so grateful for my family. I am so fortunate for my health and strength. I am reminded that the Lord has poured his richest blessings upon me and that I should live each day in gratitude. The economy could fall, catastrophe could happen around me but as long as I have a supportive sweet husband and my children; I am a rich women. Scott has a pillow in his office that states "A rich man is when his pockets are empty his children fill his arms".

Cirque Du Soleil

Scott planned a fun date on Wednesday night. He took me to a Cirque Du Soleil event two year's ago when Tommy was only a couple months old. When Gina told him that the troop was in town he jumped on buying tickets right away. We left our big kids home with Aunt Nettie and took Gideon over to Grandma Steven's house. It was so fun to go without children. We saw the most incredible acts and it exceeded our expectation. I had given Scott a little grief over the cost of the tickets prior to last night, but I admit it was well worth it. Gina and Bryan met us at the Taco Bell Arena with Bryan's brother and wife. We picked up a Wendy's salad along the way and made a night of it. We couldn't take pictures there but caught one when we got home. I forget sometimes how to be a little child and laugh and forget responsibility but this was a night I enjoyed all of the above! Scott is such a cool and thoughtful husband. We are so spoiled at times, but indeed very grateful for our many blessings.

Two Chihuahua's don't make a Great Dane.

Gideon, Eliza and Momma went to Dr. Alan Miller for a 6 month check-up this week. Everyone was hoping to hear fabulous news on how healthy and strong Gideon was. We also hoped for a little weight gain for our tiny boy. The numbers came in not so favorably for Gideon. He is 25 3/4 inches and weighs 14# 8oz. That was only a 13 oz. weight gain in two months and barely on the charts.
Well who needs to conform to charts and graphs. After discussing his size with the doctor and his lack of interest in food, Dr Miller announced "Two Chihuahua's don't make a Great Dane". I suppose Scott and I did down size the gene pool in our family but it sure makes for cute little kiddies. We decided if Gideon would sit still for even a little while he might not burn all his calories. Dr. Miller said Gideon was the most advanced 6 month old he had ever done an exam on.
Milestones this past month include: Hand and knee crawling, walking along furniture, pushing up to the sitting position, and pulling up and shaking his crib when he wants out. He is such a cute little guy and is a miniature Scott in the making. He loves to pull on people's cheeks until he can give a big smooch. He waves his hands when he is excited and screeches like a hawk when he is sad. We love our little Chihuahua!!!

The Great Potato Half Marathon

On Friday Scott went down to Ann Morrison park and signed me up for the Great Potato Half Marathon. He was one of the last ones at the sign-up booth. I had been deliberating for a few days and with the support of my hubby thought I would stick with my half-hearted commitment. I had not ran in over a week. We had the flu in our home since Monday. I knew it was $35 dollars I didn't really feel like I could justify. I just hoped that despite running 4 times in a month that my muscle memory would pull me through.



My sweet husband bought me new shoes recently that I had only ran in once. I decided that if I was going to go all out I my as well go with a bang. So Saturday morning I nursed Gideon (he still doesn't eat real food), strapped on my shoes and left at 6 A.M. I caught a ride with Heather Lee and Sally Larsen. We were on the first bus up to Lucky Peak. The sun was already up and we were set for a record breaking day of heat.



The thirteen point one mile race ended up being a very challenging run for me. I was very low on energy from not holding any food down all week. In combo with the heat I felt zapped. I ran with all my might and finished without stopping (minus the 5 port-a-potty stops). It was a good motivational training run for the ultimate goal this year, the St. George Marathon in October.



I was so exhausted that I cried the last mile all the way to the finish line. My cute kids were all waiting for me, dressed cute, hair combed and with a smile. I couldn't figure out why no one was cheering when I came around the last bend. It wasn't until later that Kyle told me he thought I was dying and he was worried about me. Scott captured some of Mom's scary looks on camera!! It took me awhile to be pleased with my performance of an hour and fifty-seven minutes, but when I put things in perspective and counted the blisters on my feet from new shoes; I felt happy about my day.





Later that day we went to a Year End Wrestling party. It was a nice tribute to the boys and their coaches. Some of the comments made:


"Micah took everyone by surprise when by mid-year he just "got it." He went from a mediocre wrestler to one of the team's strongest."


"Some people are just born athletically gifted and Isaac is one of those lucky few. He is a force to reckon with."


"Kyle is a natural leader and coach. He always took the time to help the new kids with learning moves."


We are losing our top coach Jason. We will miss him and are grateful for all he has contributed to our children.










Before Amanda knew any better!!!











During the Pain!!!

Mom was looking rather miserable coming in. The five K walkers look a little too comfortable.

Finally over!

Family and Fishing Night

We went to Eagle Island State park on Monday night. We had a BBQ provided by Grandma and Grandpa Stevens. We had quite a spread of food including smores. All the kids fished with Janette, Papa, Tami and Scott. We threw the football and enjoyed visiting. Our kids have the greatest time with family and they will treasure these memories forever. Every child that fished caught one. Tami ended our night with music and a spiritual thought. It was an awesome night. (until Eliza puked in 4 places when we got home. Poor little thing has been sick ever since.)

Tommy has big news...

Tommy decided the potty was cool and used it 4 times today...Hooray!!!

A week in Hawaii!!!

A person can never complain about a trip to Hawaii (especially free and clear) but if you were to complain, traveling wasn't our favorite. We left for the Boise airport at 4 in the morning. I never went to bed that night with so much to do and a fun sister-in-law to solve the world with. We got to the airport, waited in a long line only to be delayed three hours due to a bird in an engine. Our flight was rerouted to Denver and than after another lay over we were sent to LA. We finally arrived in Hawaii 23 hours after we left.

We lost the hygiene battle of not letting Gideon touch an airport floor. Yuck! We decided he needed a break from being held. Yes that is our cute orphan child in the LAX airport.
Finally in the beautiful island of Oahu. At least one of us caught some shut eye.

We had an amazing view from our hotel room at the Marriott Ihilani Resort. Sunday we enjoyed going to church with the local people. They were very kind and gracious. Scott was able to exchange a few memories with the good people at church.

We took a long walk along a beach in Honolulu with baby Gideon. It is hard to explain the feeling of the ocean. I love to put my feet in the sand, hear the sounds of the waves and look at the wonder of an endless sea. This was what made our trip relaxing and memorable.

Day two started with snorkeling. We went with another couple Angela and Shane Delaney. They were really kind to watch Gideon during his nap. I love being weightless in an uncharted world. The ocean has so much mystery and beauty. We spent the day. It was overcast so I didn't worry too much about sunscreen. I did spray Scott's back with sunscreen, but missed a few spots-oops! 5 days later Scott still looks cool.

We ate dinner at Dukes in downtown Honolulu. The restaurant is a famous surfer hangout dedicated to legendary surfers. We ate with 6 other couples from Scott's office. Parking was a nightmare; there is quite the night life in Waikiki!

We had a great time on Tuesday at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We drove up to the North Shore. I liked that it was a less commercial area of Oahu. We stopped at the Dole Pineapple factory. They have a pineapple smoothie called a Dole Whip. It is so yummy. We passed the temple and BYU Hawaii; Scott's old stomping grounds. The PCC was more educational and entertaining than I expected. The traditional dancing was beautiful and we loved the vibrant, colorful dress. Scott even participated in the warrior dance.

I got a run in along the beach on Wednesday. I love the sounds and sights and enjoyed the physical outlet. Scott was sweet and watched Gideon so I could run and get to the gym twice. We had taken our tennis racquet's so we could challenge our Mexico rivals. Unfortunately the courts cost $23 dollars an hour. The prices were very expensive for everything. We paid $29 dollars a day to park the car at our hotel not including tips for required valet service. Everything was so much money that we did the unthinkable; we went for Little Caesars in Hawaii for lunch. You cannot beat $7 dollars for a pizza. Later we went to the Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial. We arrived late enough in the afternoon that we were unable to see the sunken carrier Arizona but we did watch a movie telling the events that led up to the attack. We probably could have made an entire day of it but Gideon wasn't as interested. One day we will go back.


We couldn't miss an opportunity to pose with the fertility Goddess. I think she would be proud.














Scott almost took a dip with the local Manta Ray. He was able to reach out and touch him. Our hotel had a marine waterway with really cool fish surrounding the walkways and restaurants.

We traveled to the North Shore on Thursday so the men could try their hand at surfing and boogie boarding. Little did we realize that there are no waves on the North Shore at this time of year. We thought we'd at least take some pictures of us with a surf board so we could look cool.

















We owe a big thanks to Jenny and Brian Baily for the Hawaii trip.














O.K. so the thirties aren't quite as cute or cool as the twenties; but it sure is fun. The beach bag tells the story containing a bottle of Tylenol, two bottles of sunscreen, baby diapers and prescription sunglasses.

Gideon is a Surfer Dude in the making. He only fell face first in the sand once!

Thursday was the most memorable afternoon of the week. I wish I could say it was fond memories. We stopped at Waimea beach where they have some rocks that people love to jump off. There are, of course, three large signs posted recommending that people not jump or climb due to potential serious injury or death. All the more reason for us to try it out & feel like we're rebellious little kids. We parked and walked the long beach to the busy rocks. Scott was the first one to the top and impressively jumped the 30 foot cliff. Next his boss Brian and buddy Josh joined at the top. I did my best at trying to convince the other wives to join me and do a "girls jump"... to no avail. I went to the top myself. While at the top I found Brian nervous and unwilling to jump. My initial thought was "I have jumped off a 40 foot bridge before...how hard could it be". That was before I looked over the edge of the jagged rocks. Thoughts of my orphaned 7 children crossed my mind as I visualized taking one wrong step. Scott was on the beach below with the camera on record. He was anxiously awaiting for me to be the bravest girl out of the bunch. No matter how many times I counted 1,2,3, I could not bring myself to jump. I was frozen with fear at the top. Scott was yelling for his me to 'just jump'. I turned around, climbed off the rocks and bee lined for the restroom as the nerves got the best of me. When I got back I heard Scott yell one of his 'irritated but not cussing' phrases "What the junk!!!". Scott couldn't fathom what had gotten into me and quite frankly I didn't know myself. I have always thought I was super brave and could do anything a man could do. This tested every part of me as I began my ascend up again to the top of the cliff. I decided I would settle for the slightly lower cliff. Scott followed me. A picture can tell a thousand words. I am sure anyone can figure out what happened next... Yea that's Scott giving me a love push off the edge. I was not a very happy camper. He paid for it for a day or so.

Dinner was amazing that night. The other couples spent the day deep sea fishing and brought back about 12 Tuna. The hotel chef prepared a feast for us. It was amazing!
Scott and I got our last day of snorkeling at our hotel. I saw turtles and tons of fish. Scott was out for hours. I went to the hotel with Gideon. We packed everything and snuggled .





After Scott's tie die burn pattern the first day, he decided it better to soak in the sun mummy style. I on the other hand I would have loved some more time on the beach.

We checked out of our hotel on Saturday morning. We were anxious to see our family and had a full day planned before our red eye flight that night.

Gideon was so delightful today. He was just a gem and very accomodating considering the funny schedules we had. I had wanted to go to the Bishop's Museum all week. They have fascinating information on the history of Hawaii and several hands-on demonstrations. We intended to be their an hour and ended up staying several. We watched an astrology show. We learned about the early travels between islands. We also took a tour of the geneology of the Hawaiin Monarchy. It was very intriguing.
















We found a stowaway gecko. We contemplated taking it home with us in our carry on bags but opted not to. Isaac would have thought we were really cool parents if he had a pet gecko.

Next we hiked Diamond head. We were amazed with the tunnels and secret look out points. It was a great hike and just the right amount of exercise carrying the baby. Gideon loved smiling at all the people passing by. The Japanese women seemed especially taken with his big smile and little legs kicking as we walked.

The afternoon ended with a Hawaiin sunset stroll on Waikiki beach. It was such a fun vacation!!!

We were so excited to see our cute kiddies Sunday afternoon. What an awesome welcome home on Mother's Day. Thank you to all our wonderful family who loved our children while we were gone.