Turning 1

Joe and the kids are making chocolate chip cookies. Joe said he'd cook if I'd blog. They say hi!

Grant turned 1 on March 20! It was hard choosing which baby picture to put up: crying and slimy, or sleeping and peaceful. I chose sleeping because he is a happy and content little boy. He's not walking yet, and I don't think he's got any interest in walking yet; although today he did think it was fun to walk with mom and kick a soccer ball. He plays well with the other kids, but definitely knows how to scream and fight back when he wants something, especially if that something was taken away. All in all, the past year has gone incredibly fast, and I suspect that the clock will continue to tick faster each year. We love you, Grant-e!

We had a very small, very simple party for him--we returned home from Texas the midnight before. I (mom) felt a little bad that we did so much less for his birthday than for Logan's or Madison's, but luckily Grant doesn't seem to know or care.

 

(Insert joke about eating the high-chair strap when food is gone.)

Unlike Logan a nd Madison, Grant had lots of cake and even some ice cream before turning 1. 

Here's Madison and Logan on their first birthdays. Who do you think Grant looks most like?

Have You Missed Me? A random rant.

Hello! Our lives have been crazy lately. I'm sure you understand. We've been taking down wallpaper, painting, chipping paint, painting, tearing out tile, putting down new floors, packing, and cleaning. We bought a home that we wouldn't have to fix-up. Mostly we haven't had to do too much. And since we've only been here for about 18 months, we don't even need to do too much painting. But the realtor suggested a few things, including replacing the bathroom floor. OK, so we've known for a long time that we needed to do something about the bathroom floor. We've even called a few bathroom floor people to come fix it, but never followed through. Well, we finally have time to fix our bathroom floor and a few other things for someone else to live in our home. Isn't life ironic?

My parents and some WONDERFUL friends have helped us out.... babysitting, lending a steamer, lending a saw, wall-prepping, and helping us put down the new bathroom floor. So many more have offered to babysit and come over to help pack, organize, clean, etc. *I still might call you!!!

Joe is busy taking care of business... health insurance, loose ends, applications, TX bar-exam study, and (reading) books about starting your own practice and immigration law.

I get easily stressed out, but I'm surviving. I know we have a Heavenly Father who is watching out for us, and I am thankful for the friends and family who have shared their love with us.

We are almost ready to put the house up for sale. We are leaving for TX in a few days to scope out the area and decide if this is really the path we should take. We have often recognized the many options in front of us, but at no time have I so identified with Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Less Traveled"

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Grant turns one this month. The kids think it's fun to have dad at home. I'm glad they aren't old enough to understand the stresses on our lives; they think we are in a great adventure. And we are. They are the reason we live, our hopes for the future. And I'll leave you with a picture of Grant catching bubbles. I wish I had it on video so you could see his delight and laughter when "catching" a bubble.

FAQ

This is a brief post to answer a few "frequently asked questions."

1. We are most likely moving to Dallas, TX, or thereabouts. If I had to put a percentage on it, I'd say it's slightly north of 90%.

2. Perhaps most importantly, our next child will indeed help us carry on our tradition of having a baby in each state we live in. Personally, I hope that Dallas will be our last stop, but if Jenny has her way, I guess we're looking at two more moves!

3. We don't know when we are moving. The realtor came over yesterday to inspect the house. The market outlook is bleak, but she was encouraging. We will know more about when we will move depending on when the house sells. There's a chance we may be a family apart for a while.

4. I will hopefully be taking the Texas bar in July. Luckily I've been well trained in a few federal practice areas, which means that I can practice some federal law in Texas until my Texas license kicks in.

5. Will we miss Cleveland?

Jenny will.

For the most part, Cleveland has not been the most pleasant experience for me. Besides the job toxicity, the weather is horrible, the taxes are high, and the roads are poorly maintained (and while I'm at it, does anyone know why they don't use reflective paint to stripe the roads??? When it rains, I have no idea what lane I'm in!).

Aside from all that, we truly treasured the opportunity to live near Kirtland and get in touch with that era of church history. We've learned a lot. We've also grown to really love the people in our ward. There are some amazing hearts, minds, and helping hands. My guess is that if we were leaving Baghdad, we'd feel the same regret over losing such great people. At the same time, being students most of our married career, we've left and seen leave great people before; I'm sure the next stop will have some equally amazing spirits.

6. Many have asked how Jenny feels about moving to Texas. I'm sure she would appreciate the opportunity to answer for herself, but I'd like to publish her honest feelings before she has a chance to delete mine and replace them with a more political answer:

She doesn't like it. Facially, there are many things to like about Texas (according to her). She will like the part where the state doesn't tax the air you breathe. The schools are pretty good. People are nice. She can see major sporting events (seriously, Jenny says this. She thoroughly enjoyed going to see the Indians and Cavs while we were here, and I'm pretty sure she thinks LeBron James is hot). And the cost of living is relatively low.

But you know those prideful Texans. It bothers Jenny that Texas flags adorn every building and logo. I'm not sure why, but it does. And going to Texas is in some way giving in. But I'm grateful she has such an open mind.

7. Finally, we get asked a lot about how our parents feel about our move, both leaving Jenny's parents and getting closer to mine. In general, I'm sure that both would rather us be closer. But both sets of parents are supportive, and want what's best. As long as we're close to a major airport, I don't think either would have too much of a problem should we decide to move again in a few years.

February 18, 2009

Cut day.

Cleveland was dank this Wednesday. I drove the entire 9-mile potholed commute into work thinking about the ominous weather. I knew that this commute was likely my last.

On Tuesday I received an email requesting a meeting for me to meet with the partner-in-charge of my firm's Ohio offices. The work had been slow, and was getting slower. Once it became clear that the workload lull might very well turn into the new status quo, I knew that jobs at work would have to be eliminated.

And on Wednesday, mine was.

The firm responded to this economic crisis by dropping over 30 people. Good people. I'm sure the decision was difficult for those who made it, but that hardly eases the pain.

Fortunately Jenny and I saw this coming. We had already started putting out feelers several months ago back home in Texas. Additionally,--and I don't want to disparage my firm in any way--I was far from happy at work. I had already decided that professional growth would have to come from a new opportunity outside the firm, so my resume had already graced a few eyes before being told to update it on Wednesday.

Despite having already decided to leave, there's still a sense of disappointment at not being able to do it entirely on my own terms. I wanted that preemptive strike. But that hardly matters now.

From here we will, along with half of Cleveland, put our house on the market. We will go back to Texas (where Jenny has been DYING to go for ages), and seek opportunities there. Most likely it will be Dallas.

Last Saturday the Welch's were kind enough to watch our children (on V-day, no less) so that Jenny and I could go have lunch. While Jenny was eating the ice cream dessert we were supposed to be sharing, I told her that I had a spiritual prompting that this would be my last week at work. She accepted it. From that point forward we began to make plans for our next move.

I truly believe that this same spirit is guiding us now. We've felt its presence in our hearts, and in our friends' kind words and deeds. Perhaps I'm overly existential, but this will be one of those stories we tell our kids about how bad things happen so that greater things can come our way.

In the meantime, we are excited about the work we have ahead of ourselves.

The things kids say

Logan, the teenager

This morning as we were getting ready for church Logan, our 5 year old, gave us a sneak preview of a decade hence by asking me bluntly, "Dad, why don't you know anything?"

Madison, the nurse

We gave Jeff Beachum a ride home following church. In the van, Madison took it upon herself to educate him: "Boys have penises."

Grant, the magician

Since Grant can't speak, he has to find other ways to communicate. He's developed a superb disappearing magic trick. He hides the first joint of his index finger deep in his nostril. All the time. He thinks that's the coolest thing since mom and dad left an open bag of chocolate chips out.

The third child.

So the kids and I (Jenny) went to my folks' place in PA for the weekend, which meant I had to be the driver and mediator for the children. We headed home after church, and I conveniently forgot to put a movie in the portable DVD player we use to keep the children quiet during longer drives. It is Sunday, after all. Instead we decided to sing Primary songs, read books, and talk. As expected, Grant, who sits between Madison and Logan, fell asleep almost immediately. Madison was next, then Logan, although the older two children woke up about an hour later. We then sang songs and talked. Then they began to play. Their voices got louder and louder. Then toys started to get passed back and forth--over Grant, of course. Then I heard things like, "Don't touch him." And, "Oops, sorry baby." I kept warning them not to wake Grant. Then I started to worry. Why wasn't he waking up? Was he ok? They were noisy. And touching him. And then I worried that maybe the blanket I had put on him was actually covering his head and he couldn't breathe. So I asked Logan to move the blanket. That, too, got passed back and forth. I became more worried and asked Logan if Grant was ok. "Yeah, mom." I was starting to really worry. So I actually reached back to see if I could feel him breathing. Yep, he's fine. It's amazing what a third child can sleep through.

One of Those Days

Gotta love Cleveland.

Today I invested a good half hour digging my car out of the driveway. I then traversed the 9 miles it is from my house to my office in the grand-prix-worthy time of 1.5 hours. Five minutes after getting to the office, the firm sends everyone home. Thanks.

Before I go further, I'd like to ask any who may know why Cleveland sent their plow drivers home early, too.

On my lovely drive back I successfully maneuvered the obscene amounts of snow the entire way . . . until getting to the home stretch: L----- Rd. L----- Rd, the venerable lane where the McGregor estate rests, had yet to be plowed. I got stuck immediately.

After much cajoling, I managed to inch forward my little Kia Optima right up to our driveway, where the car, positively and unequivocally, got stuck.

So I devoted another hour shoveling the driveway (again), digging out my car, and creating a nice little path from the car to my driveway. After all that exertion I thrust my trusty shovel into the snowbank I had just created with a wonderful sense of accomplishment. As I exhaled I noticed a flashing light coming around the corner. Who would have guessed? A full day after plowing everyone's road but mine, the city's winter hero--the plowman--tumbled down my street and shoved all the snow I just dug away from my car, back onto my car!

I wanted to cry.

I didn't.

I love this place.

Life Goal #7: Accomplished!

She doesn't look like much, but Sandusky, Ohio, has been on my hitlist for over a decade now.

Sandusky is the setting for Hollywood's greatest cinematic achievement: Tommy Boy. In that film Chris Farley, starring as Tommy Callahan, Jr., travels across the country to sell enough brake pads to save his family's business, and grows up along the way. Heartwarming.

In high school my great bud, Len Gillespie, and I would watch the film at least once a day. We could practically recite the entire movie. Amazingly, it never got old. In college I travelled with three things: a pillow, a toothbrush, and Tommy Boy on VHS. Like my American Express, I never left home without it. I made it a goal to one day visit the shrine of immature men everywhere: Sandusky.

In September, 2000, Len was killed in an automobile accident. Subsequently, each time I watched the film I would think back to those times at 2:00 watching Tommy Boy in his living room. It stung. So I quit watching.

Finally today, almost a decade after Len's passing, I made it to Sandusky. The trip from South Euclid wasn't that far, but the road I endured learning to cope with a close loss was. This post is a tribute to one of the best persons I ever knew.

"A lot of people go to college for seven years."

"Yeah, they're called doctors."

"Shut up, Richard."

Peace.

Logan's Scars

He's pretty proud of these surgery scars!

Spaghetti Special (with meatballs)

I just think he looks so funny!
Grant looooves to eat. He only has 2 teeth, but he eats pretty much whatever we eat. He especially loves pasta--spaghetti and meatballs and macaroni and cheese are some of his favorites. He's been taking a lot of baths lately! He also loves chocolate. We aren't sure how he knows when we are eating sugar, but he makes a lot of loud noises whenever he sees us eating something yummy and we aren't sharing. Interestingly, he doesn't expect Madison and Logan to share with him; he will eye and try to grab their food, but he doesn't get mad. Apparently, he knows that dad and mom will share. 

Also, Grant loves to play with instruments (see video). He does get frustrated that the xylophone sticks are connected to the xylophone. He really loves to play the drums (I'll try to get a video)--it must be hereditary because his dad and Uncle Aaron also play the drums. And of course, he loves to play the piano. I used to be able to hold him on my lap while I played, but no more--he wants to do all the playing (a.k.a. pounding). If he sees the piano is open, he stands up and cruises his way down the keys. Maybe he's a musical genius, maybe he just likes to hit things. He really likes to make noise.

Poor Madi! Sometimes Grant can be dangerous!

Joseph L. McGregor, The Most Brilliant Man in America?

No one ever asks why I married Jenny. The answer seems obvious. (In fact, the reverse question seems to be the only one that crosses people's minds.) But today I'd like to pretend that this unasked question was posed.

Underneath the apparent inequality in our marriage lies a larger truth: I really don't deserve Jenny. It never escaped me while in my dating years that my future bride should be a good mother, and a complement to my weaknesses.

All who know Jennifer know how wonderful of a mother she is. She wakes up early each day to prepare a wholesome breakfast. She could never be accused of "babysitting" the kids; rather, she interacts with them to engage their minds. When I get home each day they show me pictures they colored, projects they made, and retell the stories in the books she read to them.

Jennifer is also a pragmatist. She carefully guards against gloomy days. She hates spending money (sometimes her weakness). Where I have proved hopelessly lost in managing the details of life, she has proven that she is the most organized person alive.

And perhaps best of all, she's humbly smart. She's so well-read. Whenever I read something new, we can always discuss it because she's already read something on the issue. But she never flaunts her intelligence.

Of course, she's beautiful. As a young boy when I dreamed up what my perfect wife would look like, she modeled Jenny.

So where does this leave me? It leaves me as perhaps the most shrewd negotiator on earth. Never in the history of mankind has a man so undeserving of his wife married so far out of his league. If there's one accomplishment in my life I'm most proud of, it's that I married Jennifer.

Where we've been

Logan: Moved up to the five-yr old class in Primary in January. He's into Superman, Batman, and superheroes in general. He loves to fight with Madison. He loves to build things with Legos--he stopped asking for my help because he's figured out that he builds better than I do. He loves preschool and is excited for Kindergarten and can't wait to eat lunch at school. He can spell and rhyme... he just needs to work on penmanship. We spend about 30 minutes every morning writing letters. He and Madison are both good helpers--they cook, dust, vacuum, and even pick up a few toys once in a while.

Madison: Moved up to the Sunbeams class in January. I think she likes it, although when she sees me for Singing Time, she almost always starts her "silent cry." It might be fake, but she's very convincing, so I don't know. She loves her teachers and makes up stories that they tell her. (ex. One day she told us Sis. Rowe said she didn't have to eat whatever on the menu that night. I said, " Oh really. I think I'll have to ask Sis. Rowe about that." Madi paused then stated, "If you ask her, she might say 'no.'") She still doesn't care to play dress up, although she has lots of dress-up clothes if any little girls want to come play. She also doesn't really like to play with Barbies or babies or anything girly. She does, however, wear her cape if Logan is wearing his because then she's cool. She can be a picky eater, but the last few days she's been eating marvelously. She carries a purple washcloth around the house to wipe away her tears (which she has a lot of since she is always fighting with Logan). It's no longer worrisome or humorous. Just normal. 

Grant: Is 10 months old. He crawls and stands and cruises on furniture. He's a clown; if we laugh at something he does, he'll do it over and over and over. He just started clapping. He loves to play peek-a-boo. He points to tell us what he wants. He's a very happy, lovable,and sometimes loud baby. He loves to play with his big brother and sister, but gets very upset when they take something away from him. He loves to eat. He still nurses 5 times a day and eats at least 3 meals with the family. Logan, Madison, and I (Jenn) all have low iron levels, so at Grant's last dr. appt. I asked the dr. to test his blood. She was a little reluctant, but I was not surprised to find that Grant, too, had very low iron levels. So we are all taking iron supplements. The dr. is also worried about his weight which surprised me because he eats all day long... I guess he's always hungry! So lucky Grant gets to have cream cheese and butter on his bread!

Joe: Is home a little more because the economy isn't keeping him so busy. So we get to see him a little more, which is nice, but worrisome at the same time. I can't say much on here, so for more info you might just have to ask him. He (and I) decided that it was time to shut off the satellite to save money and promote better usage of time. We also got rid of our home line and are just using our cell numbers now. (We still have our answering machine hooked up to the old line if you need to get a hold of us before you get our cell number.) 

Jenn: loves staying at home with the children... and is thinking about giving up on having a clean house. I think I washed, dried, folded, and put away 10 loads of laundry this week (and no, I didn't miss a week). Whew! I feel like I can't keep up with life. One of my new year's goal was to get up at 6:00 a.m. so I could shower and dress, make a hot breakfast, and do some me things so that we can all eat breakfast together at 7:00. It's been tough, but also very rewarding. I am also taking an online class from BYU because I have to take 6 credits to keep my teaching certificate current. I'm actually really stressed about it because I've got to finish by Sept. 1 and I've procrastinated this for 5 years. I really don't know where the time went, but I have no excuse.  So while Logan is in school, Madison and Grant take naps, and I've got about 2 1/2 hours that I use to exercise and work on this class and get anything else done (meal prep, cleaning, etc). So we're 19 days into the new year and I feel like I've done pretty well, but I'm also exhausted at the end of the day. Sometimes I feel like life is so crazy and I know it's only going to get crazier as the kids have more activities and I just don't know how to keep up. And I know I should  be doing more playing and teaching and loving and somehow it all gets lost in the happenings of the day. So if any of you are up to sharing, I'd love to know how you do it.