"Mom, thanks for having baby Ella..."

Last night, as Michael was getting ready for bed, he called down the stairs to me:

"Mom, thanks for having baby Ella."

Me: "Well, you're welcome."

Michael: "She's just such a cute little baby. I'm just so glad she is in our family."

Me: **Melted heart**


I love to see our children loving each other. The biggest question a lot of people have right now is... "How are the other children reacting to a baby in the house." Well... so far so good.


Michael wants to teach Ella everything he knows. He brings her cars, balls, dolls, and her binki. He demonstrates basketball and golf techniques for her. He sings to her, kisses her head, and is very aware and concerned about her well-being. He is a cute brother.

Here is a video of him singing articles of faith songs to her.



Bekah calls her "Baby Ewa" and is "so soft" as she pats her head and legs and tummy. She has been a "big helper" bringing me diapers and water bottles, or whatever I seem to need while nursing or otherwise occupied. Her mothering has transferred to her Minnie Mouse, as it diaper changes and puts it to bed.

Abby calls her "Baby Eya" and loves to give her fishy kisses on the head. She loves to sit and watch her, and is always very aware of where Ella's binki is... usually placing it by her head. She likes to bring different blankets to me, and loves to sit by me while I feed Ella.

I think Michael has been very surprised with how much Ella sleeps. He keeps wanting her to see what he is doing or be awake to learn something new. I tell him that she is sleeping so that she can grow, so that she will be able to learn all those things he is so anxious to teach her. But it has been nice to have a sleepy, sleepy newborn... kind of helps with a gradual transition.

Having a newborn again is such a sweet experience. I'm glad I had Ella, too. She really is a cute little baby, and I'm just so glad she's in our family, too.

the future looms large in the present...

linked here are two great articles.

first about the shape of our current energy problems (and the absurdity taking place on capitol hill--lieberman blaming speculators, mccain offering to drop the gas tax and obama offering a charity tax on the oil companies to help the poor...) prices are high because demand is up and not enough oil is being pumped. inadequate oil pumpage is probably more likely because of infrastructure inadequacies than greed and politics...

and

second about the possible shape that future energy options may take. i've always felt optimistic that when the demand was great enough and the developed world's corporations and start-ups found enough motivation (money) in the prospect, that they would find economically and scientifically viable energy options...

meanwhile, we need to decide whether to upgrade to another pilot.

under the banner of heaven...

twice, since moving to california, i have been asked, "have you read 'under the banner of heaven'?"...both people who questioned me looked at me with the hint of a grin and a glint in their eye that made me slightly uncomfortable. they were expecting me to have an answer and/or be ashamed of what they had discovered. in both cases, ironic in retrospect, i didn't respect the academic honesty of either questioner at the time. this lack of academic honesty became a theme as i read 'under the banner of heaven'.

'under the banner of heaven' was written by jon krakauer. jon is the author of 'into thin air' and 'into the wild'--the movie i recently reviewed. with this krakauer experience under my belt--and a positive one at that--i decided i would tackle this book that had people glancing at me askance as if with a secret knowledge about my own heritage and existence that they'd pulled from the writings of a mountain climber's research.

the book starts out in a fascinating manner. telling the story of a man from payson killing his sister-in-law in american fork. the story is told in a frank, matter-of-fact way. this is powerful stuff, and one of the men lived in my birth city before committing the crime. krakauer is at his best when speaking of his interviews with modern day monsters as he delves into the inner thoughts of dan lafferty, mark hoffman, brian david mitchell, rulon jeffs and other eccentric fundamentalist figures...

however, early on krakauer's book bumps off the smooth tracks of personal history, storytelling and pyschoanalysis into the world of anti-religion, unsubstantiated, poorly researched and outright attacks on the current lds religion. his most common tactic is to share unspeakable acts of immoral cruelty by FLDS practitioners and conflate their religious beliefs with that of the mormon mainstream. while i am not a mormon historical expert--by any means--time and again krakauer made blatant mis-statement and misrepresentations of the simplest elements of my faith. his mis-statments became so great, that not long into the book i found myself scurrying to find corroborating evidence for my realizations. i was not disappointed. i found several pearls in my search for more scholarly critics of krakauer's work.

to quote two: from terryl givens, author of 'by the hand of mormon' and a well-respected american historical scholar,

"Insofar as Krakauer recounts Mormonism’s past, he does it poorly, using outdated sources and discredited reports to portray a Joseph Smith and a Mormonism reminiscent of 19th century caricatures (Smith emerges as a two-dimensional serial seducer). His picture of contemporary Mormonism is also seriously misinformed, leaving us with far more overlap between Mormons and renegade polygamists than really exists and grave misperceptions about the first: most Saints do not believe the world will end 7,000 years after creation (321); there is no “official (or unofficial) LDS [policy]… strongly admonish[ing] white Saints not to marry blacks” (331); today’s church does not pressure women “to give birth to as many children” as possible (78); and Mormons certainly do not teach that because man is inherently virtuous an atonement is unnecessary (112). He irresponsibly misinforms as well on subjects from the Book of Mormon to the Mountain Meadows Massacre—all in an effort to link deluded modern murderers with a skewed depiction of Mormonism’s past and present. His book is ultimately more about doing violence to a faith, than uncovering the violence behind a faith."

and from one of my favorite mormon bloggers, david king landrith,

"Krakauer’s story belies the notion that truth is stranger than fiction and showcases Krakauer’s uncanny talent for adding interesting detail to otherwise mundane historical events. The result is generally good reading, but Krakauer exposes the poverty of his scholarship by riddling his story with simple mistakes and mangling his sources...In view of Krakauer’s abundant blunders, it is quite remarkable that his book has been generally well received. Whether from ignorance or bias, reviewer after reviewer (Hilary Spurling in The Telegraph, Douglas Kennedy in The Independent, Edward Morris in BookPage.com, and many others) failed to detect even the slightest defect in Krakauer’s story. As a matter of fact, his book is lowbrow enough to raise real questions about the qualifications of those who gave it passable reviews...Also, Krakauer goes to great length to document the unbridled welfare fraud, physical abuse, sexual molestation, and incest that occur in polygamous cults. But Krakauer carefully avoids the question of whether early Mormons committed such crimes. Make no mistake: They did not. Early Mormonism bore little resemblance to the practices of polygamous cults. When the LDS church sanctioned polygamy, fewer than 1 in 8 members actually practiced it. And the LDS church had surprisingly progressive views on women’s rights for the time. Utah readily permitted women to divorce their husbands and remarry if they chose. Utah was the first state to elect a woman (Martha Cannon) to its state Senate.† Utah was the second state or territory to allow women to vote. LDS women were among the first women from the west to attend colleges in the east. Physical abuse, sexual molestation, and incest were un-heard of. Krakauer’s silence on these issues implies otherwise, and so it will not do to claim that Krakauer’s story is evenhanded...Krakauer misrepresents the LDS church nearly every time he mentions it. Ostensibly, he is trying to provide some insight into its history and operations, but he is wrong on the facts; he mangles his sources; and he lacks even rudimentary background knowledge. Gullible readers and reviewers notwithstanding, Krakauer’s work does not bear scrutiny...Traditional bigotry has always been best represented by charismatic figures writing compelling prose that mixes outright lies with sweeping generalizations from shockingly small samples. This formula marshals anecdotal evidence alongside pseudo-science and pseudo-history to subjugate women, bully minorities, and malign religions. Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith falls squarely within this tradition."

thank you for indulging these two long quotes, but they were too good to pass up. publishing these two reviews is cathartic in many ways after the knots into which my insides were tied while reading krakauer's defamation of a faith so dear to my heart.

this book is not one you should read if you have not first read an even handed biography of joseph smith like "rough stone rolling" by richard bushman or donna hill's, "joseph smith: the first mormon". there is enough about our history that can shock and suprise a faithful latter-day saint when told from an objective observer. krakauer's brand of sensationalism when describing the story of joseph smith and the book of mormon, makes it hard to find any redeeming qualities from his chapters about our mormon founder and about the mainstream church at large.

in conclusion, am i sorry i've read krakauer's book? probably not. should you read it? probably not. can i make an informed and intelligent response the next time someone looks askance at me and says, "have you read 'under the banner of heaven'?"...probably.

serendipity...

serendipity bears no resemblance to that nauseating cusack movie.

serendipity is when you step out of your car for your shift at work with a swing in your step because weezer was playing on the radio...and when your shift ends and you turn your key to head for home weezer is playing again.

serendipity is when your boy refuses to hop into the pool for swimming lessons and so you hold your own swimming lessons in the neighborhood pool and he jumps right in for some father-son time you wouldn't have had otherwise.

serendipity is when you have a kid and you get to see your parents whom you've missed and wouldn't have visited you otherwise.

serendipity is when you get home from a shift at 4 am and your wife just happens to be awake and in the mood to talk.

serendipity is when your new daughter poops as you pick her up and you are given the chance to do the right thing.

serendipity is when your friend, whom you rarely see, randomly invites you to ride in a bike race and you lose the many pounds you should never have put on in the first place through training.

and serendipity is finding daily happiness because of whom your life partner is...

Getting To Know Ella...

We have enjoyed getting to know Ella over the past few days. Here are some more pictures for those of you wanting to get to know her a little better, to0...





Paul and I enjoyed being able to focus on her during the quiet times in the hospital.



During our day in the hospital, Ella was so well-behaved! She rarely cried, ate like a champion, and even fared two visits from her siblings.

Escorted by fearless Grandpatty Extraordinaire...


The kiddos loved sanitizing their hands with the "rubba-rubba"...


Abby loved just looking and giving fishy-kisses to the top of her head.


Grandpatty got some good holding time, and was good enough to share, too. Michael loves watching Ella, and thinking of all the things she will think and do as she gets older. He was formulating his plan about the things he was going to show her (cars, light sabers, etc.) when she got home during this visit.


Bekah and Abby have this girly, motherly tenderness around Ella. They are soft with her, and speak in high-pitched doting tones.


Bekah loves to bring her blankets and pat her body. Abby gives kiss after kiss and says "baby Eya" over and over. Cute girls.



In the meantime... rooting is one of Ella's main activities. She'll attack almost any type of skin.


Otherwise, she sleeps and eats and sleeps and eats and sleeps. Michael asked when we will get to see her eyes. But she is giving her mommy lots of time to rest and recover. She had her first blow-out today... so cute! She loves to have her legs rubbed, and sleeps most soundly in her mother's arms.

We love our little baby Ella.

Happy Father's Day...

I just want to say, for Father's Day, that I'm so glad I married THIS DAD!!

When you get married, you have no way of really telling what kind of mother/father your spouse will be. I just have to say that I couldn't have dreamed up a better father for my children.


I was reminded this week how supportive, loving, and understanding he is to me as a new (again) mother. I would never want to go through childbirth without him!


He shows so much excitement, love, and interest for our children... appreciating each unique personality. He's happy to have a lap full, arms full, chase and run and be completely busy with kiddos. Good thing, too... because we have a completely busy house!


Thanks for all you do, Paul. You are an amazing daddy!

enchanted by ella...

a beautiful day.

cute amy just before getting gowned up for the birth of our fourth. she is an amazing mother and gave birth with a glow about her.

the first hours of ella's life have shown her to be a quiet and patient girl. she is beautiful (in fact, i'm reneging on my charge that all newborns look like drowned rats...)

ella's sibling were certainly enchanted and sweet with her. we filled the birthing room to capacity with their arrival. the kiddos didn't stay long before we decided amy needed more time to rest without little princesses climbing on and loving her.

mom frandsen took the picture here and our battery ran out before we could get her in a still photo. thank you so much, mama, for watching over them and bringing them to the hospital without vaseline in their hair (there's a story that involves stephen, grandpa evans, myself and baby jonny...)


and now to the winners of the guessing contest (those of you who haven't been commenting on our blog lately were unfortunately unable to win the contest...)

closest guess for timing:
jenni c--guessed 5:45 pm
actual: 5:47 pm
wow jenni, impressive!

closest guess for length:
amy jo--20 1/2
melinda f--20
paul f--20
actual: 20 1/4

closest guess for weight:
paul f--guessed 8 lbs 1 oz
next closest (since i was privy to the u/s results)
libby f--guessed 7 lbs 11 oz
actual: 8 lbs 4 oz

thank your all your calls, texts and support. we are ecstatic:)

Expecting Ella...

So I just washed up and put together our infant car seat... complete with all it's newborn head paddings and accessories.


We've been scheduled to induce labor on Thursday, the 12th... and I am honestly amazed that the time is almost here!! In just a few days, we will be putting this car seat into our car, and will bring another life into our home. Amazing.

I've been so busy go-go-going with the kiddos during this pregnancy that there have been few times that I have been able to really focus on being pregnant. But at night, when everything is calm and quiet and I have a moment to myself, I have enjoyed feeling Ella's movements and basking in the feeling of her little life inside me. It really is an amazing feeling... and I love being pregnant. It is a special experience, and with each pregnancy I have gathered a sense of personality before actually laying eyes on my newborn child.

So as I expect Ella, I wonder if she will keep up the habit of having her most active times between the hours of 11pm and 2am? She's had this special way of poking me in the side that tickles me and makes me actually squirm. Her kicks and pokes, at times, have a pretty steady rhythm to them. And all this seems, at times, as almost a communication with me. I love her so much already.

"Nesting" has been on my mind, even when my body has not been able to live up to the grand expectations I design for it. Poor Paul has been lassoed into it all, and he has been talked into such nonsense as cleaning the carpets on his morning off. Honestly, what's a husband to do with all this maternal drive in his wife?? He is such a good sport, and is especially good at caring for this mother-to-be in a way that she doesn't care for herself.

On Sunday night, we watched videos of the kids' births. Michael was enthralled/aghast/amazed with what he saw, and it has been the focus of many of his thoughts and comments today. Every prayer he said was exclusively for "Mom, that she will be able to have a good time having baby Ella;" that "Ella will be safe and well when she comes into our family;" that "Ella will decide to come at a good time" etc. etc. Tonight we talked about how she can probably hear his talking and the noises in our home. He proceeded to make many sounds for her. He is already so tender in the way he talks about her and the plans he has for her. I can't wait to see him be a big brother again.

Abby and Bekah are so cute about rubbing my belly. They both say "Baby Eya inside!? Hi, Baby Eya inside!" Bekah will say "I love you, Baby Eya inside." Abby goes to the drawers and brings Ella's clothes to me... "Baby Eya's da-ress?" We tell them that soon Baby Ella will come outside. How much are they grasping? They are really cute around babies... I am excited to see how they react to a newborn in the house.

So lots to expect and wonder about. What about you... what do you think? Let's start gathering your guesses. You know the date (supposedly!). What will be the time?? How much will she weigh? What will be her length? Any other predictions??

into the wild...

magic bus (stampede trail, alaska--c. july 1992)

'into the wild' as written and directed by sean penn with soundtrack by eddie vetter is compelling, poignant and thought-provoking.

i happened upon this movie through blockbuster browsing and rotten tomatoes confirmation of quality. it was not a movie i had heard much about. i have read zero krakauer books (though i plan to) and knew little about the plot. for that i am glad. it was to be a a coming of age tale by a stellar director, screenwriter and original novelist. because i knew little about the movie's plot before giving it a try i would rather not reveal much of the storyline.

the story is based on krakauer's meticulous biographical research into christopher mccandless' experiences. krakauer is drawn to extraordinary people and events. he has spent much personal time in the outdoors. mormons reading this blog may be aware of his book 'under the banner of heaven' that chronicles the lafferty brother murders...

regardless, that story has little to do with this movie. mccandless is disenfranchised with the lives of those around him that he sees as hippocritical, shallow, materialistic and degrading. his journey for meaning takes him through beautiful american and mexican landscapes where he meets people and experiences things that broaden his view of the world. the movie allows you to feel the freedom, discovery and exhilaration that seem to have been his through this time period. his journey is deepened by his love of literature--his reading informs his journey of discovery. authors like tolstoy, london and thoreau inform his world view.

i particularly enjoyed the infusion of literature in the movie as i experienced similar feelings when touring the philippines after my mission while reading tolstoy on dirty buses. some of mccandless' ultimate discoveries at the end of the movie come through tolstoy's writings and they are moving.

as always, i give you the 'r rated' clearplay warning. there elements of the movie not suitable for some and a suitable editing device may serve to help you enjoy the movie.

anyone seen it already? did you like the movie?

Food Funnies...

This afternoon with lunch, we had Green Monsters (spinach smoothies--trust me, they're really very good--concept compliments of el-Steve-o). The kiddos had fun making green mustaches.

Michael started the trend.

Abby followed suit.

Not surprisingly, Bekah got the messiest.

This evening we had enchiladas (Mom R's recipe, of course), and Michael said having enchiladas reminded him of David Archuleta. Many of you may remember he used to call him "David Enchilada." We are still mourning his loss.


The kiddos were enjoying the meal, and Michael piped up and said, "More Archuletas please!" I looked at him and laughed. When he realized what he had said he cracked up too. He then decided that, from this time forward, we will call enchiladas "Archuletas."


So come visit us! We'll have Archuletas!

"I think a lot of people want to be like my dad..."

During lunch today, Michael began conversation by saying:

"I think a lot of people want to be like my dad."



Me: Why's that, Michael?

Michael: Well, because he is just a good man.

Me: I think so too. What things would they do to be like dad?

Michael: They would just ride their bikes with their kids. Because that's just something everyone should do.

Me: That is a good thing. What else?

Michael: They would just feed younger people. That's a good thing, too.

Me: That's true, too. What else?

Michael: Just all the things that dad does are good.

Me: He is a good man, Michael.


Thanks, Paul, for being a good example to your son.

At the Daddy-and-Me dinner his preschool hosted, Michael gave Paul a card with a present (a pet rock) that goes like this:

This is what I know about my dad:

"My dad's name is Paul. He is 30 years old. His hair is kinda like brownish. His eyes are goldish-greenish. He goes to work and helps people. His favorite food is Kung-pow [pao] chicken. He likes kind of all the colors. We have fun together when we read stories."

Thanks, Paul, for being a fun friend to your son.

Consider this an early Father's Day post if I'm out of commission for Father's Day...

Michael's early birthday celebration...

Michael's preschool only has 1 1/2 weeks left.


It has been a really fun year for Michael with his preschool class that he goes to twice a week. I think he's grown a lot socially, and has had a LOT of fun with all the activities they do.


Because he won't be in school for his birthday, he got to have an early birthday celebration today where we brought birthday treats for snacktime. I asked him if he wanted me to just leave the snack with his teacher, or if he wanted me and Abby and Bekah to bring them and have snacktime with his class.


His face lit up and he said "come, and I'll tell the sisters all about my class and friends!"


So come, we did... and he told Bekah and Abby everyone's name and pointed out all of the different stations and his favorite activities. It was cute to see how happy he was to have us there.


We brought cupcakes and fruit kabobs, and the other kids were all really sweet and doted over the girls.

Abby and Bekah made themselves right at home. They ate at a little table on the side, then found their own favorite places and activities in the room.

Bekah with the water toys.

Abby with the barn animals.

For some reason, the videos I took didn't work out... which is really sad. Oh, well. It is always fun to see him interact with his peers. It was a fun afternoon.

May catch-up...

Happy June, everyone! I was just looking through some of our pictures from May and realized that we had missed blogging about some of the fun things that happened. I've been a little pre-occupied with my "nesting" tendencies at the end of this pregnancy, and have been a negligent blogger. So here are a few quick pictures for jounaling's sake.

The month started off with a bang--Paul's 30th bday. We had a fun celebration as a family, spending the day together and enjoying the beginning of Paul's vacation time. Here is the cake Michael made with my assistance.


He was the brains behind the operation, formulating the theme, design, and directing my mixtures of colors. It is a beach cake... his favorite place to go with his dad. He did the waves and the sunshine, and directed my placement and methods, squeezing the frosting with me in the other elements of the cake. I had a lot of fun doing it with him.

Then it was off to Utah. As always, I got home from our trip sorely disappointed with myself with the lack of pictures I had to show for all the fun times we had.

The highlight for me was the surprise 30th bday party for Paul. We got to see so many people we haven't seen for far too long. Paul was really surprised and is still talking about how good it was to see so many friends there. It was heartwarming to see so many of you... thanks for the effort many of you made to celebrate with us. We were also able to spend time with my parents, Matt and Angela's family, Farcles, and my grandma Risenmay. They all made a significant effort to be there, and it was so good to be with them all. A special thanks to Paul's parents and mine for all the work that went into the party... it couldn't have been pulled off without the help!

And a special thanks to everyone who sent a birthday message to Paul. He had a really nice night reading through all of them. He just kept saying... "that is so nice," "those were good times," "I hope we get to see them soon..." etc. etc. etc. Our lives have been touched by so many wonderful people creating many wonderful memories. Thanks for being a part of our lives.

But can you believe I didn't take a single picture?? Pathetic. I'll have to grab some from Stephen...???

Other fun times that I actually have pictures of--a trip to Thanksgiving Point with the Frandsen "cousins"--Jill and Steven's kids.


We love, love getting together with them... but always feel outnumbered with all of our youngins. This time we had 7 (1/2) kids four-and-under.


Having fun Uncle Stevie there helped out the adult-to-kiddo ratio...


Michael has a blast with the triplets, and I always come away with new ideas and helpful hints from Jill. This time I racked her brain about potty training and "big bed" switch-over.

Michael and Zach are so fun together...

Here is a cool-daddy-o shot inspired by the NYC Hipster, probably...


And Abby and Bekah loved following Jane and Kate around.


We also had a fun day at the Children's Museum in SLC. We will definitely be getting passes there in the future... so much to enjoy and discover.


This was an exhibit with balls that are suctioned up into tubes. They "fly" up through curves and loops, which fascinated the kids for the longest time.



We had lots of other fun times doing things with the family, and just hanging out. My parents came down from Oregon and we were able to spend some with them, which was a special treat. It was fun to be around Stephen and get to know our nephew, Aaron a little better (oh, and see his parents, too). Mother's Day was, as always, a special treat with a gourmet dinner done completely by the Frandsen men (and Hannah, who made the best rolls ever!). We were also able to do some looking around/thinking about hospitals and spots to live. Exciting to think about... just one year away...

The morning we got home, Bekah entered a new phase I'll call "kitchen discovery." It began with flour from the baking shelf in the pantry. Her mess...


and her sidekick...


The "kitchen discovery" phase has expanded to the refrigerator, inspiring her to even figure out the refrigerator "safety lock" I purchased. Her favorite food: stollen strawberries.

One of our biggest transitions this month was getting the girls into "big girl beds."


They LOVE their toddler beds, and have been having a LOT of FUN at bedtime. The giggling and chattering lasts for at least 30 minutes after the door is shut, but they eventually fall asleep.

Here is their "practice" sleeping before getting in their jammies that first night.



This is going on too long, so I'll wrap up... but another highlight came last weekend when we got to meet up with Joe and Amy Lee. They are both friends of Paul's from high school... a wonderful couple. A big advantage of marrying Paul was inheriting the good people who have been a part of his life.


We loved being with them for a night in LA, and are grateful that we'll be getting together with them again and again throughout our lives.

May ended yesterday with a bit of a scare as I had contractions coming every 10 minutes throughout the day. They were more intense than normal, but never got too bad, and never got within the 4-5 minute range that sets off the "go to the hospital" alarm. With rest and a day off my feet, they have calmed down and I felt great today...

So a little bit of "false labor"... no big deal. We are at week 37 now, and the ultrasound I had last week shows that little Ella is actually pretty big, and the Dr.'s estimate guess is that she'll be pushing 8 pounds this week.

Anyway. We've made plans to induce labor on the 12th of June (less than two weeks!) due to Ella's estimated big-ness and Paul's funny residency schedule. So unless she decides to make more productive contractions before then, June 12th is the day! Just a few more things on my to-do-to-nest list before then...