...Dearer Than Any Other

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day as a mother, and it was definitely a day to remember. I woke up about 2:30 yesterday morning and just made it to the bathroom to throw-up absolutely everything in my stomach, or so I thought. I continued waking up every hour to throw up. I was afraid I might have, as my dad would say, the Egyptian flu, or as Reed puts it a nine month parasite. But now I think it was food poisoning or something. Finally at 6 I got up and fed Kason, took some pepto and got in the shower. In the shower I proceeded to empty my stomach of the pepto and water I had taken to wash it down.

On top of this I had to speak in church (my 5th time speaking in church on mother's day) and teach my primary class. I was ready to have Reed give my talk for me and just stay at home. Luckily my dear husband holds the priesthood and was able to give me a very sweet blessing. I made it through my talk and my primary class tired, but not throwing up. I came home and went right to bed. I woke up and ate some dinner, and drank and drank because at this point I was so dehydrated I could hardly spit. Dinner seemed to be sitting okay but I started to get a fever and Reed had to go do something, so my sweet little cuddle bug Kason, probably knowing it was mother's day curled up with me in bed and went right to sleep.

When Reed got home we were both still in bed enjoying our rest, but we got up to Skype with my family (a sunday evening tradition since we moved to VA) and I fed Kason then it was back to bed by 8:00. All in all it was a mother's day to remember. I did get a new swim suit as my mother's day present from Kason ($10 at Ross) and I have a wonderful husband and son and I love being a mother! Today I am still feeling a little queasy, but no fever! Hopefully I will kick this thing and we can get on with our lives. It is no fun being a sick mommy.

Oh yeah, and Kason now says "Mommmma" when he reaches for me (and sometimes just randomly too) and that was my best mother's day gift of all!

Good Day Sunshine!

We have been waiting all winter (which to our dismay has been unusually long and cold here in VA) to get Kason into Grammy and Grampy's pool. Yesterday it reached temperatures in the 90's and the pool (having been uncovered and basking in the sun for almost a month now) has warmed up to about 78 degrees, so conditions were perfect to give it a try. They have a salt water pool, which I love, especially for Kason. You don't feel dry or itchy at all and the salt kills the germs instead of chemicals. It doesn't even taste salty (like the ocean). Kason really loves the water and had a great time splashing and floating around. I love doing new things with Kason (not that swimming is necessarily new, he has been before) there is such an added measure of excitement that makes everything seem like and adventure.

It was hard to get Kason to look at the camera because he was either fascinated by the water or busy splashing.

This is an oh so funny shot of Kason in his life jacket. I don't know whether it is Kason's lack of a neck or a design flaw in the life jacket (probably a little of both), but even with the top strap undone Kason's chubby little cheeks got squished as he floated around, but as usual he didn't seem to mind much.

Kason seemed very tranquil and lulled while floating in the water. I think he probably could have fallen asleep. Before long he will probably be taking all of his naps that way.

Here is Kason kicking in the water. He doesn't look altogether sure about life in this picture (probably due to the water he was kicking into his face), but he was generally enjoying himself. BTW Reed and I would like you to please pardon our lack of pigmentation, this was our first real swim of the season, we are still working on it.

Swimming really wears a guy out!

Lots to Cover

Well, once again I have slacked off in my blogging and it's been over two months since I blogged. I will keep the writting short with plenty of pictures becasue that is how I like it. Over the last two months Kason and I visited Utah, Reed started his new job as a finacial advisor for Edward Jones, Kason has broken 6 teeth, I have lost 5 pounds, Jeff and Tammy and Eli came for a visit, and Easter happened. It has been a great couple of months with lots of blessing and happiness!

We had such a good time in Utah staying with my parents! Lots of memories and fun. One of the highlights of our trip was swimming. It was Kason's first time and he loved it. He even got splashed and went under the water and didn't cry at all. Thanks Dad!

This is Kason at my mom and dad's trying on my mom's glasses. It was so funny because he didn't even try to pull them off. What a character!

My dad's work has a photo studio, so while we were in Utah we went and took some really good six month pictures of Kason. It wasn't an all together easy process considering Kason wasn't interested in getting his picture taken for two straight hours, but this is a reallyl good smile one!

While Jeff, Tammy and Eli were here we went and visited Jamestown and Yorktown. It was a cold and windy day, but we had fun spending time with them. It made us long for the days when they were just upstairs. Here we are in front of the flags at Jamestown. Kason was a little to interested it the fountain to pose for a picture.

It was fun to see grown up Eli. He talks so much and has tons of energy.

It will be fun to show them these pictures watch them interact as they get older.

This is Kason enjoying his first Easter. I think he really got a clear understanding of what Easter is all about.

Kason is still not crawling, but he has broken six new teeth and is eating all kinds of things. And he likes to stand up. He can pull himself to his knees, but needs help to get all the way up. Once he is standing he can be content there for quite a while before he either lets go or asks yells to be rescued.

Since Reed has started working I have kept myself busy with Kason (of course) and lots of projects. I have about 5 at various stages of completion right now. I just finished sewing this hat for Kason. I made it out of some of Reeds old pants. It didn't turn out exactly as I wanted, but it was good for a first try!

Happy Birthday Reed

Reed's 26th birthday was on the 7th and, yes, we filled his cake with 26 candles and he blew them all out! We also went to dinner at Outback Steak House (his favorite) and we went and saw a movie. We saw Taken which is a very intense and slightly traumatizing movie. Anyway, we love Reed. He is a great dad and a wonderful husband!

Of Beaches and High Chairs

Today was an exciting day full of great adventure and great photo ops. Now that Kason is six months old he isn't experiencing as many "firsts" as he used to. In the begining he was doing and seeing things for the first time everyday. Now days he's an old pro at most things, but today was special: Kason sat and ate in the high chair for the first time and he saw the ocean and the beach for the first time. 

Kason has been sitting up really well for the past couple of weeks and has just started eating cereal every morning, so we thought it was the perfect time to introduce him to the high chair. Here for the first time ever is Kason sitting in a high chair.

This is a high chair that I believe was Reed's dad's when he was a baby. Kason was more concerned with getting the high chair in his mouth than with eating his cereal, but we considered the experience a success.

Here is the big Neptune or Triton (whichever it is) statue at Virginia Beach. You can tell it's winter because there is no one there and all the the trees are in plastic (I think they look like big seaweed, which go perfectly with the statue), but the water was still pretty.

It was pretty cold (about 34 degrees) so we just jumped out of the car for a couple of quick pictures and jumped back in.

I think the big statue is really cool and I can't wait to go back in the summer time when it is warm and we can walk on the beach and play in the water. It will be especially fun to see how Kason likes it. 

Encouragement

My sister-in-law had this link on her blog "Because She is a Mother". It's a talk by Jeffery R. Holland and it is wonderful. It makes me want to work a little harder and live up to his praise and encouragement. I thought I would pass it on - thanks Carolyn!

The Wharf

On Friday last week it was almost 60 degrees, so Reed, Kason and I walked down to the Wharf. It's such a nice peaceful walk across a wide open cotton field, down through a little grove of trees, and then out across an old rickety dock that ends in this little wharf out on the river. It was the perfect walk and the lighting was just right to get some cute pictures of my boys.

Here you can see the cotton field in the background and Kason is wearing his cute hat to keep the sun out of his eyes (something that is a constant battle on walks and car rides).

This is the Wharf. As you can (or maybe can't) see it is old, probably homemade, and patched up in quite a few places. It added an extra dimension of excitement to our walk wondering if we would make it all the way out to the water and back without ending up in the water.

On the way back we were walking into the wind, so we turned Kason around in the Snugli and he kept looking up into Reed's face and smiling. Looking back I think he was smiling at the image of himself in Reed's sunglasses (he loves mirrors), but it made a very sweet picture.

This one isn't from our walk (obviously), but I thought I would throw it in. Reed has fond memories of sitting and listening to his dad sing and play the guitar. Today, Kason carried on the tradition and was captivated listening to his Grampy as he dusted off his old guitar and started practicing again.

The Park

Last week we took Kason to the park. There is a really nice and big one here. It was a little cold that day, but nothing that us seasoned Utahns couldn't handle, it was about 40-45 degrees and the sun was shining, to us that's a nice day! But apparently not to most Virginians, because we had this huge park all to ourselves! Kason especially liked the swings and the slides, and it was a fun place to get some cute pictures.

Here is Kason and Daddy. You can see a little bit of one of the play structures in the background. There were three big ones like that with slides coming off everywhere, plus teeter totters, swings, a jungles gym, and anything else you can imagine. Reed and I decided that if we were about ten we could play tag there for hours.

Notice the hand behind the head in this picture. This is apparently an inherited habit. Reed does it often when he's talking or relaxing and so does his dad. You can also see Kason's mittens that I made him.

In some ways I think that Reed and I enjoyed the park more than Kason did.

Here is Kason about to go down the big slide with Reed.

Here he is getting ready to brave the tunnel slide. Kason was fine going down by himself. I was the one who was nervous, so I followed him down on my stomach and held onto his shoulders as he slid down on his back.

Kason liked the baby swings okay, but he liked sitting on my lap while I swung on the big swing better. Reed pushed us so we went pretty high and that actually got him laughing. I love his laugh!

Kason loves being outside and looking around at all the new stuff. He doesn't even mind a little bit of cold, we just bundle him up and he is happy as can be. By the way I made that hats that Kason and I are wearing.

Yorktown

We have been in Virginia now for over two months and we finally went to a historical site (we really need to work on appritiating and taking advantage of our location). Last week we made our way out to Yorktown, which is the site of the last major battle of the revolutionary war. They told us, that although battles followed, the one at Yorktown really decided the outcome in favor of the United States. It was cool to see and be in the actual battlefield. We had a very good guide who was interesting and well informed. I learned that the French really did a lot to sway the war in our favor. I also learned that towards the end of the battle Cornwallis had some ships waiting to escape with his men, which would have left them to fight another day and dragged to war out for who knows how long. That night a bad thunderstorm came up and destroyed and damaged the ships so badly that Cornwallis and his men were forced to surrender. I thought it is such a good example of the hand of the Lord in establishing the freedom of the United States. Kason was so good, it was just like he was listening intently to the guide (until he fell asleep, which was good too). He just loves being outside and walking around! It cost $10 per person to be there and there were seven of us, so we ended up just getting a season pass which only cost $50 and is good for Jamestown also, which means there are more historical site trips to come!

Christmas!

We had a great Christmas! Reed's brothers Greg and Ben were here from Utah along with the usual gang (Mom and Dad Sloat, Stuart, Gram, Reed, Kason, and me) we were quite a crowd. We got many generous and thoughtful gifts and enjoyed being with family for Christmas. Kason got a lot of new clothes in 6-9 month sizes, which is good because he's growing out of many of his older clothes. He also got some new toys and books and really cool safari swing that plays soothing jungle music. Kason enjoyed sucking on a candy cane (with the wrapper on) and hanging out with his uncles. As part of a Sloat family tradition we all (except Kason and Gram) saw a movie in the afternoon. We saw Bedtime Stories, which I was a little wary of because the last few Adam Sandler movies I've seen have been terrible, but it was actually very cute. We also talked to Mom and Dad Bylund, Jeff, Tammy, Eli, Mike, and Becky on Skype. It was fun to see everyone there in Utah. I decided to make beanies for everyone for Christmas, so I have been crocheting like crazy. I ended up making nine beanies total. It was fun and now I'm way fast at it, so if anyone needs a beanie... 

It was great weather for Christmas. Reed and Kason I went for a walk in 70 degree weather, it was wonderful. It just made me think of being back in Utah with three more long months of winter ahead and made me grateful to be where I am. Kason loves it to because he likes going for walks.

Still no news on the job front, but we haven't lost hope. Things will pick up again next week with the holidays over and we are bound to hear something.

Kason is doing fantastic! He is now five months old and more and more fun 

everyday. He can roll over from his stomach to his back and almost from his back to his stomach, but he doesn't like being on his stomach, so there isn't much motivation to go that way. We are continuing to give him rice cereal every once in a while to get him ready for "solid foods" next month (baby food, to me, does not count as solid). He gobbles it right up, but it seems a little hard on his system so we are only doing it once or twice a week right now. His favorite thing is looking in the mirror. He gets a huge smile when he sees himself and sometimes laughs (his laugh is my new favorite sound). All in all we are happy and doing great.

 

Getting all Caught Up!

Wow, it has been a while since our blog has been updated and Anne has decided since I have never actually posted anything to the blog that it is my turn, so here goes nothing...On Wednesday October 29th I (Reed) started our family move east in a Budget moving van towing our car. I left the Bylund home at 6 am MST a little nervous about whether or not the moving van would be able to make it up the canon without blowing up. It was very slow going at first (only about 45mph) trying to get up to Park City, but the truck made it and it was still pulling the car. After I got just past Park City and had already used over a quarter of a tank of gas I thought "well at least it is all downhill from here." It should be noted that the night before I departed I topped off the moving truck with gas that cost $2.67 per/gallon; I thought that was a great price considering that when I planned the move 6 weeks earlier I had planned on gas prices being on average $3.35 per/gallon.) That first day I drove 654 miles to Lincoln, NE and stayed at a very classy Supper 8 hotel. (Anne here: This a picture of us saying goodbye to Reed that morning. You can tell he got an early start because of how dark it was).

On Thursday 30 October I departed Lincoln, NE at 6 am CST (Lincoln is the first town in NE that is in the central time zone) Gas in Lincoln was $2.29 and I was pumped to be getting such a great price but then hours later when I filled up in Omaha and paid a meager $2.12 I felt Utahans where really getting ripped off at the pump and it made me all the more happy to be heading east to greener pastures and lower gas prices. Anyway, that day was very boring. There is not much to see in Nebraska or Iowa and the first half of Missouri is not much better, but I did strike gold just outside of Independence, MO having to pay only $1.99 for gas - I almost cried (tears of joy and regret for all of the months I paid for gas in Utah). I thought no wonder Zion will be built here it will cost so much less with low energy costs. However, I did not stay in Zion long because I had to make it to the east side St. Louis, check into a hotel and eat before The Office came on at 8. My goal was accomplished. However, my Supper 8 hotel was full and as tempted as I was to drive across the street and stay at the Holiday Inn Express knowing that I would wake up well rested and smarter I resisted and saved some money by staying at the Ramada Inn which was a step up from the Supper 8 I will admit. (FYI-- I paid $2.19 for gas in Fairview Hights, IL that night.)

Friday 31 October was a great day. I slept in that day because, I only had about 4.5 hours of driving to do to get to Jeff, Tammy and Eli's house that afternoon and spend Halloween with them. After two days of being in a truck for about 12 hours each day it felt great and every short to only have to drive about 300 miles. I was great to see Jeff and Tammy again and as always I love being with Eli. The only bad part about Friday was that gas in TN cost $2.31 just outside of Nashville and I find that if you just spent $1.99 the day before $2.31 is not as exciting as it was just outside of Cheyenne, WY two days earlier. (Anne here: I think he meant to add that the other "bad thing" about that night was being away from Kason and I on Halloween. This a picture of our little turtle. We missed Reed, but enjoyed dressing Kason up and taking him trick-or-treating. We also enjoyed the annual Boo buffet that my mom does and a tradition which Tammy has carried on in TN.)

Saturday 1 November - the last leg of the journey east. I awoke early and was on the road by 5:45 CST with 667 miles to my parents front door ahead of me. At times during the day I thought the state of North Carolina would never end but after listening to almost the entire sixth Harry Potter book on my iPod, I finally reached Virginia. Once I crossed state lines I did still had about 2 hours to go, but it was encouraging at the time. It turned out to be a very long 2 hours with my book finished and nothing but country music and evangelical radio stations to keep me company. I finally arrived at 6:50 pm EST and was very happy to know that I would not have to wake up and drive the next morning. (Anne here: this is kind of a random picture of Kason and his first time eating rice cereal. We think most of it ended up down his chin an don the bib, but we all had fun!)

Monday morning when I went to return the Budget truck I filled it up for $1.89 it was beautiful.

On Tuesday 4 November (election day) Anne and Kason boarded there Southwest flight toVA. Anne say's that Kason is a great flier and highly recommends flying on election day, because both of her flights where practically empty. Upon arrival in Norfolk Anne and Kason where greeted at the airport by myself and my mom who could not wait another minute to get her hands on her first grandson. Later that night we found it very difficult to get Kason out of the hands of his Grampy Sloat so we could put him to bed. (Anne here: this was a great day. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my mom and staying with my family in Utah for a week, but Kason and I missed Reed. It was a happy and tearful reunion).

Job Search Update:

(Anne here: This is a very big part of our goings on the last month or so. We realize that we took a big chance coming out here with no job lined up, but now that we're here I have no doubt that this is a good place for us to be and something wonderful will work out! In the mean time we are very blessed to have a generous family who is taking care of us. Kason and his Grammy and Gramppy Sloat have some great bonding time. Gramppy couldn't resist buying this cute rain deer outfit for his little "pookin" (poukin is - according to Gramppy the masculine form of "pookie") We are also very grateful to Stuart who has sacrificed his room to us. He is also bonding with Kason and it is fun to watch him laugh and smile at his uncle Stu.)

Over the course of the last month we have been busy adjusting to Virginia living, looking for a job and finding a place to live. The adjustment and finding a place to live has gone very well, but the job search has been very slow although things are looking up and hopefully we will be reporting my new job by next week! In the meantime Anne has been busy being a mom and helping my mom and grandma around the house and is having fun looking for a house for us to live in once I am employed. I have been doing work around the house: trimming trees, washing the fence, scrapping the fence, and painting the fence have been the main projects and I am trying to convince my Dad to let me close in the loft upstairs but he is not completely sold on the idea - yet. Well, blogging has been fun, but I think I will let Anne continue to do the updates for the most part she is better at this sort of thing (Anne here: or in other words I have the patients and the time). Feel free to critique my work - I am open to feedback.

Kason's BLessing Day

On Sunday we had the great opportunity to give our son a name and blessing.It was also the first snow of the season and the outfit we got for Kason to be blessed in was shorts and a t-shirt - brrrrr! Kason Anthony Sloat was blessed by his dad with his Grandpa Bylund, Uncle Mike, Uncle Ben, and our friend Kendal Johnson standing in the circle. Reed gave a great blessing asking for Kason to be strong and healthy, gain a strong testimony of the gospel, have a strong sense of humor, have an outgoing personality, have a desire for knowledge, have a proper respect for women, and many other wonderful things. It is so exciting to think about all of the possibilities and opportunities that await Kason in his life. He is blessed with a great heritage and a family who loves him and will teach him the gospel. We already enjoy the benefits of his laid back, easy going personality (he sleeps from 6-8 hours at night, hardly ever cries, and is very cuddly) and have so much to look forward to while watching him grow up. We wished that all of our family could be there for the blessing, we understand why they couldn't, but we missed them anyway! We are getting very excited for our move (everything except the packing part, with is unfortunately a very big part) and are accumulating boxes and packing material in preparation for next weekend when most of the packing will take place. After the cold weather and snow last weekend we are very excited for a more mild, and shorter, winter (neither of us like the cold very much.)