The results are in

Sorry to leave you all hanging... well those of you who haven't called or emailed or caught me in person before now. But I suppose the rest of you would like to know if we're having a boy or a girl, right? As I contemplated how to break the news to everyone I had many thoughts for this post but then I just didn't get around to blogging and now I've forgotten all of my cute ideas. So here goes....

It's a BOY!

Yes, you read right. The idea of having a little rough and tumble, peeing outside boy is slowing sinking in. I'll admit, I wanted an Amelia but you'd have to be one tough guy to pull a name off like that! Jeff said he wanted a girl but I think once he got over the initial shock that he'd be buying an entire new wardrobe and repainting the nursery a more manly color, he was super excited! The buying spree has already begun too (Jeff's doing entirely). Isn't this the absolute most adorable outfit you've ever seen in your entire life! Jeff keeps telling Pearl that any clothes she gets will now be gender neutral so "the boy" (Jeff's first choice for his name, seriously... The Boy) can wear them.Everything on the ultrasound looked good... no missing body parts (and an extra one at that!). It's always nerve-racking for me to have that first ultrasound when you're silently praying the whole time they find everything. And the best part was (well besides only finding one kid in there), he measured bigger than they thought so I got to move my due date up to May 15. I think ultrasounds must have improved since Pearl was born or at least we had a newer computer because this time around we could actually tell what the blob inside of me was. Pearl and my sister were able to be there with us and Pearl wasn't too happy with the idea it was a boy. She kept telling us (and still does every day) that the baby is a girl. She calls the baby "Ricco" - if anyone is a fan of the Madagascar penguins then you'll know there is a Skipper (which Pearl calls Jeff), Kawalski (aka Me), the Private (aka Pearl), and Ricoo (aka the baby). I'm sure we'll get a few looks with this one but it is pretty funny to hear her call the baby Ricco. I guess today at school she was telling her teachers that I was at home but Ricoo came to work. Hopefully we can come up with a better name by the time he gets here.

So there you go, a boy. I haven't puked in a few days so maybe it's finally over (ha!). This kid isn't nearly as wiggly as Pearl was and every day I panic at least twice because I can't feel him moving around like I remember with Pearl (and yes, she was that wiggly from about 16 weeks on). Maybe this means there will be less drama than with a girl. Comparing pregnancies, I've been sick longer with "the boy" than I was with Pearl but with Pearl the sickness got totally out of control really fast (resulting in almost 15 lbs weight loss). I'm exhausted by about 7 pm every night and have to be in bed by 10:30 or the next day is miserable - so much for that "honeymoon" phase of the 2nd trimester with bursting energy. I've only gained 10 lbs so far and crossing my fingers it stays on track to NOT gain 50 lbs. like I did with Pearl. If I can muster up enough self-esteem to have Jeff take a belly picture I'll post that before I really do look like a beached whale.

Last, anyone with boys... advice??? We're venturing into an all new territory with this one!

Cast your vote

Boy or girl? That is the question to (hopefully) be answered next week, just in time for Christmas. If you ask my co-workers, they all say it's a boy. Ask my brother-in-law and it's a boy. Ask Jeff and he says it better be a girl. Me? I have no clue! A few weeks ago I had a dream that we had a boy but didn't want to take it home from the hospital with us. Then we had a girl but she had dark, brown skin and if you've seen the gene pool this kid's been dealt with, you know all too well it's got no chance of any olive complexion!

I just hope everything is ok on the ultrasound and really, does it matter if it's a boy or girl? Ok, well besides the thought of having to start all over in the clothes department and somehow convince Jeff to repaint the bedroom blue if it's a boy, as long as it's healthy I'm happy. I just hope this time around Jeff doesn't pout for a weekend (until he makes a new shoe purchase to cheer himself up) if our little girl is really a boy, like he did when he found out Pearl didn't have a penis!

SO... cast your vote - boy or girl?

Countdown

I'm only 12 days late but at least we now have an official Advent calendar for Christmas. I really don't know how people come up with these ideas because anything remotely crafty in my home is some idea I've stolen (thanks Laree). This was supposed to be a quick two hour project but ended up taking my sister and I two nights, about 8 hours, and lots of re-dos (and I'm still debating on starting over on a few of my squares). I still think my mom should just part with her cute Advent calendars! Who would have thought a muffin tin, magnets, and some paper could be so complicated? Of course getting sick in the middle of the craftiness didn't help either and then came finals for Kimmy but we finally finished! Jeff is just happy to have some candy now (as is my chocolate addicted daughter) and has already decided he is modifying the original design and adding a bag of some sorts to put the numbers in that he pulls off every night. Well once we get some holes in them to hang up.

I still think Kimmy's is cuter than mine (first one below) but hey, I know for sure ours has better candy in it!

"It's Christmas, Mom!"

Ok, let's get one thing straight... Pearl doesn't quite get the whole Christmas thing yet. She knows who Santa is (and is terrified of him) but she hasn't figured out that he is going to bring her presents (pending any more fights with Daddy). So I decided to let her really enjoy the Christmas season by having her help me wrap presents. Yes, her own presents. She had already picked out the Frosty the Snowman wrapping paper so what harm could their be in wrapping her own presents? Besides the close call of losing a finger or too with the scissors, she had a great time and even left the presents alone under the tree.Until this morning.

I was in the bathroom when I heard an excited little voice yelling, "It's Christmas, Mom!" over and over. Then, yep you guessed it, ripping and another excited "Oh my gosh!" I ran out of the bathroom proceeded to lecture Pearl that it wasn't Christmas yet and that she had to leave the presents alone until Santa came. To which her little two-year-old mind replied, "Mom Santa loves presents!" Guess I'll be hiding the presents in the closet from now on and hope that when she finally does get this whole Santa thing, she isn't as snoopy as her Dad!

I swear between this latest incident and Pearl's new favorite saying to tell everyone "That's dangerous!" to EVERYTHING she is one funny kid! BTW, the whole "That's dangerous!" thing is my fault... I told her she couldn't climb on the ladder when Jeff was putting up the Christmas lights on the house because it was dangerous.



And because I've already started and haven't been good about updating the blog, I thought I'd throw in a bonus picture of Pearl. It was the night we went to see the Christmas tree at the Gateway. It's become a new family tradition. Pearl's favorite part is riding the train downtown. We were just glad it wasn't as friggin' cold as last year and that Pearl had more fun dancing to the free Jon Schmidt concert this time around.Finally, for the pregnancy-interested readers, an update. The nausea and barfing has returned at night, really bad the past few days, hence my lack of blogging and really anything. Our house is a mess, I've done no Christmas shopping, I'm feeling huge (apparently one's body knows what it's supposed to do the second time around A LOT sooner than the first go-around), uncomfortable (mostly due to nausea), and just blah. I am totally lazy... today Pearl said she wanted to stay home and wear her jammies all day with me. Guess kids really do see things for what they really are even when you hate the truth. Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll see the end of all this fun - just in time to find out if this kid is a girl or a boy right before Christmas!

Shock & Awe

I know what my five fans are thinking.... shock and awe, Jenny is finally posting something. What this really means is I'm still alive and at the current moment not laying on the couch (or the bathroom floor for that matter). Some women are just made to have babies but I'm not one of them! I'm extremely grateful we're having another baby but man I really hate being pregnant! Thank heavens this time around I'm getting better earlier than I did with Pearl. Twenty weeks of puking and begging to die just sucks! There were many a days the past few months that I wanted to check myself into a mental institution or beg my doctor to put me in a medically induced coma until this ordeal was over. Luckily the second time around we knew better than to let the "morning" sickness get completely out of hand so I haven't lost nearly as much weight as I did with Pearl, got on meds early, and forced myself to try and stay hydrated.

But not to complain.... things are going much better than even a week ago. I just wanted to give everyone an update that I'm alive, Jeff's alive, and Pearl's alive (although there were a few days the three of us barely made it). I'm 14 weeks pregnant and due May 24. Hopefully feeling human again isn't a mean pregnancy fluke and I'll start posting regularly again - including starting up the 365 someday. Not that anyone's missed much the past few months though... seriously I've done nothing but puke, whine, sleep, cry, and try to tell my husband and sister how much I appreciate all their help. If anyone has ideas for how I can tell them thanks for keeping Pearl alive and listening to me cry, let me know.

Big news or is that BIG news

We are bad at keeping this secret - as Jenny becomes VERY sick when this happens.

So to keep questions to a minimum, yes we have one in the oven.





Please leave your thoughts and well wishes in the comment section. If any of you would like to own a Pearl for the next 7+ months then we are open for discussions.

Note: Please leave a comment after you read this so we know who we need to call tonight.

Thanks
Jeff, Jenny, Pearl and 1

Lessons learned

Oh the wisdom of a two-year-old. I mean who knew that dandelions are also known as "grasshoppers?" Or that Sleeping Beauty's real name is actually "Shake Your Booty!" (I guess they do sound kind of alike)? Or that holding hands, fingers interlocked and all, with your new boyfriend on the playground could be so much fun. Seriously, the things you can learn by following a spunky, strong-willed, child around. Of course that wisdom can eventually backfire on an unsuspecting parent... like today. I was picking up Pearl from daycare when her teacher said, "So, you spank your kid, huh?" What? I was totally caught off guard, trying to remember the last time I actually spanked Pearl. Trying to justify my apparent actions unbeknownst to me, Pearl's teacher told me that while they were on a little class walk, Pearl blurted out of the blue, "My mom spank my butt." For the record, yes I have spanked Pearl before but not recently! She's the one who usually goes around spanking MY butt (this little game her Dad taught where she whacks my butt over and over and says "Druma-druma-druma")! I'll admit I do threaten her with a spanking but it's never mean or as punishment, more playfulness but apparently that will be changing now!Other lessons learned recently... I finished a book by Dr. Laura called "The proper care and feeding of husbands." At points I almost tossed it out the window but determined to gain some insight into Jeff's point of view, hopefully resulting in my being a better wife, I kept reading. A mere 48 hours later, this is all I can remember:

• Husbands put up with a lot more crap than we wives realize or want to admit. Give 'em a break and let them read the paper, surf online, or play in the garage when they get home from work.
• Stop nagging.
• Do not treat your husband like your girlfriend! Treat him like your knight in shining armor...which means, he doesn't need or want to hear all the little details about why your day was so horrible! If he can't fix it, don't nag it do death.
• Dress sexy and smell good.
• Embrace your role as wife and mother and your husband's role as husband and father. Forget all the crazy things society has been telling us for years about how husbands should basically throw their manhood out the windows to cater to our every whim. Make dinner, clean the house, take care of the kids, and remember that husbands do things they don't always like to do to keep the house/family running too.
• Take care of yourself... work out, lose the flab, do your hair, and get out of the pajamas and frump clothes.
  
• Ask him for his opinion, really listen to him, and realize that men have feelings too (although they don't complain about their feelings like us women do).

I'm sure you can see why I almost tossed this book but it was pretty eye-opening to read about how much society has bashed on men and that we blindly accept the idea that husbands should just bow down and worship their wives without anything in return. I'll be honest, I don't anticipate Jeff coming home to a wife in heels, wearing pearls and a short skirt (which would require working out), and pushing a vacuum while a delicious gourmet dinner is in the oven anytime soon, but I'm working on it.

Three strikes, you're out!

This is so embarrassing of me to admit, but recognizing your faults is the first step in repentance, right? Seriously, I think I've just had my third strike and God is about to blast me off the face of the earth with a lightning bolt. Really, I know I've had at least one big strike before this blunder and I wouldn't be surprise to find at least one or two more in between the first big oops and this one I'm about to admit.

Last Sunday they passed around a sign up sheet to help out with a meal for a funeral this past Friday. Thinking I could benefit from some extra heavenly blessings, and knowing that I actually could help out with this one since I don't work on Fridays so there really wasn't an excuse to not do some service - even not knowing who the funeral was for - I signed up to bring a cake. Easy. My plan was to bake it Thursday night so I'd remember to drop it off at the church by 2 pm on Friday. I even canceled a bread making lesson with a friend to fulfill my assignment. Well, not only did I get a call from the Relief Society saying they didn't need my cake anymore but wanted me to bring funeral potatoes instead (I admit I was kind of irked at them because when they called they said the primary was late in getting the sign up sheet back to them and that they knew I didn't usually do this stuff so they didn't want to make it harder on me... blah blah blah! I got off the phone thinking to myself make an old lady who has nothing to do make the funeral potatoes!), but worse I totally forgot to make the stupid funeral potatoes! It wasn't until 3:30 after I called Jeff that it suddenly dawned on me that I had completely forgotten that I had committed to this assignment. I was horrified! So much for the reminder note I had made for myself! I seriously thought about this everyday, except obviously on Friday! I felt, and still feel, like the biggest loser on the planet. When Jeff came home I admitted my stupidity, which was really hard to do, and he just laughed when he told me he had wondered if I had remembered when he drove by the church on his way home from work and saw a couple of ladies leaving with dishes.

I don't get how I can be so on top of things at work, well relatively speaking, not forgetting meetings or assignments, following my calendar and to-do lists religiously then have all organizational skills go flying out the window the second I walk in the door at home. I know it's just an excuse but I honestly think it's because at work I am so organized, calendar/to-do list driven, that when I come home, I want to leave all traces of work behind. We're lucky we even have a yearly calendar at home... although it's not full of scheduled items like making funeral potatoes, it's just a reference for USU basketball games and holidays. I don't want people to think I am a total loser who isn't dependable or reliable and that no one wants to ask for help from ever again. I feel like the biggest loser, especially because there isn't a way to make up for this one. Like you can re-do a funeral!

Anyone else out there that finds themselves doing things like this? Any suggestions on how I can stay as organized at home as I do at work, without being attached to my computer?

My take on perfect

First of all, thanks to everyone for posting a comment about our decision whether to enroll Pearl in a Montessori school. Really, it was nice to hear what everyone thought and that everyone was genuinely concerned for our family. It may sound funny, but I don't feel like we made a really solid decision about the matter yet... but since Jeff just paid another month of daycare, I guess Pearl is staying put for a while. I've learned that when I forgot the worry of a decision, it's probably my answer. So for now, we're keeping Pearl where she is but will most likely enroll her in the Montessori school next fall, unless her Aunt quits!!!

The other day I was perusing the papers online and found this blog article, "Chaos in motherhood is normal." Considering that I've been discouraged with my filthy house, dirty laundry, and lack of creativity, the title alone caught my attention. So I took a few minutes to read the article and another article referenced by the author by Jeffrey R. Holland called "Because She is a Mother." Both excellent reads!

The chaos post talks about mothers who realize their perfect ideal of motherhood is far from reality. When I was growing up, I seriously thought I'd be the super mom, cooking gourmet meals and desserts, keeping a spotless house (ok, so I was that before Pearl came along), doing creative crafty projects, sewing, gardening, canning, and teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic to my perfect children. A real super-mom... now a real super-poop. Sometimes it's really hard to admit I'm not the fantasy wife/mother I had once thought I'd be. Most of the time, I'm ok with a messy house and a kid who looks like I didn't comb her hair or give her a bath by the end of the day - I mean who has energy to do that - but then there's always a nagging voice in the back of my head saying I've failed.

When I started this post two days ago, I thought I'd delve into my own opinions on what perfect means, but after starting to read a new book at the prompting of a friend ("The proper care and feeding of husbands" by Dr. Laura - still trying to decide if I want to throw it out the window or keep reading it), am now more confused then ever about who I should be. So, I'll post some pictures of the past day or two of what I think is really the most perfect thing in my life.New shoes still in pristine condition and actually on... perfect.Obviously I am perfect at teaching Pearl manners... obviously.Making the perfect birthday card for your favorite Godparent, David.Perfect concentration!Perfect way to spoil your dinner... and make your husband happy.The perfect black heels. Pearl seriously walks better in them than I can! Not to mention jumping, running, and climbing the stairs.I promise this is NOT the perfect kiss! If you look ever so closely, you'll see what Pearl considers to be one of the most funny things to do to her dad - steal the grass he is sucking on. The problem with this is that she then proceeds to stuff her mouth full of grass, chomps on it for a few minutes, then spits it out everywhere.The perfect throw. Next up, rubbing grass in your Dad's hair.

Yee-haw!

After a long day of swimming at Cherry Hill, we headed to the Roadhouse for dinner. I'm not a huge fan of steaks and meat in general, but my carnivorous in-laws never seem to get enough of it. Plus Jeff is a "meat eater" as he often tells me when I try to feed him veggie dishes and needed his regular rationing of steak (which is still mooing the way he likes it cooked - GROSS!).

When the music came on and the waitresses started line dancing, Pearl joined right in! It was hilarious and I must admit there was about a 2.5 second span of time where I actually thought about enrolling her in a dance class. CRAZY!!! Since she did two different performances, I decided to post both since they are really quick videos. The first is the true country girl coming out with all the yee-haws and kick action she's got going on and the second is more of the pop music side coming out in her as she shakes her booty!

It sure made for some fun dinner entertainment!

Should we?

I thought about enrolling Pearl into a Montessori school down the street from us about six months ago but obviously didn't if I'm writing this tonight. Why do decisions have to be so hard, especially ones that probably are both good options? I'm sure it's a lot of the terrible two's kicking in, but lately it seems Pearl is really struggling at home (hope it's not a sign of her parenting influence). She is pretty defiant at times and doesn't seem very interested in doing any activity that would promote learning. Plus let's face it, I really have no clue what I'm doing nor am I trained in any sort of early childhood development to know what activities to even do with her to help her reach her full potential.

On Monday Jeff suggested we look at the Montessori school again and seemed to feel pretty strongly about getting her into one. So we went on a tour today and I'm planning on going back tomorrow to meet the teachers and see how things really work during school hours. They actually have a spot open right now, which is sometimes hard to come by. The facility was nice, clean, organized, and I've heard really good things about their program. It would be nice to have Pearl in more of a structured play and learn environment instead of what seems like chaos at times now. The class size is much smaller so the kids get more one-on-one attention from their teachers...who are in fact certified teachers. And the price is right...only $50 more than what we pay now. At times it seems like a no-brainer but then I start to really wonder if we shouldn't wait until next fall to get her in a school, more like a pre-pre-preschool scenario I guess!

The problem is I'm not sure if it's the right thing for Pearl or not. She is after all only two and I wonder if we'd be pushing her too hard if we enrolled her in a private school. I really like her current teachers at daycare, which is especially nice because one of them is my sister whom Pearl absolutely adores, but wonder how long they will stay. Seems like they get some high turnover with teachers and that makes it super hard on not just the kids but the parents too. Pearl is usually pretty excited to go to school in the morning to see her friends, well not this week it seems but then again, she's thrown fits every morning over something. Which, oddly, are the older girls in class - the four year olds! - who just cottle and oogle all over her. I think it would be really hard for Pearl to not see Aunt Kimberly every day...I mean every day, every single day, she asks where her car is when we get to work even though she knows Kimmy doesn't come to school until after lunch. Would I traumatize her if she had to make new friends? And I wouldn't have the comfort of knowing she's just downstairs in case anything happened and that I can go and see her whenever I want. She's gone to work with me for two years and it's been so nice knowing she is only a staircase away.

Then there's the whole debate about if we have another kid... what do we do then? Not only do we have to think about the whole money issue of being able to afford daycare or not afford to work, but also thinking about whether I would want my kids together somewhere, how we'd work out schedules, do I work 20 hours a week or more hours depending on childcare situations, could I find someone to watch an infant if Pearl was in school somewhere, do I stay home and drive myself, kids, and husband nuts, etc, etc. That's the real wrench in this scenario. What's a mom to do? You just can't seem to win nowadays with any decisions you make.

Any advice?

I survived

As many of you may know camping isn't my favorite way to spend a relaxing weekend. But for the sake of my marriage I venture into the wilderness at least once every summer to make Jeff happy. I guess I can't complain too much though because Jeff tries his hardest to make me comfortable - he cooks all the meals, loads EVERYTHING then unloads it then loads and unloads it yet again when we get home, and this time around he even bought a six man tent and air mattress for me to sleep in (even if you have to convince Pearl it's not her bed). It's not that I totally hate camping, I mean I did go camping as a kid not to mention the Young Women camps (now hiking at those things is another story...I despise hiking even though my health educator side of me tries ever so hard to convince my brain that it would do me some good... I mean try explaining to me how it's possible that a simple 7 mile hike to Old Ephraim's grave turned into a nearly 30 mile death trap up a mountain with no water, blisters, and a bunch of teenage girls suffering from heat stroke!). It's just that I find a few things completely annoying that drive me bonkers!Should you really eat this well camping?For example, stepping out of the truck to our home for the weekend was going ok until I saw the bear sign on the table. Now when you actually have the warning sign that you are in bear country screwed right there where you eat to constantly remind you the smells from the delicious meals your husband has prepared are at that very moment attracting bears, can you blame me for not freaking out a little. I live in constant fear that some wild beast, like a bear or mountain lion, will come down at night and take my Pearl. I know Jeff thinks I am a total basket case about it but I'm starting to wonder if this isn't part of every mom's duty to be paranoid about these sort of things, dreaming of how she will clobber that bear to death with a hammer (I made sure I kept the hammer within reach all night), and waking up about 500 times a night to make sure your precious child is still in the tent with you (covered and in her sleeping bag too). Paranoid, maybe. But who wouldn't do the same thing for this cute little face?Second annoyance with camping... campfires. I know most people think I'm crazy for this one but I really hate the smoke and smell of campfires. Urghh... the old saying about smoke following beauty just doesn't fly with me. The smoke still manages to hoover over me, turning every square inch of me into a smelly mess. And then it lingers on everything, even the clothes you leave in the bottom of the suitcase the entire weekend. That coupled with three days of not showering, dirt on everything, and some stinky potties (which I am extremely grateful for though)... well you get the idea. I was just glad it only rained on the last day we were there, can you imagine the mess with mud!? But I suppose the fact that all of us stunk made it ok and honestly, the longer you keep me out camping, the more I relax about looking like I've been run over by a truck and stink to high heaven - I'm hoping Jeff doesn't read this far down or else he might get some crazy idea to take me camping for an entire week!
Final annoyance. Not being able to turn on a blasted light when it gets dark! Don't get me wrong, if I do have to smell like campfire, I surely enjoy a dark night so I can do some star gazing but once I head in to the tent to change into my jammies or venture down the trail to the bathroom it would be nice to be able to turn on a light. It drives me NUTS!

Whew, now that I've explained the three reasons I'd rather lounge on a beach somewhere for the weekend, I better let Jeff know that I do enjoy our once-a-year adventure with nature. I love seeing actual stars in the sky and millions of them at that. You just don't get that in the city with the gross pollution and lights everywhere. It really is something special to look up and see a perfectly clear sky with millions of sparkling twinkles lighting up the sky. And the beauty of the mountains is truly humbling. To even imagine how much Heavenly Father must love us to create such a beautiful world for us to enjoy is awesome! Even if he apparently didn't place enough "baby deer" in the Unitahs for Pearl to find. Luckily for us, one of the "baby deer" decided to show up or else we would have spent the entire weekend listening to a whiny two-year-old begging daddy to find a "baby deer."Oh wait, we did spend a good chunk of the weekend with a whiny two-year-old. Thank Heavens for a visit from Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Kurtis! Pearl must think we are pretty boring because as soon as family showed up, she was all excited about doing the same things Jeff and I had tried to get her to do with us. Like throwing rocks into the Provo River, visiting the Upper Provo River Falls, having a tea party, and going exploring around the campsite. Or maybe the real secret to this was letting her eat candy after we refused to cave into her repeated demands for candy, chips, and treats after she wouldn't eat her lunch - that's why we all love our Grandmas! Yes, Pearl has green teeth from all the Sixlets she ate! We did try a few things just the three of us. We did a lot of rock throwing and I was shocked at the mad rock skipping skills Jeff has! Seriously, who knew? Pearl, on the other hand, got her rock skipping abilities from her mother. And we went to the Upper Provo River Falls which were really fun! Made for great climbing and having flashes of horror as you worry that your child is going to fall in the falls and drown. I'm not sure which is worse... the bears or drowning.
Our great idea for a picnic lunch at Mirror Lake was a different story though. Let's just say it seemed like a much better idea before we realized the place had about a gazillion other people there, we forgot a can opener for the tuna, and were approaching nap time.
I explained the "I wanna go home" picture here, but what you didn't get to see was how happy she was after being locked in the truck with some Starbursts.
Looking back at our weekend, I'm glad we went. I was pretty grumpy the first half but then realized it was more fun than I was giving it credit. Pearl had a great time playing in the tent, splashing in the water, and climbing on the tree stumps (95% of the time at least), Jeff got his chance to bond with nature, and I... well I got a couple family pictures with all of us actually looking at the camera. We ate well (including downing a couple boxes of cookies...why does one think you have a valid excuse for gorging oneself on treats when camping?), slept fairly well considering the whole bear paranoia thing, and came home with some new memories and hopefully a happier family.