The Best Kind of Tie Breaker

Tie breakers, especially in sports, can be edge of your seat, blood-pressure raising affairs. They can also be painfully dull (tennis, anyone?). Tie breakers can also have worldwide impact, and not necessarily in a good way. One need look no further than the hanging chad debacle that was the 2000 Presidential Election for proof of that.

That said, tie breakers can also be a lot of fun. We've seen that play out recently here in the Den. For those of you more eagle-eyed readers who took a look at some of the RM's wedding pictures, you might have noticed that one member of the Den may have looked ever so slightly different. How so? Perhaps you may have spotted a little bump the waistline. Admittedly, that could have been me, given the amount of food I took in while we were behind the Zion Curtain. Alas, it wasn't me.

It was, in fact, Our Lady of Awesome, our oldest daughter, sporting that little bump because she is expecting another baby. If you are counting along, that's Grandbaby #3! We'd known about this prior to last month's wedding celebration but we were still sworn to secrecy. Soon after we left the Zion Curtain, she went to her real doctor and not one of those "only in Utah" mobile ultrasounds out the back of someone's van places (I'm not even exaggerating about this, people), to find out how the tie in their home was going to be broken.

With one boy and one girl, the tie was broken with this reveal:

Jane's reaction is pretty priceless!

It's a boy, arriving in April 2018! Suffice to say, we are pretty darn excited about this new edition to the Den. As we counted our blessings this past week at Thanksgiving, this new baby and his health were things we were most grateful for.

Now that the tie is broken and the word is out, the name suggestions are on the way. Benson wants him to be called Rudy Bear, after Rudy Gobert, his favorite Utah Jazz player. My suggestion, Fred, was once again shot down faster than Dear Leader Despot Wannabe Trump's latest insane desperate lie about being Time's Person Of The Year.

April can't get here soon enough! We can't wait to welcome this new one to our family!

3

As is what is now a long-standing tradition here in the Den, today we honor a Denizen on his birthday. By all accounts, it's a big one. So big that, thanks to a wicked good fare sale (so good that it was totally appropriate to burst into a rousing rendition of 'Let my people go'!) from the revenue management gods at JetBlue, we were able to celebrate our grandson's third birthday with him.

Turning three is not for the faint of heart. It's a big deal, especially for our grandson, B. You're potty-trained. You are genetically programmed to ask "why" every 1.7 seconds. You say "what the" and then pause dramatically whenever you encounter something that befuddles you. You really love your little sister and your hugs prove that, although her occasional bulging eyes would suggest you might want to turn it down on the strength of said hugs. You love your friends and it looked like you had so much fun with playing with them at your party today.

Your mom, Our Lady of Awesome, and your grandma, the stunningly patient and mighty fine SML, made a great sports-themed party. Because sports are your life. The baseball cake was a big hit (cheesy pun intended)! It was hard to stay focused because there was so much going on, but you made turning three look really easy. And more than a little fun.

It was so good to be here with B on his birthday. Every moment is a joy. Even the one this afternoon where he fell going up the stairs at the Wilk at BYU and I failed to notice he'd cut his lip. #grandpaoftheyear

Happy birthday, B!

Grandfathered

Grand, indeed.

With the arrival of our granddaughter, Jane, nearly three weeks ago, we upped the grandchild count to two. Those are not gross Duggar freakshow family numbers, but for the stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and I, two is pretty much perfection right now.

I was able to spend this past weekend with my grandchildren, my daughter and son-in-law, and as an added bonus, CAL came down. With TMFKATB just minutes away in his assigned area of missionary service, it was the closest thing to a perfect virtual family reunion that we've had for awhile. If I had to sum up the weekend in one word, it would be this: JOY.

It started as I drove down the I15, my heart swelling with joy, knowing my son was nearby, serving God and the Spanish speaking people that he has grown to love with all his heart.

The joy overflowed when I got further behind the Zion Curtain and held these two in my arms:

Happy

Holding Jane, this beautiful blend of her mother (my daughter) and my son-in-law, was awe-inspiring and life affirming. As the Boy Awesome climbed up (it was more like an assault, if I'm being honest - this kid is ALL boy) on me so we could get the picture above, my joy was complete.

Being grandfathered, unlike the unwatchable Fox series of the same name (seriously, it's hideous - Stamos' best work was on 'Full House' - and I literally just threw up in my mouth as I wrote those words), is pretty much the best thing ever. Having the Boy Awesome use me as his personal tackling dummy for the entire weekend was great. Taking him on a Grandpa/Grandson only trip to my alma mater, BYU, so we could get him a "Go Cougars!" shirt was awesome. Learning that he insisted that his sister wear a BYU shirt the day after we left made me smile from ear to ear. Here's the proof:

Never too early to be a Cougar fan!

While we were on campus, I ran into several kids from our days in Chicago. It was great to see the Boy Awesome interact with them. He particularly liked playing football in front of the Wilkinson Center with this guy (he's an elementary ed major and is going to be an amazing teacher - read more about his exploits here):

Barely got them to stop tossing the
ball to get this picture

There was also a bit of joy because it was Halloween and Grandpa got to walk around with the Boy Awesome with his dad as he worked the neighborhood in pursuit of the usual Halloween treats.

The Cowboy - the horse lasted about
half a house.

With his buddy, Captain America

Negotiating a trade with the Man in the
Yellow Hat from his favorite books,
"Curious George"

The Cowboy and the Pumpkin

Suffice to say, it was a delightful night. I suspect my smile matched the big ones carved into the pumpkins throughout the Awesomes' neighborhood. I smiled broadly later that night as I watched my daughter and her son-in-law negotiate bedtime with a two year old who was determined NOT to go to bed. As I listened to them talk to their boy, I was transported back to my own mostly futile attempts at negotiating with my three children when they were that age. These kids are a lot more skilled than I, I can tell you that.

It's fair to say I am a HUGE fan of this grandfather thing. There's a little less pressure being a grandfather, but like a father, I know I've always got to be my best self with my grandchildren. I've got to be there for them. I've got to be the grandfather talked about in this quote:

To a small child, the perfect granddad is unafraid of big dogs

and fierce storms but absolutely terrified of the word boo.

~ Robert Brault

So, to my grandchildren I say bring on the boo! Grandpa's ready to be scared

Labor

@simpsons.wikia.com

Let's talk briefly about labor. Not the labor associated with Labor Day, rather the labor that precedes the birth of a baby.

My firstborn, Our Lady of Awesome, is due to deliver her second baby in the next few days. The stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and I will become grandparents for the second time. Suffice to say, we are excited. SML has already made her way to the Zion Curtain and will be there when the baby arrives.

It seems only appropriate that mother and daughter are together during this most momentous event. To call it a shared experience seems like a bit of an understatement. I remember being at my wife's side as she went into labor at the Utah Valley Regional Birthing Bonanza for the first time when she delivered our first-born daughter. I had never seen such strength (it put any moment of male strength to shame), nor had I seen such immediate radiant love the moment that little girl was placed in her arms. That moment confirmed what kind of a mother she would be and I knew she would be there for her daughter and the other children that would come and she has been. She'll be there to share some of that strength she mustered all those years ago when she labored to deliver the daughter she'll be supporting in just a couple of days. They will share that strength.

"There is a secret in our culture, and it's not that birth is painful.

It's that women are strong." - Laura Stavoe Harm

That strength is amazing. It is inspiring. It binds mother and child. It is love. It is incredible.

Two

Two.

Thanks to the soothsayers over at Wikipedia, you can learn all sorts of things about the number two that you never wanted to learn. For instance, did you know that divisibility by two is easily tested? Or that two is the smallest and first prime number? Neither did I and those two math gems are liking to kill me. Interestingly, there is no reference to the scatalogical nature of the number two, which is an indication that Wikipedia is not staffed by a bunch of eleven year old boys. We can all rest easily now. But enough about that and all things numbers and math.

Why the two? Because there is a birthday in the Den. The Grandson Awesome turns two years old today. As he turns two, B has proven to be a force of nature. He's determined. He's physical. He's a thinker. He know what he likes and what he doesn't. He's funny.  He's happy. He's a reflection of two parents who love the heck out of this boy.

And as his busting at the seams proud, which is not a statement on my waistline, grandfather, I can saw we love the heck out of him, too!

Happy birthday, B!

Cinco de Mayo y la segunda nieta

I'd say he was fairly non-plussed by today's news

Cinco de Mayo is one of my most favorite days of the year. Even though it's not really a 'thing' in Mexico, unless you are from Puebla, and I defy you to find an American who knows what the day really stand for (and no, it has nothing to do with excessive indulgence of enchiladas and margaritas), it has been a day worthy of celebration for many years in the Den. Until we moved here, where the Iron Fist of Martha Stewart looms large and makes celebrating this day an event that must be secluded in secrecy, if at all. So I was kind of glad that I was in my Manhattan office today. My office is a block away from the Mexican consulate so I was hopeful that the infamous Tamale Lady would be out front, but she wasn't. Instead, a ridiculously good taco truck, Tacos Juquilita, had set up shop. I was able to enjoy three Mexico City street-style chorizo tacos, at Mexico City prices, not Manhattan. So it was truly a celebration all the way around.

As I was walking back to my office, reveling in the goodness that was my lunchtime celebration, I got a text from Our Lady of Awesome with the following announcement: GIRL. It was quickly followed an announcement on the Instagrams, starring a completely non-plussed almost two year old. As his mother put it, 'He doesn't know what's about to hit him. Baby GIRL coming in October. We are soo excited.' Given his expression, I think the excitement is currently reserved for his parents. And us, this baby's maternal grandparents. We are delighted to know our second grandchild is on the way and so happy that we have a little girl joining our growing crowd. Even though he doesn't look too excited, that boy is going to be an amazing big brother. One thing is for sure, that little girl will have a built in body guard with him. At the rate he's growing, he should be the size of a five year old in October and he only turns two at the end of this month!

The stunningly patient and mighty fine SML and I are so excited for our oldest daughter and her husband. It's more fun than I could have imagined to sit back and watch your own children parent. You wonder, 'Did she get that from me?' when she says something to her child. Then you wonder, 'Did we do enough to prepare all of our children for the role of parent?' Because I chose very, very wisely and married up, I rest a little easier when answering those questions.

Well, October can't get here soon enough. Can't wait to welcome that little girl into our family and to hold her and say, 'We are glad you are here. I think you're going to like it a lot!'