Thanksgiving and a Promotion

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday last week. We traveled to Las Vegas to spend it with Jaclyn's family. We had a great time showing off Austin, visiting family members and friends, playing games, watching movies, and doing some Christmas shopping. Jaclyn's step-brother, Michael also returned home from his mission in Portugal so we were fortunate enough to hear some stories and see pictures of the lives he touched there. Austin was great traveling; he slept well on the road and in Grandma Sally's playpen and did great with everybody holding him. Maybe he be a people person when he grows up. It really was a fun trip for all of us. It was hard to come home and leave all those loved ones for a few months. (We are spending probably spending Christmas with my family in Vernal.)

In other news, I was promoted at work this week. GravityPeople made some changes in the HLM team this week and I was one of six to get promoted to a high level. (HLM is Hiring Lifecycle Management, basically, our process of helping clients hire people.) Instead of just looking up resumes, I will also be the first contact for candidates on the phones. I will also get to call people to try and recruit them for open positions. (When I say recruit, I mean call people who may not be actively looking for a job, but have the qualifications we are looking for. For example, they may be doing a similar thing at a different company, but may not have resume posted.) The cool thing is that the other five people who got the promotion have been around much longer than I have. I am the most junior person in the company but still given the promotion. That made me feel good. I've been in training this week with an exec from SF to learn my new roles. Oh yes, the promotion does get a pay raise.

Being a Dad

Last night was my first real babysitting experience with Austin. I mean, it was our first chance at home alone while Jaclyn was away at Mutual. (Jaclyn was called on Sunday to be a YW Advisor, which she is very excited about.) This was the first time I watched him by myself other than when Jaclyn is napping/sleeping.
It was pretty fun. After giving him a bath, I put his pajamas on and fed him. I accidently fed him too much. I had a bottle for him and it was about 2/3 full, so I thought that was probably enough. I didn't realize the botte was 9 oz instead of the normal 5 oz, so he had a feast. I payed for it in when I was burping him and he spit up all over the burpcloth, his PJs and my shirt. I laughed and went to go change his clothes for the sixth time that day. (He had a good streak of messing his diaper or spitting up or peeing on his previous outfits.)
When Jaclyn got home, she calmly told me that he normally eats 1-2 oz at a feeding, not the 4 or 5 I gave him. Oops.
Overall, I had a great time with him. He is really cute to watch and cuddle with. Nothing better than being a dad.

P.S. I have started the new "Song of the Week" feature this week in celebration of me buying my first country CD. This week's pick, "These Are My People" by Rodney Atkins.

A Few Firsts

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks! Time goes by so quickly. Austin is doing so well. We've noticed his eyes can focus a little more, that is, enough to make eye contact with me. It's really cool. A few other milestones: his first real bath, first trip to the grocery store, first week at church, and first Halloween.

Also, another important milestone: sleeping through the night! For the first time, Austin slept the whole night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) Halloween night. I was surprised and a little worried, but at the same time, it felt SO good. Lucky us, he slept through the night again last night. We hope this is a trend that will continue.

Enjoy the pictures!

Austin Kissing Mommy

Check out this video of Austin giving kisses to Jaclyn.

"He's so cute!"

Hello y'all!

Some of you have probably been waiting a few extra days for this post. Now you get it. Wahoo!

Austin Lee Kitchen was born last Wednesday morning at 6:51 a.m. and weighed 7 lb. 9 oz. at 19 in. long. He has been nothing but a bundle of joy. He has a little bit of hair, but not much. He is physically strong but emotionally calm.

Austin's first few days were good. After finally making it home from the hospital at 11:00 PM Thursday night after waiting hours for the Pediatrician to show up for the circumcision, and other delays when trying to leave the hospital, we came home. Austin was so tired: it took a good 30 min for us (Grandma Kathy, Jaclyn, and I) to wake him up so he could eat. We ended up going to bed about 1:00 a.m..

The next day we were able to get the carseat checked out and run a few errands before Grandma Sally and Aunt Abby arrived in town. They stayed through Sunday early afternoon and were just thrilled. That same night, Grandpa Boyd and Rachel also arrived, which we enjoyed. Thanks Dad and Rachel for making the effort to come out. It meant a lot to us!

Saturday was pretty good. Austin had to go back to the hospital for a follow-up on his Bilirubin test. It wasn't that high, so they said he should be fine. His eyes have been a little yellow since then, but we are not worried. I did put him in the sunlight for a few minutes on Sunday, but may have given him a suntan with the combination of his sensitive skin and the direct sunlight. Oops. He'll survive.

He slept much better Sunday only waking up every 3 hours for feeding. We hope that this pattern will continue. Jaclyn and I got up together each time he woke up last night. She or I would change his diaper, she would feed him, and then I would burb him. This way Jaclyn didn't have to do all the work.

My overall feelings are of great delight. I'm sure Jaclyn could say the same. We feel that he has been so good. He doesn't really cry except when we are changing his diaper or really hungry. We have relented to using a "fier" (pacifier) instead of letting him suck on his hands. It's really cute to watch him wave his hands around like he is leading music. When I typed emails the other day, he laid on my lap taking a nap. He is so fun!

Some of the "funmylights" have been him soiling his clothes (6 outfits on Saturday) and our clothes: spit up on Jaclyn and urine on Abby twice and me once. Early Sunday morning, as I was changing his diaper, he sprayed my PJ shirt and the carpet too. He likes to wet his pants and jamies for some reason. ;) We still love him.

That's about it. As for my work, Austin was nice enough to come after my paid time off kicked in, so I was able to take off Wed-Fri and still get paid. I went back Monday and took chocolate cigars to my co-workers to celebrate Austin's arrival. They were taken aback, but loved them.

Enjoy the pictures, just a sampling of our many.

Pillow Fight Movie

Picture from Vacation

Pictures from Vacations

Abby and I practicing reading. Isn't she cute?

Pillow Fight! Don't try this at home ... Only at hotels on vacation.

The end of my ride. (Posed Picture--Jaclyn didn't realize I was already down. Zoom Zoom.)

Getting off my course at the Alpine Slide in Park City.

A view across the valley in the old part of town.

This is the old part of Park City. Housing is tight.

I like vacations!

So, I haven't updated anything recently because we have been busy going on vacations. We figured after the baby, traveling will be more difficult. So we decided to get away:

Vacation #1: Since Alicia, Jaclyn's sister, has worked at Marriott Hotel in Provo as a Banquet server, she gets great discounts when staying at Marriotts. She wanted to go somewhere fun, so we suggested Park City. Good scenery: good food, shopping galore, and things to do. We went up after Church on Sunday and stayed that night (Labor Day) and came up Monday afternoon. We had a blast!

We had planned a picnic for Sunday lunch, but the weather decided to rain. We found a pavillion to hide under until the rain stopped and we were done. That night we drove through the old part of town and watched a movie back at the hotel. That night, Alicia and I also had an intense pillow fight. I'll post that later.

Monday came, and we got up early to max out our time. First, Alicia, Hannah (Alicia's friend) and I went down the Alpine Slide. It was fun! I was racing around the corners so fast!! I got down so fast, Jaclyn didn't have time to take my picture. Alicia and Hannah weren't so lucky. They got stuck behind little kids and had slow sleds. It was fun, not to mention randomly meeting Uncle Duane and Aunt Vivian, and my cousin Cassie while I was waiting outside the restroom.

That afternoon, we spent our time and money at the Outlet mall. We found a few things for our son, and even more stuff for Jaclyn and me. I got new 2 pairs of jeans, and 3 shirts. I feel like its the first day of school all over again. On the way home from Park City, I treated the girls out to Granny Milkshakes. Poor Alicia, though--her Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Cup was too much. Sorry. All and all it was a great vacation.

Vacation #2: Our next weekend (this past weekend), we went to Las Vegas to visit family one last time before the baby comes and to celebrate Jaclyn's dad's birthday. It was great. He treated us out to dinner at his favorite restaurant: VooDoo Lounge at the Rio. They had some pretty interesting foods: fried frog legs. I had to try it. It tasted like watered-down chicken, straight from the pond. Lee (Jaclyn's dad) said it was because the way they cooked the legs. Something I can cross off my list now.

Saturday, we had a mini baby shower and got some more stuff from Jaclyn's Aunts, Grandma and cousins. We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with Jaclyn's mom and sisters. Abby was so excited and loved every minute of it. We watched High School Musical 2 (better music and dancing than acting), played Apples-to-Apples and Boggle, and ate wonderful Taco Salad. It went way too fast. It's nice to dream and think everyday could be a vacation.

But would it really be a vacation then?

Pictures with the President

I was surprised last week when I got a call from Aaron Jenne, a good friend and who works in the Missionary Department at the Church Office Building. He was in charge of the New Mission Presidents Seminar at the MTC in July. He said the Church News delivered some pictures to him from the Conference and wanted me to have some.

President Hinckley, above, exiting the MTC. Elder Ballard is just to his right. The security people are all around us.;)

Here, he stopped and we chatted. I was so nervous, with my hands stiff. Elder Hinckley, President Hinckley's son is to the right of the man holding the handbag.

Here is another picture with President reaching out, Elder Ballard coming out. On the far right is the BYU police officer assigned to escort dignitaries. On the way back inside, he turned to me and said, jokingly: "Don't you ever hold up the President again."

President Hinckely being escorted out to his black, bullet-proof Lexus, or so I was told.

2 Months Left

August 7 is a big milestone: 2 months left until Jaclyn's due date. We really think the baby will probably come before then, knowing our family trends, but it is coming so close. I can't believe it. 9 months seems like a long time, but it has gone fast.

Along with this milestone, I have thought more about the fact that we are having a son. Last week in church, a family blessed their son and I began to picture my self doing the same thing in a few months or so. It made the whole baby thing set in a little more solid. In reality, two months is really not that long. 8 weeks means 8 dinner menus, 4 paychecks, 2 more road trips, 2 more family reunions in sort, and really one more Fast sunday. Where does all the time go?

Jaclyn would support me in saying I am very excited for our newborn son. We are still working out some transportation issues, but there are days I can't help but smile or jump up-and-down about it. Having an addition to the family is special to me. It's a new stage of life, a new blessing, a sign of maturity.

Any thoughts of when you first became a parent?

Harry Potter Premier

So, last night was the Harry Potter Premier. It was a big deal, at least for me, because this was my first actual movie premier.. You know, 12:01 showing, waiting in line, etc. And it was Harry Potter.

We were probably not the best prepared for the long wait (8:30-midnight) because we only brought a book and a pillow. Luckily, we sat inside the theater on carpet for a few hours. We both got sore sitting there as we read our book and watched all people walking up and down the hallway. True to form, there were quite a few people dressed up as Harry, Ron, Ginny, Cho, Snape, Dumbledore, Trelawney, Mcgongall, and Hermoine.

As far as the movie went, I don't want to spoil it for others, but it went much like the other films. There is just too much storyline from the book to include in a 2.5 hr movie. I liked the movie, but I like the books better. There is so much more left to the imagination in the books. I won't say what they included and what they left out, but the movies and books are two unique things.

Anyways, I better get back to work. Stay tuned for more.

My New Job

Yesterday was my first day at my new job. I now work in American Fork for a company called Gravity People, Inc. It is a recruiting service for senior and executive level positions mainly in the IT industry but have started to branch out into other sectors more recently. It was a lot to handle the first day: paperwork, orientation, training, shadowing other employees, etc. I did get to do some first-level screening by the end of the day, but I have lots more to learn.

The job environment is pretty good. Gravity isn't a huge company. They started in 1998 and have their main offices in San Francisco. The office in AF has less than 20 people, 12 of us who are researchers. We each have our own workstation and computer. Everything is computer based. I work M-F from 9 a.m. -6 p.m. (for now) and get an hour lunch break. My co-workers are pretty nice and easy to get along with. That's good. It's pretty casual too. We don't have to dress up much either unless exectutives from SF come in. Joel, the COO, came yesterday, but was casual too; he wore a polo shirt and jeans.

I get to ride the bus both ways. It isn't that bad. It takes about 45 mintutes each direction for a minimal fare. The same bus also stops at the State Developmental School in AF so we get some interesting personalities on the bus in the morning. All and all, I can't expect much more out of it.

I'm excited to learn more and become more comfortable with my job descritpion. But in the meantime, I'm making new friends and started down my new career path.

VIPs at the MTC

This last week I was privileged to help out with the New Mission Presidents Seminar at the MTC. I helped out getting things together the week before, including a trip to the COB (Church Office Building) in SLC, and helping during the week of the Seminar (Sat morn-Wed night). It was quite an experience. Besides being around many of the Brethren, here are some of the highlights:

Sunday afternoon, I held the door open for President Hinckley as he exited to his car. When he came through, he stopped and talked with just me for a brief two minutes. With sweaty palms, I stumbled through the conversation about my mission and former mission presidents. He was kind and genuine and sharper than ever. He said he loved going to Taiwan and it was so beautiful. We exchanged salutations and he was escorted away.

Monday, I listened to President Monsen chat with some of the secretaries from the MTC Travel office. He reminisced with the current MTC president about a visit he gave to the president's family many years ago. Then President Monsen recalled an old song he learned in grade school to help him learn Spanish. He made me laugh.

Wednesday, I held the door open and greeted President Faust. He was frail, but in good spirits. We exchanged hellos and he made his way in to his meeting. That night, I was assigned to escort Elder Bednar and his wife to his assigned dining room. He gave me a very nice compliment as I escorted him away from the crowds of mission presidents.

One other highlight was the chance to get to know many of the new mission presidents. I felt kind of sad when I had to leave them. In a few shorts days, I began to make friends and will miss them. They are wonderful people and always so friendly. They will leave many impressions on the areas to which they are assigned.

As it all came to an end Wednesday night, I couldn't help but think what amazing people they are. They are so calm and yet so strong. They are something of a different kind. I'm so glad I had the chance of a lifetime.

Harry Potter Goes Home Teaching

Many of you know the home teaching message for June was an article written by President Hinckley about the great war between good and evil. When I read the article, I remembered a few lines from one of my new favorite books: Harry Potter. Jaclyn and I opened found the following quotes from Book 2 and Book 5 and related to what President Hinckley was saying.

Book 2, p. 333: Dumbledore to Harry: "You are very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Book 5, p. 205-206: The Sorting Hat's New Song: Oh, know the perils, read the signs, The warning history shows, For our Hogwarts is in danger, From external, deadly foes, And we must unite inside her, Or we'll crumble from within.

When we shared it with the family I home teach, they found it very interesting. It worked so well particularly because the kids (11, 8, 6) all have read the books and could relate to it. Their parents even found it interesting. As we were finishing our visit, Mark turned to his wife and said, "I guess we'll have to read Harry Potter in a slightly different light now."

There is truth in everything, isn't there?