I'm still having great difficulty thinking of new topics about which to write, but a lot has been happening in our family lately. First, as should be obvious from previous posts, both Heidi and Devery have had their babies, and Dorine and I now have eight grandchildren (nine, counting Heidi's stepson Nolan). The two new boys are both adorable and welcome additions to a family composed predominantly of girls! Heidi had a relatively easy labor and delivery, whereas Devery's was anything but easy, given the latter's slight frame, this being her first child, and the fact that Mason weighed 9 lbs. 8 oz. at birth. (Reportedly, she came literally within one push of having to have an emergency c-section.)After first being with Heidi for Tyler's birth, Dorine flew up to Utah to be with Devery as she had her baby. I drove up to Provo the following week and spent a couple of days there before driving Dorine home. I got to spend time with Devery and Easton (and Mason), and with Darren (see photo), but that was about it. (I've made the round-trip drive to Utah four times this year -- I'd swear it gets longer every time.)
Dorine is still working as a kindergarten EA at the local elementary school, and she now has a calling in the young women. I'm still working at the temple and have been assigned to be the "brother" veil coordinator every other week, which is a fairly nerve-wracking job. My sleep disorder is still having far-reaching effects on my life; I continue to use the VPAP Adapt SV machine, but I've also been taking Temazepam, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, and an antidepressant called Citalopram on a nightly basis. It's wonderful to feel sleepy at bedtime, but the pharmaceuticals take their toll over time in other ways. Darren seems to be doing well at BYU. Kiley is getting ready to apply to college and hopes to be accepted at BYU as well. She tried out for the New Mexico "All State" orchestra and became more than a little exercised when the powers-that-be initially omitted her name from the list of successful auditioners; they later corrected the oversight, menos mal.
