Fall Flashback

One of my favorite things to do with my siblings is to go around Mom's house, counting and tallying how many pictures she has displayed of each of us on her walls. Then we can easily determine who is Mom's current favorite child (It's Brady, by the way). A recent once-over with our blog might lead one to believe that Samuel is my definite favorite right now. So, to avoid any complaints that Henry and Ellis might have, I'm going to try to even up the tally right now!

Actually, I just have some adorable pictures from JoDee's mini photo shoot last fall that have never been posted. These cute boys deserve some attention (and JoDee does too -- check her out here)!

The life of an academic paper

Just before Sam was born, I received the news that a paper I've been working on for a while had finally been published! For an academic, this is exciting news, because your whole life is measured by your publications. The old mantra of "publish or perish" is definitely the way things still work in the ivory tower.

But besides being excited to get the paper published and add a line to my CV, I was also thrilled about the news because it means I'm finally done with that paper. You see, the life of a research project is a long, arduous one. I happen to know the exact date that I started working on this particular paper: 26 November 2007. Yep, you read that right, 2007. And the end product? A whopping 11 pages, including charts, tables, an appendix, and the works cited page. How could it possibly take three authors 3 1/2 years to produce that? The answers lies in the fact that academics are actually really lazy people who take summers off and rarely work a 40-hour week.

Ha ha! Just kidding. You only get to have that lifestyle once you get tenure. :) The real answer is that writing a water-tight research paper is really hard. You see, after you come up with an idea, collect the data, do the analysis, and write a first draft of the paper (which is no small task) you get to start presenting your work at conferences. This paper, for example, was presented in Atlanta, New York, Prague, and Chicago. And at each of these conferences, all of the other attendees view it as their mission to shoot holes in your work. And they're usually pretty good at it, too. It's not that they don't like you (usually), but the idea is that all of the possible flaws need to be ferretted out to make sure what you're arguing is actually true. That means that after each conference you come home with a load of new work to do, and a new draft to produce that reflects these changes. In a worst-case scenario, someone will point out something major flaw that destroys the paper and you're left with nothing. Luckily that didn't happen with this paper.

Once you've gone through this process, it's time to actually submit the paper to a journal. Generally, you pick the best journal that you think you might possibly have a chance of getting in to. The editor of the journal will send your paper to a few "referees" (other academics) who will read your paper anonymously and critique it. They submit a report back to the editor listing all of the things that are wrong with it, as well as a recommendation of whether to accept or reject the paper. Usually, this process takes several months to complete, at which point you get the referee reports from the editor along with his accept/reject decision. If your paper is accepted, you have to address all of the referees' concerns, and submit a new draft for more edits. This then takes another few months. Of course, if it's rejected, you still address all of the referees' issues, and then you find another journal to send it in to, and start the process over again.

It's a frustrating process. By the end, no matter the paper, you really hate your project because you've been working on it for so long, and people have been nit-picking it to death. But, how sweet it is once it's cleared all of the hurdles and is finally off your desk! Hurray!

One last cool note is that this paper got some press in the Huffington Post, Reuters, and (a long time ago) in the Economist's View. It's always nice to know that at least a few normal people are hearing about your work. I'm famous...sort of. :)

2 Weeks Old

I can't help but post some of these priceless faces. Little Sammy is already growing and changing so much! I'm just crossing my fingers that as he continues to grow, his sweet demeanor doesn't change. He is sleeping for four hours at a time in the night. He takes great naps and falls asleep easily (no ridiculous bouncing routine necessary). He loves his binky. He is only awake for short periods throughout the day, but when he's awake, he's not screaming. He will lie happily on a blanket for 30+ minutes. We took him out for dinner last night, and he snoozed in the car seat the entire time without a peep. This type of behavior is so foreign to me. Is this for real? Have others had babies this good? Is it possible to actually be excited to hear the sound of a baby waking up? Could I be making this judgment too soon? Is he going to mutate into a little monster next week? Or did the Lord really bless me with an angel?

Just look at him!

My Three Sons

There are some things I will never get tired of -- like smelling the sweetness of baby skin, kissing baby cheeks, and tickling baby toes. Another thing that will never stop being fun to me -- comparing pictures of my boys and trying to deconstruct every little detail of their appearance. Who does he really look like? What is he going to turn out like? Where did that nose come from? I'll spare you my personal opinions and let you decide for yourself:

Henry

Ellis

Samuel

Sam's first week in pictures

Jenn and Sam came home from the hospital on Monday, and we've had a nice, relaxing week for the most part. Sam is already a better sleeper than either Henry or Ellis were, and we're praying that continues! Jenn's parents flew out on Thursday to help out, and we're all having a great time taking turns holding the baby, playing cars with Henry, and reading the U.S. Presidents book to Ellis. Good times!

Here are the next batch of pictures:

Sophie (Sam's cousin) made him this adorable hat, and it's basically the only one that we own that fits him right now. Thanks, Sophie!

Samuel has arrived!

Announcing the arrival of Samuel Patrick Iverson! We are so excited that he has finally come!

Here are the key stats:

Due Date: 4 March 2011

Born: 26 February 2011 (6 days early) at 10:37am

Weight: 7 lbs. 15 oz.

Length: 21 inches

Total time in labor: 6 hours

Total time at hospital before being born: 4 hours

Amount of pain medication Jenn took: None!

Health of baby: Perfect

Health of mother: Perfect

Hair: He has less than either Henry or Ellis, and it has a decidedly reddish tint to it.

Nose: Not quite as Allred-Griffin-ish as H & E's are. A bit more like mine, we think.

First-name Namesakes: Samuel Smith (check out the link if you have time-it's worth the read), Samuel from the Old Testament, Sam Nephi's brother, Samuel the Lamanite.

Middle-name Namesake: Patrick is my Grandmother Whitesides' maiden name, and I've always wanted to honor the strong Patrick family.

What we will call him: Sam (Ben's preference), Sammy (Jenn's preference, while he's little), Samuel (when he's in trouble)

I'll forgo the blow-by-blow account of Sam's birth because it all went surprisingly according to plan, which was: contractions start, they get really bad, they get even worse, her water breaks and a few pushes later he is born. That's pretty much how it all happened.

Before I let you look at more pictures (no skipping ahead, cheaters!) I just need to mention 3 things:

1. Jenn did an absolutely incredible job managing the pain and doing this completely naturally. I even overheard the nurses and the midwife all commenting to each other on how well she did. I have to admit that I was nervous when Jenn told me she wanted to go without the epidural (and I'm not even the one that has to go through the pain!), but she was a real trooper and I would totally do it again. To be honest, for me this was by far the easiest of the three births. And, I think that Jenn might say the same thing.

2. Part of what made it easier was having an incredible midwife who coached Jenn through the whole process. I really liked having a midwife there throughout the process rather than an OB/GYN who pops in from time to time to see how she's doing.

3. I'm so thankful that there were no complications this time around. Both Henry and Ellis had heart rate issues during their births which caused the birth to be really rushed (in Henry's case, a C-section, in Ellis', forceps). Sam's birth was actually really calm, as there was no rush to get the baby out at all. It was incredible to be able to really soak in the true miracle that birth is this time around.

And now, I present Samuel Patrick:

The experienced big brother. Or, as he puts it, the big, big brother.

The newly-appointed big brother. He's already a natural at the role, however: at the hospital today he tried to share his chocolate chip cookie with Sam.

That's a lot of boys for one house. Let the fun begin!

Presidents' Day Update

As predicted, we had a charming FHE lesson about Presidents by our live-in expert. He was so particular about setting up his Mount Rushmore with ALL the presidents, and then he taught us about a few of them. We learned that Abraham Lincoln went to church, John Adams was angry, and Richard Nixon said, "I'm not a crook!" (thanks, Mary, for teaching him that one!).

Matchbox City

3 years later, Henry continues his car obsession. Today he made "the awesomest set-up EVER" entitled "Matchbox City!" I was genuinely impressed, even three years into the obsession, and had to take a picture. The best part was that it took about an hour for him to build it, and he didn't even notice that I snuck a 30-minute nap in while he was working so diligently.

Temple Uncle Choir

See these guys (the paint bottles)? They are members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or from Ellis' mouth, the "Temple Uncle Choir." They are all lined up, ready to watch their conductor lead them in a stirring number.

See the red paint bottles lined up on the chair? They are the Temple Uncle Girls. And as Ellis has reminded us several times over the past month while watching his new YouTube clips of choice, "I don't like the temple uncle girls." He only likes it when the men are singing, and he wants us to turn it off when the girls are singing. However, his recent favorite clips are the "Temple Uncle Kids" singing in the Conference Center.

Yes Mom, we are trying to get this kid to eat at least 2 meals a day sitting at the kitchen table instead of in front of the computer. That is our goal. But do we really want to give up the Temple Uncle Choir and Kids? They are so inspiring!

Happy Presidents' Day

If anyone is feeling bored tomorrow on Presidents' Day and wants to do a good deed, PLEASE go to this blog and follow directions for making these adorable president figures for Ellis. He (and I) will love you forever! There is just no way I'll be able to do it tomorrow, as much as I'd love to.

Presidents' Day is not normally a holiday we think much about celebrating. This year, however, with our little President Fan, we will definitely do something presidential! Let me know if you have any ideas (that won't take all day to create). At least I know who will be teaching the FHE lesson . . .

29 and Growing

I turned 29 on Friday. It was a good day.


This is how big I am now (3 weeks from due date!). Just bursting at the seams, really. I am mad at Ellis for not posing in this picture with us.



I was also a little mad at both boys who insisted on getting a piece of Oreo cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory to share, and then all they ate was the whipped cream! I told them, "If we spend $7 on a slice of cheesecake, and all you eat is the whipped cream, I'm not going to be happy." And they insisted. And then they only ate the whipped cream. But who could be mad at this whipped cream mustache, really?

This is the lucky boy who got to accompany me on my birthday shopping trip. "Why?" he asked. "Because it's my birthday, and so we get to do whatever I want to do," I replied. He has a lot to learn about birthdays. Good thing he has me to train him!

These are the results of our efforts. I'm pretty pleased. It's fun to have a really big canvas nearly taking over the room. And I like those birds perched in the middle. And in case you were worried, I'm planning to find another picture to fit that little frame that isn't sideways.

Thanks for all of the birthday love that many of you sent my way!

Henry just got out of bed (30 minutes after bedtime) to tell me . . .

"Mom! Guess what? 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 is 54."

My thoughts?

1. (after punching his numbers into a calculator) He was only off by one number. Pretty good!

2. Could this child possibly be related to the man who sleeps next to me every night and occasionally sits up in bed, startled and sweating, announcing that he has figured out the answer to some complex math equation?

The answer is yes, they are quite related. Father and son actually, believe it or not.

Presidential Flashcards

Ellis is branching out. It turns out that he's not partial to old men who happen to be prophets and apostles. He'll take an interest in pretty much any old men! I'm not sure what it is, but there is something he really likes about memorizing the names of old guys. The most recent obsession: U.S. Presidents! Henry gave Ellis this pack of U.S. President flashcards for Christmas (from the Target $1 section - what a steal!), and they are by far his favorite toy at the moment. He will play with them for at least an hour every day -- setting them out, lining them up, identifying and comparing. For the past several weeks, he will mention his "Presents Cards" the moment he gets out of bed in the morning, and he'll rush down the stairs to play with them.

Here he is, first thing in the morning, lining up the presidents ("presents") on the kitchen floor.

And here's a fun game he came up with - creating the ultimate Mount Rushmore on the stairs -- can you imagine a mountain with ALL of the presidents' faces carved into it? It would be Ellis' dream!

If you are worried that he no longer loves the prophets and apostles, don't fret. He still talks about them plenty, and perhaps the U.S. Presidents just add a healthy addition to his mix. He'll often say, "This is Woodrow Wilson; he's kind of Wilford Woodruff" (meaning "kind of like Wilford Woodruff). Or, "This is John Tyler; he's kind of John Taylor." He makes a lot of comparisons between the presidents and the prophets (although I try to set him straight that the presidents are NOT prophets). I caught him today making up his own version of a song called "Latter-day Presidents," in which he tried to incorporate all of the Presidents.

Now, you must watch at least part of this clip in which Ellis identifies many of the presidents. He doesn't know every single one of them, but he's getting pretty darn close.

And, as a bonus, you can watch this clip of Ellis identifying most of the famous economists from Ben's geeky calendar. Ellis was thrilled when Ben returned from his "Conference!" in January with this book of "funny guys" for Ellis to learn about. We had to really assure him that these guys are NOT prophets, even though they came from Conference. Very confusing for a 2-year-old . . . but what 2-year-old on the planet gets giddy about Karl Marx?

And the final bonus: a taste of what it sounds like around our house most of the time. It's a fine mix of Ellis' prophets obsession and Henry's funny mixed-up letters obsession (going on for 2 1/2 years and counting). Just try to tell me that you know of anything -- ANYTHING that is funnier than "Hatter-Hay Hophets!" Okay, maybe "Batter-Bay Bophets" is funnier -- that's my personal favorite :)

Thanks to . . .

Whatever it was that inspired my mom & dad to trade cars last Monday.

The angel who told my dad to vacuum out my mom's car at the car wash on a cold February day.

My dad who listened to the voice and vacuumed in spite of the cold and the people staring at him like he was a crazy man.

That vacuum with its powerful suction and long hose.

The camera strap that was shoved way up under the driver's seat and decided to get caught in the vacuum's suction. Hooray!

My dad who called me 3 times in a row, just 18 minutes before the eBay auction was ending on the camera I was thinking of buying to replace mine.

My parents who spent a bunch on shipping to get the camera to me in time for my birthday on Friday.

Happy day! I despair no longer. My faith and hope is restored.

Blog posts with actual pictures may be not too far around the corner!

Proud Mother Moment

See this kid? I think he's pretty cool. I actually am really proud of him for lots of things, but I don't take credit for most of his successes. On Saturday, however, I soaked up this proud mother moment:

We were planning our Saturday and decided to take a trip to Toys R Us because we had a gift card there for a car seat for the new baby. Henry was a bit reluctant to run an errand with us on a Saturday, but -- he had no choice. We piled the boys in the van and drove 20 minutes to Natick. We had one errand to run before stopping at Toys R Us -- Home Goods. We stopped there and made a return and then spent a few minutes looking around the store at house decor, table lamps, bedding, etc. Henry was pretty pleasant and just kept commenting on how good it smelled in that store. EVERYTHING smelled so GOOD! Then we left and piled back into the van.

"Okay, boys! Now it's time to go to Toys R Us!" I said.

"Oh, we didn't go to Toys R Us yet?" Henry asked, "I thought that WAS Toys R Us!"

Ben and I thought it was hilarious that Henry could think such a place was Toys R Us. I think there was maybe one toy in the whole store (unless you count potpourri as a toy)! That's when I realized Henry has never been to Toys R Us! And that, folks, was my proud mother moment, when I realized my son has made it through 5 years of life and has never been to that dreadful place. And the great thing is, he actually still hasn't been there, because we realized that we should actually be going to Babies R Us, not Toys R Us, to get the car seat (and the gift card works at both places). And since Henry still has no idea what Toys R Us actually is, he didn't complain that we didn't go there. And he will continue NOT asking/begging to go there, hopefully for years to come! Hoorah!

Did I mention that Henry was 4 before his first trip to Chuck E. Cheese? And he just took his first trip to McDonald's at age 5 (thanks to Jamie, the non-party-pooper mom, for taking him!). I must admit that Henry was a little nervous about going to McDonald's for Bryson's birthday, because someone had put it in his head that McDonald's is a dreary place that people go for punishment.

Who is that someone? A proud mother. Okay, I'll stop bragging now.

Aaaaaand if that cool-kid face is just leaving you begging for more, you can watch this 10-second video that is sure to delight. This is what happens when a girl is desperate for her camera.

Funny Faces from Ben and Jenn on Vimeo.

Janitors

Check it out: My cousin is publishing his first novel, Janitors, this August! The book cover was just released. I don't know too much about the plot, but I do know that the publishers loved the book from the start and have made Ty their big author for the year--he'll be going on book tour and everything. The book is aimed at middle readers (e.g. 5th-8th graders), but you can bet that I'll be reading it once it comes out.

In addition to writing books, Ty is a very accomplished Marimbaist, symphony composer, and food taste-tester (seriously!). With those kinds of qualifications, you know the book will be good.

Just spreading the word!

Friday Photo

Dedicated to Tyler Squire, Amy, Kati, and Tanner. Not sure if anyone else will appreciate it.

Not-the-Utah-post

This was supposed to be a post about our lovely January trip to Utah to visit family.

Unfortunately, two things stand in my way:

1. I have been feeling really apathetic about blogging lately, and I knew if I took pictures that I would have to come home and blog about them. So I went the entire trip without taking any pictures.

2. Even if I had taken pictures, my miracle/prized-possession camera has either been lost or stolen. I'm in the depths of despair! How does one lose a camera in a case the size of a cantaloupe? Something like this does not just fall out of one's suitcase or get left underneath a bed at Mom's house and forgotten. "How?" I ask you. HOW???? Has anyone ever heard of airport baggage people opening suitcases and stealing valuables? Seems unlikely to me, but then again, my camera is NOWHERE to be found. DESPAIR, I tell you.

So of course, suddenly all I want to do is take great pictures of a hundred different moments today, and I desperately want to blog about them. But then, each time, I am reminded of my lost camera and I nearly cry.

I'm sure you are just as depressed as I am that I have nothing interesting to say. I will console you by posting a video clip of Henry with his super-cool Christmas present. The boys call it a "town setup" or a "road builder." I believe Santa calls it the iPlay Build-a-Road. It really is the coolest toy EVER. When Henry gets it set up, I can't do anything but sit and watch it for the first ten minutes, at least. Boys' toys are SO much better than girls' toys. So there.

Untitled from Ben and Jenn on Vimeo.

I should mention that although we are lacking a great camera for still pictures at the moment, we are lucky to have a good video camera now! Thanks to Mike Baird for letting us "borrow" his Flip camera from Cisco. So much higher quality than our point and shoot's videos.