Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Our New Little Bit Of Heaven--Lilyan Mae McNeil

                                                    I took this picture, just minutes after she was born. 
                                            It is one of my favorite.  A proud Dad!                                                A proud grandpa--Papa Mac                                      I felt such joy at that moment holding LIly.                                                   Bright and alert and only minutes old.
On Friday, August the 22nd, at 6:01 p.m. we welcomed a little one from Heaven to the McNeil Family.  The whole family has been anxiously waiting for another baby to join the rest of the McNeil Clan, and oh, the wait was worth it.  Little Lily is so precious.  It has been fun watching Trent and Jessica become new parents.  They are so excited to have their little daughter.  This little princess will not want for anything, all her demands will be met, especially from her father.   Dad and I are excited to add another princess to our growing brood of grandchildren.  We were lacking in the girl department and Lily will be a loving addition.  
I wanted to post on my experience on the day she was born.  On Friday I usually mow the lawn to have it out of the way for the weekend.  I knew that Lily was going to be making her appearance sometime during the day and there was no way that I wanted to be dirty and smelly and not ready when the phone call came.  I had told Trent to call me when Jess reached 6cm to give me time to get to the hospital.  When Trent called me about 4:40 in the afternoon to tell me Jess was at a 6, Dad had just gotten home from work.  We had decided previously that Dad would take me to the hospital and wait for me in the waiting room while I was with Jess and Trent during the delivery.  Trent had invited myself and Jess' mom to come in for the delivery. I felt honored to have been asked because I know that this is a very special time for a husband and wife.  As Dad and I got in the car, Dad mentioned that he wanted to show me some houses near our home that had different finishes on them.  We have been trying to decide what we wanted on our home--siding/stucco, and what kind of windows. So we have been driving around the neighborhood lately trying to get ideas. As Dad was driving around the neighborhood my gut was in stitches.  I wanted to leave immediately for the hospital.  Dad said we had plenty of time before she delivered--but that didn't help with the way I was feeling.  I wanted to support Dad in being excited about looking, but yet I felt this urgency to be on our way. As we were driving down 16oo North on our way to the freeway, Trent called back, "she's to a 10". Dang!  Now I was really feeling anxious.  I didn't want to miss out on the experience of being there for Lily's birth.  Dad drove as fast as he could without breaking the law.  He knew that I was feeling fretful and anxious. He could see my nervous twitching.  I could hardly even talk to him.  I told Dad that I hoped that I would make it on time and  yet in my mind I was resigning myself to missing the event, and if it happened, it would be okay. 
We finally arrived at the hospital. Whew!   Dad parked and up we went to their room.  I walked in the room and the first person I saw was Pam, Jessica's mom.  Then I looked over to Jess and thankfully she was still pregnant! Yeah! Trent came over and wrapped his arms around me and said that they were waiting for the moms to get there.  Thank you, I thought.  Trent and Jess had a great midwife.  She was very laid back about the whole delivery thing, which made everyone feel at ease.  There was a comfortable feeling in the room, which made it very relaxing and nice. Soon the midwife said that it was time to start pushing, so Pam and I each took a leg  to help Jess with her pushing.  Trent was at the foot of the bed doing his coaching.  You could tell that he was very excited about becoming a father. Pam and I were holding our breaths with Jess each time she took a breath, it was quite funny.  Jess was so strong and brave during the whole experience.  It is hard to describe how I felt at that time.  First of all, I felt honored to have been asked to be present during the delivery, knowing that this is a special time for husbands and wives. Second, you never feel closer to God than when you are with a new born babe. It was fun to hear Trent say, "Jess, I can see her head."  I'm sure hearing him say that made Jess happy to know that it would soon be over. Giving birth is a wonderful feeling, but it's something that you are glad to be over and done with.  That was the way I always felt during all my deliveries. 
What a wonderful sight it was to see little Lily be born.  Tears came to my eyes, knowing that she just left her Father in Heaven and now she was with us--her family--her mother, her father, and both of her grandmothers. She was joining many aunts, and uncles, parents and grandparents, who were so excited to finally meet her. She will be a joy to her parents and loved ones. I thank Heavenly Father for my wonderful family. They are a joy to my life every day.  That's what it's all about--Family.  Thank you Jess and Trent for a  wonderful experience that I will always treasure. 

Monday, August 11, 2008

Ready-Set-Hike

It's that time of year again.  Football games.  It's also time for Mom's stomach to be in knots for the school year. Whether it's football or wrestling, the knots are there.  And it doesn't matter that I've been doing this for many years, starting with Troy at age 6.  You would think that it would get better.  Nope.  I love watching my kids in their activities of choice.  Taylor is my last child for me to watch, only 2 more years left.  Then I will move on to grandchildren. Taylor has been putting in the time to be ready for the games, he started conditioning in June, Monday through Thursday.  Last week he went to Unity camp in Idaho for a week.  Now this week he has 3-a-days.  Thank goodness he has his license. Last year I was running him to the high school all day.  His first game this year is on September 4th against Timpanogos High School.  He has his blue/gold scrimmage game this Saturday the 16th, this is where the team plays a few scrimmage games for the parents to watch.  His coach told him that he will be a starting player for the team, which made him feel good about all the hard work that he has put forth this summer.  He's a good player.  I'm excited to watch him.  I love football!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

We Love Being Grandparents

Being a grandparent is the best.  Dad and I have the cutest, smartest, most lovable, adorable, funniest, grandkids of all.  Hands down, no need to argue with us.  It's a given.  We are just getting a good start to our family of grandchildren.  Dad and I are so excited about the new arrival that will be coming to our brood of grandkids.  Our newest addition will be here in just a few short weeks.  Recently we had a baby shower for Jessica and Trent's little one.  I can hardly contain myself with the excitement of a new granddaughter.   And she will be right up there with the rest of them.  She will be darling (of course) and smart, adorable, funny, and very loving. I have many people tell me that Trent and Jess will be wonderful parents.  Of course, we all ready knew that.  We have had so many fun and enjoyable times together with our grandchildren and look forward to many more.   We just recently had a great visit with Maddie and Eric. Eric just finished his swim lessons and has no fear of the water.  He tried to show me how to swim in the bath tub. I was laughing just watching him. I got to play house with Maddie and Eric.  I was the mom of course.  Maddie was the teenage daughter (so she told me) and her name was Roxie, and Eric was Josh the little brother. Maddie wanted to play house very spare minute.  Oh what imaginations!  We watched Maddie  swim her heart out at the meet and we all cheered for her.  She worked so hard to get to the Jr. Olympics.  Troy and Jen also sacrificed to help her achieve her goals by taking her to her practices everyday. They deserve a  gold medal.  We visited Yosemite National Park and saw many beautiful sights.  The California fires dampened the view a bit, but it was still beautiful.  
We visited with Seth, Cade, Leah and Matthew in May and loved being there for Seth's birthday and ordination to the priesthood, and celebrating Matthew's birthday.  We loved the beauty of the mountains and surroundings on our tour of the canyon.   Seth and Cade are dare devils on the bikes, makes grandma nervous. Seth and Cade are good athletes.  Leah is a beautiful dancer.  Matthew is an athlete in training, he's on his way of being just like his brothers.  Heather and Ryan deserve a medal too, with all the running around they do with the kids. Four kids in four different places -whew!  We have had many sleep overs with Tyson, Preston, and Mason this summer.  Each of them had their own weekend with grandma and grandpa-- Shopping, picnics in the canyon, slip'n sliding, late nights with movies and popcorn, playing in the park, all kinds of fun. Tyson is a great reader and very smart, just ask him, he'll tell you. :) Preston can count to fifty, and he can, he told me, and oh, he's a cuddle bug.  He's excited about starting school soon.  Mason, he's the one that keeps everyone in line, and is very obedient.   We love being with our grandkids.  We are looking forward to more grandkids coming in the future.  I have Mocha as my surrogate grandchild from HayLee and Justin (until they are ready for a baby in their family).  It's okay, I love that dog, he'll always be a part of the family. :)
I wish that my own children could have experienced what our grandkids our experiencing with us.  They have grandparents that are great, and I wish they could have spent more time with them, to get to know them even better. Grandparents are important to a child's life and every child should have the opportunity to feel the love of a grandparent.  Heavenly Father knew that we needed families. Aren't we lucky!  We have great grandchildren.