Another Beautifull Granddaughter

Another granddaughter!!! This is Douglas and Christina and their family as they celebrate the first visit of their new sister, Isabelle Michelle Wirthlin.

This baby was induced because she was over due. I sure it is more complicated but this scene is one of checking in, getting an IV started, a good anesthetist puts in a spinal epidural catheter, turn on the analgesic drip, turn on the pitocin drip and everyone get comfortable.. especially the father who can now snooze a little and does not have to hear the sounds of discomfort. Momma turns on her side and reads a book and wonders if anything is happening and then after a while, the miracle of a new little soul.

I told Al's kids once that little children come down from Heaven like coming down a bubble gum chute. I have to be careful what I tell the kids because in the Family Night prayer one of the boys asked that the baby not get damaged coming down the "chute". And the other mentioned he wanted to go on a mission to the "Bubble Gum Chute".

However they come, it is a miracle and a wonder each time. To bring new life is especially divine and one feels such an attachment to a grand plan and it is so right. Sometimes these little new grandkids just stare at me or spontaneously reach out as if to say, "Don't we know each other?" Kinda melts a granddad's heart. So we congratulate Doug and Kristina and their rambunctious kids.

Alles Gute... Dad

THIS YEARS CROP

We lined up all the new Grandkids yesterday. These are the ones from this year so far. Little Leo is up in Spokane and threfore missing. But as I write, Kristina and Douglas are having a little girl. Our cup runneth over!

Mega Events

1. BABY BLESSINGS

We had another baby blessing extravaganza in Sacrament meeting today. Mary and Mark came back from Michigan, Suz and Scott from Arizona and Rebecca and Paul from Highland to have their babies blessed. We filled up the church again with all the families involved, the chapel was packed. Everyone did a good job but I had forgotten that Becca and Paul named their little boy Austin Le Roy and I was touched. Fathers did a great job with the blessings. Cathy, Al, Mary and Becca hung out in the "Mother's Room" during church for a group nursing event.. they forgot to text Suz that they were all there. The High Councilman got shorter time to speak but it was ok and they love those group blessing in our ward.

We had a huge party over to the house right after church. It was more of a luncheon. We did the preparations yesterday so there was not a lot of work. Mom set up the living room and dining room with an unending supply of chairs and tables. I believe we had about a 100 over with friends and family or the Hatches, Paylors and Williams and then of course there was our crowd. There were little kids all over the place.

I smoked 6 slabs of ribs yesterday and it barely reached. Some of the kids were sneaking in the kitchen and loading up on ribs, bypassing the lineup. There was a honey baked ham, chicken salad croissant sandwiches, salads galore and it sort of reminded me of a a ward luncheon. We had our neighbors over from across the street and she got a kick out of the goings on. there was joy all around. We are definitely in the "Having joy and rejoicing in our posterity" phase.

(Wiped out little Grandkids after lunch)

#2 TV APPEARANCE:

The Joseph Smith Papers group videotaped an interview with me last year concerning the surgery that Joseph Smith had as a child. While we were back East, it was shown on Channel 17, the Larry Miller Jazz station. Larry Miller contributed a lot of money to the Joseph Smith Papers project and they show the series each Sunday at 7:30 PM.

When I went back to the temple, everyone came up and said it was good. I listened the next week as they play a new taping and the previous weeks presentation. It was pretty good and they did a nice job talking about Nathan Smith as a doctor. One of these days it will be general knowledge in the church. When I did the research, I thought Nathan Smith (founder of Dartmouth Medical school) would be remembered by a few thousand Dartmouth graduates but will be remembered and revered by millions of Latter day- Saints as the Doctor who saved Joeseph Smith's leg and his life. It is the first great story we have about Joseph Smith.

Funny reactions when you see yourself on TV. I thought ,"Man I need a makeover". Little Mary Anna had the best reaction. I had to explain Typhoid fever and what it does to you and when she heard it, she broke out laughing, "Opa said diarrhea on TV!!!" She now mentions it in her prayers; "Bless Opa not to say diarrhea on TV". Can't win. It was a hit and then there was an article in the Deseret News that was pretty long so now we have more invitations to speak about this in firesides.

http://mormontimes.com/DB_index.php?id=1510

It was really busy around here today. I am feeling better

Alles Gute, Dad

What a summer!

We have been back from our two week hiatus and have been busy. It was great to be in the Temple again and I do enjoy helping out in the missionary department.

We have another blessing extravaganza coming up. Next Sunday we will have three baby blessings in Sacrament meeting. Mary, Suzanne and Becca will have their babies blessed. Bishop Huntsman is very accommodating to our family as it is a bit unusual. Show up at about 10:30 AM and we usually occupy the entire right side of the chapel. Jeff and Tammy had their baby blessed in Bloomfield Hills with both Grandfathers present.

There will be the family get together at our house after the meeting and I will get the smoker going. This will be another summer family mega event.

But there have been many events. Cathy had a party in Bountiful where all the recent mothers went. They all had a great time. Lactation is the big subject around here and it is odd that I still find it a bit uneasy to hear about "Hooter Hiders" pumps etc. But it is great to see everyone expanding their families.

I received a letter from one of our sister missionaries, whose quote all you recent mothers would appreciate as she announced her pregnancy.

"I really am excited to be pregnant and I really do love it - I just didn't know so many weird things happen to your body while you're pregnant! I thought the baby took over after they were born, but I think they take over before - I eat when the baby wants me to, sleep when he wants me to, throw-up when he wants me to! But it's amazing how much you love them before they are even born and how much you worry about them. It's a really special feeling to be pregnant and have someone with you. I wouldn't trade it for anything - not even being 100% healthy again =)"

So we honor all the mothers and what they go through to multiply and replenish the earth.

This has been a great summer and still going on. We plan to go to Bear lake in August and then back to Michigan for the Michigan, Utah football game.

Two Week Vacation

We had a two week break. When you work in the Salt Lake Temple, they like you to take your vacation when the temple is closed which is the first two weeks in July and January. So we went to Bear Lake and Michigan.


These were pretty intense vacations where there is work and play. The Bear Lake time was great and various people showed up for the Fourth of July celebration. At one time or another, Roy, Hannah and Aaron were there. Doug and Douglas, Bryan and Scottie, Rob and his family and then Jeff, Julius and Zander were all there for Blitz visits. Roy flew with Bryan and Scottie after the guys finished their backpacking and fishing trip to the Wind river area of Wyoming. Roy dove down and buzzed the house in St. Charls and flew between the Cotton wood trees. Next time he does that, I will nail him with a paint ball. This is Bear Lake about to be buzzed from Roy's plane.


We got the boat out and the two ATV's, checked out Rob on the boat and they went to Bear Lake. It was gorgeous weather, not too hot and cool at night. Doug arrived with the rest of the group and we celebrated with a great barbecue. Roy and his gang flew out the morning of the 4th. Jeff and his kids, Rob and Eva and Anna and Julia took in the 4th of July breakfast in Paris and that is a great tradition. More lake time, Doug and I took the ATV's and rode through the hills west of our place and it is beautiful there. We went on a bike ride in Garden City and then had shakes at a place run by one of my missionaries, Tanner Hunsaker. He is married now and thinking of going into medicine.



We went to church on Sunday in St Charles. they usually have 1000 in each two separate sacrament meetings. The members are so cool up there. Rob and Eva left Sunday morning and we went back to Salt Lake. It was great to see Rob, Eva and their kids. They had a blast and went just nuts when Jeff showed up with his boys.


The place looks great and is so green this year. We have new garage doors that Doug organized and that is an improvement,



Michigan

I worked in the missionary department Monday afternoon and on Tuesday we flew into Detroit. We stayed with Mary and Mark, little David and our new grand daughter, Kathrine Elizabeth. What a little cutie! We all went to Leo's on Maple and telegraph and Bry, Kristina and a bunch of their kids showed up. this was a trip down Memory Lane. We went to Barnes and Noble.


The next day we went to the farm. Bryan is doing a great job with the farm. I got on the tractor and hoisted some old machines into a dumpster. Then I started on the 20 acre hay field. It needs to be cut to keep the weeds and trash growth from taking over and after shearing many bolts, fixing the clutch, I was able to whack the entire field down and it looks like a golf course.



Mom and I also started to go through a few residual boxes in the barn. That was tough and I do not know if I can do it again. There was such a flood of memories that it was totally gripping and I had to go and whack some more brush.


But in a random box in my part of the loft I found a box of old dolls. When we brought them to Mary she squealed with delight. We had found her cabbage patch twin dolls that were so popular in the 80's. They had on Bina's tiny disposable diapers. Then we found Al's German doll and she went nuts. Mom washed the doll clothes and we brought them home. There is so much of these things out there.



Bry's bees are doing well. The beekeepers seem to get younger each year. That is little David and Scottie all suited up. Bry is brave with only the bonnet.


We threw away or burned patient charts, financial records. I found a log of my surgeries since I went into practice and I almost threw them out but could not. It was gripping to look through those logs and remember in detail what those patients went through.


Bry took the kids for a ride around the farm and it seems like everything has shifted one more generation down.


My favorite part was getting in the Green Machine with Mary and riding around like we used to and it was a great trip down memory lane again.











Kristina through a baby shower for Mary in her home and it was a gorgeous event, Karen Koenig was there along with many old ward friends. We were out there on Saturday and Jeff and his family shows up. they drove all the way from Spokane and we saw little Leo, the newest grandson. The next day Tammy's Father came over to Bloomfield Hills ward and Jeff blessed little Leo Richard Wirthlin in Church. Jeff did a nice job.


Well we are back on the job. It is hard to turn time back but we are grateful for all the great experience we have had as a family.