Last, But Certainly Not Least...

The youngest of our kids is Jarom.  As I have talked about some aspect of each of my kids' birth's, it is only proper that I tell you something about Jarom's birthday.  About a month before Lisa was due, I went to one of her appointments with her doctor.  At some point in the meeting, Dr. Davis turned to me and told me he thought I should deliver the baby since I was so experienced having seen the birth of our four other children.  I wasn't so sure about this but agreed after one or two seconds of deliberation. He assured me he would be right there to help and coach me.  The day arrived and I was gowned and gloved.  It went very fast it seems.  Before I knew it, Jarom had been born.  He was perfect in every way and a beautiful baby.

Jarom being the youngest has always seemingly been a plague to him.  He hates being called "the baby".  At some point there seemed to be a natural division that took place between the three oldest boys and Nicole and Jarom.  The nickname for the older three was "The Brothers" while the two youngest became "The Babies".  He hated this.  He always wanted to be part of the brothers and seemed to willingly do anything to be included with "The Brothers".  I don't think that he really ever had to do anything.  As he has grown the nicknames have gone away and his size and accomplishments have allowed him to be his own man.  No longer the baby or "The Babies" he has and is growing into his own person.  Jarom.

As he has grown, he has excelled at baseball, basketball and golf.  Gold is his true love and he is very talented and has excelled at the game.  He is a member of his high school golf team and first varsity lettered as a 9th grader.  He helped his team take third in state this year and played very, very well.  He is an excellent golfer.  His coaches love his swing and form, but most of all they simply love Jarom for who he is.

Jarom is a wonderful young man.  I have been proud to be his father.  As he is maturing and changing, he and I have bumped heads and had our share of difficult times.  Through it all, I have marvelled at his ability to endure.  In less than a year he will graduate from high school and is planning a mission.  I know he will succeed.  He always does.  He's a great guy and his future will be as great as his past which is terrific.

My Princess...

After having three boys we decided (hah...!) to have ourselves a little girl.  I actually remember when we found out Lisa was carrying a baby girl.  I couldn't wait to tell everyone!  She was going to be the first granddaughter on both sides and we were so excited for her arrival.  In anticipation Lisa and I had picked out her name years before when we were first married.  The name we felt good about and that we had chosen was Amanda.  After 9 excruciatingly long months, finally the day came that she was born and we were so happy and excited.  The first time I held her in my arms I recall looking at her precious little face and realized that this was not Amanda.  As Lisa and I talked about it we agreed and quickly came to the conclusion that Nicole had arrived at our home.  She was (is...) quite the gift...

 Nicole has always been a very loving and maternal sister, even to her older brothers.  When Jarom was born (13 1/2 months after she was born...) she wasn't quite talking yet.  Everybody in the family would call Jarom their sweet boy.  When Nicole started talking to where we could begin to understand her, she would call Jarom "Boy", thinking that was his name.  Eventually it turned into Boyo which most everybody in the family still calls him.

 
She is loyal and determined.  When she was turning 18 she decided that she wanted to buy her own car, with her own money and her own credit.  She worked diligently at it and the DAY she turned 18 she signed the paperwork for her first car.  She did it all on her own.  We were so proud of that accomplishment.  Her love for her family knows no bounds.  Her nieces and nephews love her almost as much as she loves them.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for her.  From the type of person she has grown up to be, I know that future is full of promise and love.

I am so grateful for her in my life.  The boys get upset that all she has to do to get my full attention or what she is asking for is to say "Daddy...".  I have to admit, it melts my heart everytime.  I am so proud of the woman she is and is becoming.  Sometimes I get sad that she seems to have grown up so fast, and other times I can't wait to see in what way she will progress and grow next.  A real two edged sword.  Either way she is my princess.  She is a princess and the world is her carriage...

Son Three, aka Trevor...

If you hadn't guessed, I am going to blog something about each of our family members in the order that they entered my life.  Today brings me to Trevor.  Much like his older brothers, there are so many memories and stories of him that it is hard to narrow it down to a thought or two to share.  In looking through the various pix of him I was reminded of a couple of things that are unique to him and how he has affected my life and the life of those around him.

When Trevor was a toddler we found out that he has asthma.  We would give him breathing treatments at home as often as needed but several times it flared up enough for him to have to admitted to the hospital for treatment.  We always worried about him.  I remember that he really didn't cry too much as an infant or when he was sick in the hospital.  He was a pretty calm child overall.  Definitely a favorite of the nurses in pediatrics.  As he grew, in addition to being very smart, he gravitated towards sports of all kinds and he was and is very athletic.  The tallest of our children, he excelled in baseball and basketball.  Girls seemed to gravitate towards him (he claims it is his fantastic good looks...) for no apparent reason.  Once after a comp baseball game, he and Tim were arguing about who the girls in the stands were really there to see. 

The back and forth between them went on and on until I had had enough.  I took them to lunch at a fast food place and lo and behold was cute gal working the register that neither of them knew so I thought she could help settle their argument.  I said, "Miss, would you settle a disagreement these two yahoo's are having please?"  She said sure.  I asked her "Which one of these guys is better looking?"  Without hesitating she pointed to Trevor (Tim's wife would strongly disagree....) and said, "He is and his lunch is free today..." 

Trevor, being the middle child has always been a pleaser.  I'm not sure if he really knows how pleased I am with the man he has become.  He is a tireless worker and obedient in all things. 

He is getting married to his sweetheart next May and will build his own life with her.  I will miss him.  I am so very proud and pleased of who he is and am truly grateful to be his dad and friend.

Red Headed Second Child...

I have spent some time today looking for some pix that I could use here of Tim.  Wow!  I think that every pic I have of him he is smiling or someway mugging it up for the camera!  If I have any memories of Tim when he was little it includes him laughing and generally yucking it up.

I do however remember very vividly the day he was born.  Because of the problems with JR when he was born, I wasn't sure what to expect with our second.  When he was out, he looked awfully red all over and me being inexperienced thought it was just a lot blood.  It wasn't.  He was red.  His skin was red.  His hair was bright red.  He was red.  And beautiful.  After the shock of all the redness, I started looking him over and noticed his toes looked kind of unusual.  Turns out his second and third toes on both feet were fused (webbed) together.  I quickly asked the doctor about it, causing a lot of unnecessary anxiety for Lisa, and he told me that Tim was fine and there was nothing to worry about.  When he was about three we decided to have his toes fixed.  Our thinking was that he had red hair, last name of Hogg and webbed toes.  That just seemed as if it was too much for the little guy to endure.  Little did we know how much fun he would've had with them.

A few years later, Tim was struck by JR riding his bike (another story, another post...) and his leg was badly broken.  Our good friend Dr. Dave Smalley was called in and set his leg.  During the casting while Tim was still pretty heavily sedated, and while Dave thought that Tim was still asleep he gently talked to Tim.  He asked him if we had a wheel barrow at home that his brother could push him around in.  Much to Dave and the nurses surprise, Tim slowly lifted his head up from the bed and answered him saying, "Am I dirt or what?"  Dave and the nurse got a huge kick out of his sense of humor and soon all the nurses at Riverside Community Hospital were coming to see the adorable red headed boy who asked if he was dirt.  Pure Tim.

His sense of humor never ceases to amaze me or to make me laugh.  If you don't smile when you're around him, then perhaps you simply don't know how to have fun. 

Like his older brother, Tim is grown now.  He is married and is a great husband.  I can't wait to see him with his own kids.  I kinda feel sorry for them cuz he will tease them and play tricks on them mercilessly.  He'll be a tremendous dad.  Though he is our second son, he has at many times been the leader amongst his brothers and sister as well as me and his mom.  Despite his humorous personality, I know he feels very deeply and has thoughts and understandings that I feel are beyond his age.  I have often felt that his spirit is older than mine.  He too, has had some trials that he has passed through.  He has borne them well and is the fine man he is today because of them.

Like his older brother, I am so blessed that he is my son and and grateful that he is my good friend.