My Kate

I thought I would post pictures of my daughter. Michelle shot these pictures of Kate this morning; it shows off her beautiful ladylike fingernails and how gorgeous she is, in all modesty. Who does everyone think she looks like? Michelle thinks we finally got our Cherrington baby; I am not sure yet. Any comments?

Finally

Katelyn Ruth Cherrington was born yesterday at 3:45PM here in Scottsdale. Michelle was induced around 10AM and had a perfect labor, besides me standing around looking like I hadn't already done this 3 times before. She is our smallest baby: 7 lbs, 2 oz. and 20 inches long and she couldn't be more perfect.

I am such a proud Daddy and husband. I will post pictures later today after I figure out where the camera is and decide on a hairstyle for Julia.

Kate is another in a long line of the Lord's tender mercies for me.

My Top Ten Women

For most of my life, I have been surrounded by women. It's not what you think; I am definitely a 'one woman man', but I have been so heavily influenced by wonderful women in my life. There was an article in the Ensign last month about the influence of good, righteous women and it has made me think about the wonderful women in my life. Here are my top ten:


10. Wonderful women in the wards where I have grown up and lived who I won't mention by name - I absolutely could not begin to name names of the wonderful women who have taught me as I have grown up. I would forget somebody, and they would be offended and I would feel bad. If it were not for these women, my testimony of the Gospel would not be where it is today. I am so grateful to the wonderful women of the Church.


9. My cousin Shannon - I think Shannon would be surprised to know that she is on this list. I haven't seen Shannon in a long time and have rarely talked to her over the last several years. Shannon, much like me, grew up with nothing but siblings of the opposite gender. I have four sisters, she had FIVE brothers. I have always felt close to her and can recall wonderful memories with her in several different times during my life. I remember the flood at Yosemite - I look back on that disaster of a trip and smile. (Shannon would probably not smile at that memory) Shannon lived with us for a time in Arizona and I remember those times fondly. I loved being in Utah with Shannon for a time and getting to spend time with her there. I have admired Shannon from afar and how she is raising a wonderful family in the Gospel. She has been an inspiration to me, even though she probably doesn't know it.

8. Michelle's Grandma Rowley - Grandma Rowley is such a wonderful woman. She has been so generous with her time and her love and her means. My family could never begin to repay her for all that she has done for us. She absolutely adores my children and makes them feel so special and loved. I love Grandma Rowley for how she loves me and my family and my children.

7. My Aunt Sheryl - I haven't seen my Aunt Sheryl in a long time. I sure miss her. She has had such a strong influence in my life. She always has the kindest words for me and makes me feel so good about myself. (She calls me Chaddy) I love my memories of going to Chatsworth and spending time with Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Rog and all of my cousins. I especially love my memories of going to Yosemite with her and her family. I look forward to when I can see my Aunt Sheryl again.

6. My sisters-in-law Nabby and Carrie - there are many things I admire about these two ladies. First of all, they are both beautiful inside and out. They both inspire me to take better care of my body (Nabby's brother owns a health company that has recently helped me to lose 20 pounds and Carrie and I occasionally take fitness classes together). They are both wonderful mothers and are doing their best to raise their children righteously in the Gospel. Carrie, Nabby and I share one common thing: we are the ones who married the Hazar kids. It takes a special breed to be a Hazar in-law. (Just joking - it actually is wonderful to be a part of this family) Finally, I consider Carrie and Nabby to not only be family who I love, but also my good friends; each of them in their own way makes me feel better about myself and makes me want to be better.

5. My Grandma Julia - Just thinking about this woman makes me laugh and smile. I loved her so much. I loved spending time with her. I had the unique privilege of being around her during the last years of her life and got to spend so much time with her. She always said the funniest things and made me feel so good about myself. The funnest times I had with her were during the last couple weeks of her life, laying in bed with her, watching videos, eating Creamies and laughing until my stomach hurt. My daughter is named after her and I think about my Grandma everyday when I call to her. (Apologies to my Grandma Ruth - who I will also name a daughter after. Grandma Ruth died when I was so very young that I don't remember her all that well. I do remember walking with her and eating Trident gum. I am sure she will have a powerful influence on me someday.)

4. Candace Hazar - what can I say about Candace? Unless you know her and have felt of her warm kindnesses, there isn't a good way to describe her. In my over 12 years of being a part of the Hazar family, I have never felt like an in-law; I have always felt like I belonged in this family. I attribute most of that to Candace. She is always willing to lend a helping hand with the kids and is so generous with her time and her love. She is a wonderful grandmother who loves her grandchildren unconditionally, even when their parents might not. She is absolutely devoted to her family, and more recently, I have been able to be a witness to her absolute devotion to the Gospel and in particular, her Church callings (not that she wasn't before, but recently I have gotten to witness this firsthand in my calling in the ward). I love her and am so grateful for her and her example to me and my family.

3. My Sisters - I was blessed with four sisters and zero brothers. Most of my childhood years, I was surrounded by girls. My Mom, my sisters, their friends - mostly women. As I grew up, I always thought I had been cursed; now I see the error of my ways. All four of my sisters are very intelligent, accomplished, spiritual women who are wonderful examples to me in many different ways. Some are funny (not as funny as me) others are serious. Some are wonderful athletes and physical specimens and inspire me to be fit. Each of them has a powerful testimony of the Gospel and magnifies her calling in the Church, wherever it is she serves. I don't tell them this often enough, but I have learned so many things from each one of them. Don't get me wrong, we rarely see eye-to-eye on everything and we frequently disagree on important things; but at the end of the day, I am proud of each of them and their wonderful families. I definitely would not be who I am today if I had brothers instead of sisters.

2. Mom - Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk a few years ago entitled "Tender Mercies" in which he stated that "the Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from the Lord, Jesus Christ." I believe that my Mother has always been and will continue to be the most significant "tender mercy" that the Lord has given me. Last night, as I spoke to her about tomorrow's impending baby birth, she assured me that she would do absolutely whatever we needed and be wherever we needed her to be. That is the way it has always been with Mom. Whatever I have needed, she has done. Wherever I have needed her to be, she has been there. I am so grateful to be her only son.

1. Michelle - I continue to be amazed at my wife. Hopefully, she knows how much I love her and appreciate all that she does for me and our family. As most people know, she is about to give birth to our 4th child tomorrow (she is being induced early tomorrow morning) and I continue to be amazed at how she handles everything that is thrown her way. She is the most amazing mother and the support and encouragement that I receive from her is unmatched. She is the best friend that I could ask for; she puts up with all my weaknesses and flaws and loves me unconditionally. I am not nearly the husband and father that I should be or hope to be someday, but if there is one thing that I appreciate the most about Michelle, it is that she makes me want to be a better person. I love her with all my heart and has influenced me more than any other person in the world.

Wonderful, powerful women in this world are plentiful, I believe far more plentiful than wonderful men. I don't think I could come up with a list of ten men like this so easily. Thank you to the wonderful women in my life and for wonderful women everywhere.

For the Last Time . . .

I am not blogging for the last time, even though my recent blogging history shows otherwise. Michelle and I have unequivocally decided that this new child will definitely be our last. And so, I have been thinking lately about things that I am doing for the last time:

I happen to think that my wife is stunning. I know, lucky me. But there is something about her when she is pregnant. I love the way she looks pregnant. I think her body was made to carry babies - she just looks soooo good. So, I will miss seeing Michelle pregnant. On the same token, this is the last time that I will get to hold my wife and put my hand on her belly and feel a baby inside kick or roll over or stretch, or whatever it is they do in there to make Michelle's belly move like a scene from Aliens. I will miss Michelle being pregnant.

I will never have to go through the agony of naming another child. I don't think there is another responsibility that on the surface seems so easy, but the ramifications of the final decision are so very very far-reaching. I mean, it's not like naming a dog or a hamster. I don't think the animals really care about what their names are. I am not quite sure they even know they have names. But babies inevitably grow up. And the one thing that they carry with them that they generally cannot change is their given name. What if they don't like it? What if the name rhymes with something embarrassing? What if the name "doesn't go with the other kids' names"? Have we been politically correct in using family names from both sides of the family? It's all a giant nightmare. Tyler, Julia, Justin and Kate. Sounds like a sitcom - I am OK with that.

After Michelle delivers this child, and unless I make a drastic career change, I will most likely never get to witness the actual birth of another child. The process is truly a miracle. I am so looking forward to seeing her face and cutting the cord and waiting for that angry first cry and all for the last time. I don't know of anything that I have ever witnessed that is more spectacular than the birth of a human being. I will miss seeing that.

Tonight we went to my Mother's home and my sisters were there and we gave away 4 giant garbage bags of boy clothes. My sisters all have small boys and hopefully they were able to benefit from these clothes. This is the last time I will ever have a little boy. Justin is my last little boy - kinda makes me sad. And Kate is my last little girl (wimper).

In a month or two, for the last time I will hold this little girl in my arms and surrounded by some of the most important men in her life, I will get to call on the heavens and give her a name and a blessing. I have blogged about baby blessings before. Blessing my children is a unique and fantastic privilege; it's one of my favorite things about being a father.

Finally, for the last time I will get to watch a child grow and be a witness to all of her firsts: first dirty diaper, first roll over, first sleeping through the night, first crawl, first steps, first words, first potty training, first day of school. All of her firsts will be my lasts.

Even though I am sure about Kate being our last child, I am not sure how I feel about doing all of these things for the last time . . .

Random Thoughts

It has been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog - I guess you could say I am struggling with blogger's block. I am not sure if that is actually a condition, but I am claiming it. This is what has been on my mind lately.

As all of you know, my 4th child is expected to be born in the next 28 days. We will name her Katelyn Ruth. Ruth, after my maternal grandmother who passed away long ago and whom I don't remember all that well, and Katelyn because I love the name Kate and Michelle wouldn't allow me to just name her Kate. Kate, as in Kate from Lost. I know, I am a loser.

Update on my weight: I told Michelle yesterday that I feel like I have plateaued. I am at a solid 210 pounds, down about 14 pounds from when I started, and my motivation was struggling until this week I watched the season premiere of The Biggest Loser. Wow. I am once again motivated. Nothing like watching morbidly obese people who can barely walk up a flight of stairs without literally dying to motivate you back into eating perfectly. 17.2% body fat - down about 5% from when I started. I feel great - except that I have to get 4 new pairs of suit pants altered.

The fall television schedule is upon us. I have decided that I will not be watching any new shows that air on NBC. There is not a more despicable channel on the planet. I will however continue to watch The Office, 30 Rock and The Biggest Loser. Some habits are hard to break.

My BYU Cougars are ranked 8th in the country with a home opener this afternoon against highly ranked Florida State. This could be their toughest test to date. After the opening week's unexpected win over Oklahoma and last week's trouncing of Tulane, Florida State will be ready for this game. If they get past this game, I see the BCS in their future.

Last weekend, my mother spoke in Stake Conference on what it is like to be a single adult member of the church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it there to listen to her but I did get a copy of the talk. It was most inspiring and I have since forwarded it to several of the single adult women in our ward. Each of them was completely inspired and grateful to have read it. I am proud of my Mom.

My Niece's Blessing

Today being the first Sunday in September, it was Fast and Testimony meeting in our ward. It is the Sunday that is customarily used for the blessing of newborn babies. As such, my new niece Mackenzie was blessed today in their ward by her father TJ. Unfortunately, I also had to conduct the Sacrament meeting in our ward today.

So, after our Sacrament Meeting today, so that I could be a part of Mackenzie's blessing, I jumped in my car and rushed to the Cave Creek building, which is about 40 minutes north of the Stake Center, where our ward meets. I had to hurry to get there so I wouldn't miss it and honestly, I wasn't looking forward to the drive. I walked in just before the meeting started and squeezed into the pew next to Michelle.

The Bishop called TJ and Mackenzie up to be blessed, along with all the other family members that had been invited to be in the circle. We went to the front, formed a circle around Mackenzie, and something very special happened. I am not sure if anybody else in the circle or congregation noticed, but I did and I am sure TJ noticed as well.

Mackenzie was a little fussy and began to cry softly. Having blessed three of my own children, I know the stress that this can cause. There is nothing more difficult than trying to feel the promptings of the Spirit when blessing your child, who you love more than anything and want to bless with everything that is appropriate and good, and she is crying. This happened to me in at least one of my child's blessings. As TJ laid Mackenzie into our hands and we began to rythmically bounce her (because that's all we know how to do), she spit out her pacifier and began to cry again, a little louder and I knew that this would be distracting to TJ.

Instead of putting my hand under the baby, I took her pacifier and put it in her mouth and held it there as softly as I could and kind of cradled her head to try and calm her down. She continued to wimper a little bit and it wasn't until TJ actually started the blessing and she could hear his voice that she calmed down and stopped crying.

Because I was holding her head and her pacifier, I actually kept my eyes open most of the blessing. I know it's not the reverent thing to do, but I didn't want to choke her with the pacifier or accidentally poke her in the eye or something. It was the coolest experience to watch Mackenzie, whose eyes were open and were fixed on TJ the entire blessing, and I knew that she knew who was speaking to her. She didn't make a sound for the entire blessing and TJ was able to concentrate calmly and listen to the promptings of the Spirit and give a beautiful blessing.

After the blessing, as is customary in the LDS Church, I took the pacifier from Mackenzie so that TJ could hold her up and show her to the ward much like Mufasa did with Simba in the Lion King. I handed TJ the pacifier, he gently kissed Mackenzie on the forehead and I made the 40 minute drive back to our ward to attend to my responsibilities. I am thankful not only for the priesthood that allows fathers like myself and TJ the blessing of being able to bless our children, but also for a Heavenly Father who loves me enough to allow me to have spiritual experiences when I least expect them.

Are the Cards Who We Thought They Were?

A couple of years ago, when Dennis Green was still the coach of the Cardinals, he had one of the greatest postgame rants ever recorded on video. His lowly Cardinals had just absolutely broken the hearts of Cards fans everywhere on a Monday night home game against the Chicago Bears by basically handing them the game after having it won. They truly stole defeat from the jaws of victory. It was pathetic.

After the game, Denny Green let loose with his now famous tirade about the Chicago Bears, "The Bears are who we thought they were!!!" He said it like 10 times; it was an instant classic. He was also out of a job at the end of the season because the Cardinals that year were exactly who we thought they were: a very bad team.

After last year's unexpected and glorious run to the Super Bowl, I have very high hopes for the Cards this year. They should have one of the more potent offenses in recent NFL history. They have who I consider to be one of the brightest coaches in the NFL right now. They also have a new running back in Beanie Wells, who if he stays healthy, has no limits. Their defense pretty much is the same as last year; logically speaking, this means they should be better because they are a year older and have all that playoff experience under their belts.

Having said all that, the Cardinals have looked lethargic at best during the preseason. Their first string offense has been horrible, although Matt Leinart has looked fantastic on the 2nd team and their running game is much improved. Their defense has been absolutely abysmal; they can't stop anyone. Needless to say, I am a little worried about this team. It seems to me that they believe they can just flip the switch when they need to and be that same great team from last year, and I am afraid that no such switch exists.

The one bright hope that I have in this team is their coach, Ken Whisenhunt. I believe him to be much smarter and far more dedicated a coach than Dennis Green or any of his predecessors. I think he has a way of motivating this team, although they have seemed very unmotivated the last 4 weeks.

My question to the reading audience is: Are the Cardinals going to be who we think they can be? Or will they revert back to the Cardinals of old: a huge, fat disappointment? I sure hope they can start playing like the Cards of last year, because I believe that deep down, Phoenix is a football city waiting to erupt.

Update on my weight: 215.4 pounds, 19.4% body fat, 36 inch waist (I started at 38). I am feeling pretty good.