These Fish Are A Hit

Both Marshall and Bridget love, love, love the fish that circle above the swing. If you want to take a look back, here is a video of Marshall adoring his fish.

But, now it is Bridget's turn to be entertained by these four little circling fishes. She loves the fish, and I love her smiles!

Two Months

Bridget had her two month check-up today. She is a healthy little girl. Her tongue has healed nicely and her hips, which originally were a little too flexible, have tightened up so no need to visit a specialist-whew!

Anyway, here are the stats of this adorable little girl...

Height: 23 1/2 inches (90%)
Weight: 11 lbs. 2.5 oz (50%)
Head: 40 3/4 cm. (98%)

Again, those big Toney heads keep pullin' through! And, just for comparison sake, at this same age Marshall was 1/4 of an inch shorter, but a whole pound bigger.

Now on to pictures of "Baby B" as she is affectionately called by Richard and Marshall. :)






Those darn headbands; the things we do for beauty. :) But, do not worry, she was not being strangled!





We love you Bridget! So happy you are here!

Richard's Opinion Piece in the November 11, 2003 Daily Universe

Your Logic Failed

Hey “Part-Time” Professor Foster, your views on killing animals are valid, but don’t plants have spirits as well?

All of God’s creations have a purpose here on Earth and have spirits. Moses 3:5 backs this by saying, “every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every growing herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.”

If killing animals to eat them is bad because they have spirits, then we shouldn’t kill plants because they also have spirits.

I cry every time I see a piece of broccoli being eaten. They are the possessors of defenseless souls that are trapped in unmoving bodies. At least the deer can see the hunter coming and
run away, especially with the heathen hunters’ bright orange outfits.

The solution to all of our problems dealing with eating organisms with spirits is to invest money into the research of artificial foods so that nothing we eat will come from a spiritinhabited being.

RICHARD L. LEAKE
Maeser (Vernal),Uintah County

http://lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/TxtOnly/betsie.pl/0005/newnewsnet.byu.edu/pdf/du20031111.pdf

Tied Tongues

I am about two months late in writing this, but because this blog is about the only form of a journal any of us have, I must write it down.

Anyway, tied tongues run in my dad's side of the family. I was born with a tied tongue and during that time doctors were against clipping them. I was able to talk and eat just fine and it wasn't a problem. However, when I was in 9th grade my dentist noticed that my tied tongue was pulling on my gums and it needed to be clipped. Needless to say I was terrified for this procedure and I still remember it vividly-it was SO painful! They gave me laughing gas and numbed my mouth and I held it together for the entire procedure, but as soon as my mom got me out to the car I burst into tears and cried all the way home. It really was the most pain I've ever been in and I still believe that, even after having two children. :) A few days after the procedure I had to go back to the dentist so they could remove the stitches, again, more pain. My skin had grown around the stitches and there was a lot of tugging, pulling, and pain to accompany all of that. This whole ordeal was an awful experience; I'm just glad I'm alive to tell about it. :)

Well, Marshall was also born with a tied tongue. We noticed it right off the bat and so did the nurses in the hospital. They said it was common practice now to clip them, but it was obviously up to us and our pediatrician. Well, when Marshall was just two days old and while we were still in the hospital he had a screaming fit and untied his own tongue; a strong little guy! Once I finally got him calmed down I noticed that blood was coming out of his mouth. I called the nurse, she came in and cleaned him up, and we discovered that his tongue was free and no longer tied. She said it looked like a clean cut and that he would be fine. When I took him to see the pediatrician when he was just a few days old he agreed that his tongue looked fantastic and he tore it right where he would have clipped it.

Well, this gene for tied tongues must be a strong one because little Bridget also had a tied tongue when she was born. When she had her five day check-up with the pediatrician it was the first thing he noticed. He asked if she was nursing well and I said she was and that her tongue didn't seem to be causing her any problems. So, he gave me two options. One, clip her tongue now or wait a couple of years to see how she was talking and if her speech was impaired we would clip it. He assured me that the procedure is quick and simple if done as a newborn. He told me had had never clipped too much, there is little blood, and babies can nurse right after. But, the longer you wait and the older the child, the more involved and obviously traumatic it all is. I told the doctor about my awful ordeal as a fourteen year old and opted to have Bridget's tongue clipped that day. He agreed that would be best and left the exam room to get a nurse and the tools. I called Richard to tell him what we were going to do and told him I would try to keep myself from falling apart. The doctor and nurse came back in and I handed Bridget to them. I sat in the corner and didn't watch and tried not to listen to her cries. Despite her tears, it really was a fast procedure. They were done in three minutes, she just bled a tiny bit, and nursed immediately after. She was a champ and I am glad we got this taken care of when she was only five days old and will have no memory of it, unlike her mother. :)

And, on an interesting side note, we got the statement for this procedure a few days later...$277!!! One doctor, one nurse, three minutes, two instruments, two squares of gauze=$277, unbelievable! Thank goodness for insurance!

Easter Photo Shoot

On Easter I was determined to get pictures of Marshall holding Bridget. By this time Bridget was six weeks old and Marshall had not yet held her; he always refused our offers. Well, I talked it up all day long and eventually had to bribe him with two pieces of Easter candy and here are the results...

Non-plused

Concerned


Annoyed


No hands!


Happy Marshall
Sad Bridget


Squinty eyes, big eyes


Just right


And in case you are wondering, Marshall hasn't held her since. :)

Six Years

Our engagement picture. Ah, we were so young.

Today is our six year wedding anniversary, holy smokes, where has the time gone?! I sure love Richard, he is a perfect match for me. He is a hard worker, patient, makes me laugh every day, and he knows me so well. In the last eight weeks since Bridget was born his time at home has consisted of making meals, washing dishes, bathing Marshall, changing diapers, grocery shopping, and getting up with Marshall at night. What a guy, he's a real winner, that's for sure. I am grateful for him and I love him.

And now here's a fun look back at some details of the last six years...

Two BYU graduations

Two states

Five apartments

Eight jobs

Five cars

Three laptops

Four years of medical school and all the debt to go with it

Two adorable children

Happy anniversary to us and here's to another fantastic year!

Hope this doesn't happen to Elder Toney

Dear Elder Leake,

Beating around the bush has never been my specialty, but I can't believe how hard this letter has been for me to write. I've never had to or even thought of writing a letter like this before and I have no idea how to properly go about writing it or what I should say, but this comes from my heart.

The last letter I wrote to you, I told you a little bit about a guy I was dating. Well, its turned into a little bit more than that now. There is no formal engagement announcement yet, but you need to know that I love him and marriage is in the plans. His name is (name omitted), he's a great guy, and I'm happy. It's been a hard decision that I've prayed so much over, but I know I need to let you know it's over.

You have played such an amazing role in my life and have made the last 2 ½ years of my life so great. I love your ability to make me laugh and the deep desires in your heart to be righteous. You always seem to be able to find the humor in every situation (even if its a little dry humor at times!!) You will reap eternal blessings from the decision you made to serve a mission and the happiness you have found the last couple of months will stay with you throughout your life. Heavenly Father has a unique plan for you and that doesn't include me anymore. I know that, but I feel so honored and blessed to have been a part of your life the last few years. You have the potential to go far in life you've been blessed with so many talents and abilities.

Thanks for sharing part of your life with me. Good luck in all you do. I sincerely wish you the best.

Love,
(REDACTED)

***Note from Jenny: Oh my goodness, I come home from work and I see that besides Richard taking care of our two children he has managed to type up his entire "Dear John" letter. I have no idea what possessed him to do this, but know this...he laminated this letter ten years ago.