Monthly Archive

After months and months of discussion, planning, preparing, meeting and stressing, the Stonewood stake youth pioneer trek at Martin’s Cove, Wyoming finally got underway yesterday (Tuesday) morning at 5:00AM. Being the YW president in our ward BriAnne has been right in the middle of this righteous enterprise and is happy/relieved that it is finally here. Hopefully she’ll grace us with a fantastic post here when she gets back so that we can all share in the exciting adventure.  What this all means to the rest of the Wadley Fam is that Dad (hey, that’s me!) is running the show “lone wolf” for a few days. Overall, things have gone smoothly. Actually, they’ve gone really well compared to when BriAnne went to Cancun for a week with her parents and brother – Katelyn, Ethan and I were each sick during that time. This time around we’re all healthy and if Ethan’s constant hip swinging, behind shaking, arm flailing rug-cutting around the living room is any indication of happiness, well, we’re that too although we do greatly miss mommy when she’s away. Shalei was a saint and took the kids yesterday so I could go to work. I worked from home today which was actually quite relaxing and more productive than I was hoping it would be, and the kids will hang out with my parents tomorrow while I go to work.  I know, I know – It’s sad that I’ll be working on Pioneer day but we are a national company and very few of our clients are even in Utah.  I remember last year (forgetting it’s a Utah thing) wishing one of my clients in Chicago a happy Pioneer day and he responded “what the h#$% is that and how the h#$% can we get one?”.  Then, at some point tomorrow evening BriAnne will return and we’ll be reunited once again!

By the way, I have no idea who those kids are in the image above. Let’s just call them “gothic pioneers.” C.H. might appreciate it…

We thoroughly enjoyed our 4th of July weekend and hope you did too! Yes I know, it’s now the 12th of July – just bear with me on this. We spent the actual day of the 4th with the Wadley family but forgot to take our camera along We had a fun breakfast in the backyard with those from around here that could make it, and Glenn and Tracie were in town with some of their kids so they joined us as well. Dave and Alissa borrowed her parent’s huge inflatable water slide and oh boy did the kids love that.  Katelyn just couldn’t hold it in she was so excited and had a ton of fun sliding down and then running around the back to climb up and slide again and again just as fast as she could.  We lounged around a bit in the afternoon and then had a bbq and watched the Pleasant Grove City fireworks show when it was dark. See Joe and Missy’s blog here for actual footage of the show which was really cool (for once!). It was at the Jr. High this year instead of the high school so we had a great view from my mom and dad’s front lawn. We spent Saturday with the McArthur’s and that was a lot of fun as well. When the boys get together the testosterone level goes through the stratosphere and we just have to get out and blow stuff up in the west desert. As usual that was a blast (yes, pun intended). We also did some archery as well. We then went swimming in Maxine’s indoor pool and that too was a real splash (watch out, I’m on a roll). At night we put on our own fireworks show which was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved. Here are a few pics of the natation and armament utilization endeavors.

I threw the fumanchu pic in because I got in trouble with BriAnne for comparing Ethan to Bull Hurley in my last post. Sorry honey, I shouldn’t have made a comparison I wouldn’t be willing to make of myself! Now, combine my chu with Ethan’s cueballness and we’ve got something going for ourselves!

On the near scalping of little Ethan from his Dad’s perspective (see original post below this one).  It turns out after a couple of days we are starting to recognize the little tyke again, sorta like getting our own kid back from an extended stay at this place.  There is just something about being alopecic, when he doesn’t have to be, that seemingly gives him a good excuse to carry a little chip on his shoulder.  It does seem to be wearing off though, as he seems a lot nicer/happier/friendlier lately, but you might want to get checked out of you don’t see a similarity between these two images (minus the awesomely massive fumanchu of course):

One enjoys breaking arms and driving trucks, the other enjoys breaking anything he can find around the house that’s of any importance (and throwing his break-fast all over the floor).  You decide who does what.

Of course, the bad moods may have something to do with the fact that Ethan is cutting another couple of teeth….naahhh.

 That was the question!  For quite some time now Ethan has had little curly hairs popping out at the sides of his head just above his ears… yes quite similar to a clown hair-do.  So I’ve been aching to cut it, and Jon has been reveling in Ethan’s curls pleading with me to leave them be.  But alas, I won.  Two nights ago I could take no more of the silly “old man” look, and gave Jon no more say in the matter.  He tried to tell me not to bic it and just to cut it if I had to do something, but by that point I was past hearing.  I had in mind what I wanted, and I was determined to do it…

  About half way through I was suddenly siezed with a kind of terror – in the realization that I had made a huge mistake.  I had turned my sweet, loving, handsome little baby boy into a skin-head, a sickly child, and a bully.  Several things flashed through my head at once - the memory of his sweet smiling face surrounded by soft curly locks of baby hair in contrast to this screaming half bald child in front of me, a Wadley family party coming up on the fourth where we are to take family pictures, and a McArthur family party on Saturday where I’m sure many pictures will be taken.  I had transformed my handsome baby boy into a scary dude, and I couldn’t even keep him in hiding until his hair grew back, I would be forced to get him out in the open right away.  Yikes, what a mistake.  It’s been two days since the tramatic haircut, and I feel as though I am watching someone else’s child – waiting for his parents to come pick him up and bring my baby back. 

He was already entering a new phase of life – already hitting Katelyn in self defense, or just for fun.  Already pinching me whenever he felt like it, and already getting a kick out of “play-wrestling” with Daddy and throwing tantrums on the floor when Daddy won.  But now that he is a baldy – those qualities suddenly seem to fit him, seem to be more who he is – instead of a phase he’s going to pass through quickly. 

Does this sound horrible for a loving mother to say these terrible things about her child?  Well, most of it is dramatized a bit.  But the shock of it is very much accurate – I am definitely still getting over the shock, and I miss those little curls.  Jon was right, yet again.  I do, however, realize that time helps these things.  I feel quite similar to how I felt after getting my own hair cut quite short – it took me at least a week until I felt okay about it, and two weeks before I actually liked it – so I’m sure I’ll feel okay about his bare head next week, and hopefully I might even like it in two weeks, especially if it grows enough that it’s soft to pet- then I’ll like it much better I’m sure!  (So then he won’t be a scary dude anymore, just a new pet!) 

I’d love to hear feedback telling me that he still looks to you like the same Ethan he ever was… but don’t lie just for my sake, I can take the truth!