My Black Uncle Leroy

I had mentioned around Martin Luther King's birthday that I was looking for my black uncle Leroy's picture. I finally found it. As a prelude to Black History Month, which starts tomorrow, here is a brief history of Uncle Leroy:

Leroy Gonzalo Kelley was a product of my Grandpa Kelley's first marriage. While stationed in Florida at Naval Air Station Pensacola he met Shalandra Mabute near the beginning of 1936. She worked with The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Marvin and some of his shipmates went to see the circus and he instantly fell in love with the cotton candy vendor. Shalandra felt the connection as well, and they were married later that year. Their family situation was unique because Shalandra continued to travel with the circus and Marvin remained in the Navy, which required him to do quite a bit of traveling as well. They would often go weeks at a time without seeing one another. Their love remained strong throughout the distance and Leroy was born on April 17, 1938.

Tragically, Shalandra would not get to see Leroy grow up. On May 22, 1940 the circus train derailed. She was buried in the cotton candy car and suffocated. Luckily, Leroy was back in Florida with his father at the time. By this time Marvin had advanced in the Navy to become a very high ranking officer. He was given permission to take Leroy along on some of their peace keeping missions. This was the case in 1949. Marvin was stationed in Denmark during that time. Leroy enjoyed seeing new places during their travels, but constantly having to make new friends caused him to develop a social anxiety disorder. They had been in Denmark for about 6 months when Leroy made an amazing discovery. Suffering from boredom, as most 11 year olds are wont to do, Leroy started melting his plastic army men. He began melting them into little bricks and constructing small buildings. He developed a technique in which he could make small pegs that would fit into the other bricks. A local toymaker observed what Leroy was doing and the LEGO was born. It is named LEGO after the first two letters of Leroy's first two names. LEGOs became an instant hit with the children, especially in the United States.

When Marvin's ship was to sail home, Leroy asked to stay and run his new business from Denmark. Leroy didn't think he would be able to deal with fame back in the states, and wanted to stay where he was still relatively unknown. It was a difficult decision for Marvin to leave his now 12 year old son behind, but he knew it was for the best. He had made many friends with the local people and Leroy had many places to stay. With the LEGO success money was never an issue for Leroy. Marvin kept in touch with his son through letters and postcards, and after turning 18 Leroy decided to move back to where he was born. It was difficult for him to adapt to his new life at first, but Leroy was able to blend in with society. By this time Marvin had remarried and started a new family. He tried to get Leroy to move in with them, but Leroy was an adult now and wanted to take care of himself. He did make frequent visits though and bonded with his step brother and sister. He even taught my father how to play basketball. Sadly, Leroy's social anxiety disorder has caused him to remain single. He currently resides in Solvang, California. He says it reminds him of his younger days. We don't see him very often, but every once in a while he will make a surprise visit. Such was the case in the photo.

I was returning home from Ecuador. I was happy to see my family at the airport waiting for me, and very surprised to see Uncle Leroy. Without thinking, I whipped out my camera and snapped a picture. You can tell from the picture that Leroy wasn't stoked about it. As a result of his social anxiety he has a rare phobia of having his picture taken. In fact, this is the only picture I have of him. I'll have to ask my father if he has any others, but I would be very surprised if he did. Uncle Leroy began hyperventilating right after the picture was taken, but he got over it. I haven't seen him for a couple of years now, but last I heard he was doing fine. I just hope he had a happy Martin Luther King Day and that he enjoys Black History Month. Hopefully everybody else does too.

Moving

I was checking the recent Major League Baseball transactions the other day (just like every American should). I noticed that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed outfielder Chad Hermansen to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training on January 8th. This was interesting to me, because I have actually met Chad in the past. Chad is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, just like me. A few years back he played a stint with the L.A. Dodgers (insert obligatory "Booooooo!" here). During that time we were in the same ward, which basically is a congregation that meets together based on geographic location. In our church it is common to help people move in and out of the ward. Thus was the case with Chad. He had been sent back down to the minor leagues and needed someone to help him move his things into the truck. So, my father-in-law and I went to help. For anyone who doesn't know, I am not only a huge San Diego Padre fan, but also a tremendous Dodger hater. That led to the following events:


Sam (my father-in-law) and I arrived at the condo the Hermansen's were moving out of. We said hello to Chad, his wife, and his mother-in-law. They all proceeded to thank us for helping them out. After a little more small talk someone asked, "Why didn't your teammates come help you move?" Before Chad could say anything I responded, "Are you kidding? The Dodgers can't even move a runner over from 1st to 2nd base. What makes you think they are capable of moving some furniture down to a moving truck?" Needless to say, Chad and I didn't develop a long-lasting friendship from our moving experience. However, due to the fact that the Dodgers were demoting him, I don't think he was much of a fan of them at the time either. Hopefully, he catches on with the Angels. He was a highly touted prospect in the 90's, and if he plays for the Angels I could actually support his team.

Mr. Sasquatch Has Gone Nationwide!

It appears that Mr. Sasquatch is sweeping the nation! I was checking where some of the hits on the website have been coming from and I discovered that Mr. Sasquatch 2008 was featured on the morning news in Kansas City. Click here to read the subsequent blog post from the Morning Anchorman of NBC Action News Today, Jeff Vaughn, about the competition.

Upon further research I also found a link from a popular USA Today blog called Pop Candy. You'll have to scroll down to the 1/22 post to see the link. It turns out that the contest was mentioned to Whitney Matheson by Nancy. She has a pretty interesting blog about living with a donkey, or something like that. The donkey blogs as well, so you can see his blog here.

What does all this hype about Mr. Sasquatch mean? It means that you need to get your entry email sent a.s.a.p. When it turns out that they name the Mr. Sasquatch competition the greatest event of 2008, you'll want to be able to brag that you were one of the first to enter. It is going to be legendary! Here is a picture of last year's winner to give you a taste of what you will be up against:

Free Money!

In an effort to increase spending in our economy, Congress announced today that they will be giving out free money. The money will arrive in the form of tax rebate checks. The hope is that with the free money, people will go out and blow it all immediately, thus giving the economic marketplace a little boost. Individuals could qualify for up to $600, couples could qualify for up to $1,200, and children are worth $300 each. There are some restrictions based on income, but you should always expect restrictions when dealing with the government. Checks could start being sent out as soon as May. Here are a couple of links to the AP articles online today:
Yahoo
MSN
Now I finally will have money to throw at a new Xbox 360, err.......I mean our savings account!
MSN also has an article with suggestions about what you could do with the money.

Since I am talking about finances, I figure I should remind you that it is quickly becoming tax time. If you haven't already, you should be receiving your W-2's and 1099's very soon. As a tax professional I would like to suggest that you take care of your taxes A.S.A.P. If you do have someone else do your taxes, the sooner they get your data the more time they can take to make sure nothing gets overlooked. Plus, your refund will arrive sooner, you won't have to deal with last-minute stress, your looks will improve and people will think that you are cooler(O.K. I may be exaggerating a tiny bit). I may post a few tax tips in the next few days, but if you do have any questions feel free to ask me. Now go start making a list of all the things you are going to buy me with your free money! You can put this necessary item at the top of your list.

More Pictures of Bodie

Flux Capacitor

In tribute to Martin Luther King Day I looked through some old pictures to try and find one of my black uncle Leroy. I wasn't successful in finding his picture, but have a general idea of where it might be. I will include it with a brief history about him in a future post. On a positive note, I was able to reminisce about the old days. Here is a slide show of some of the pictures. See if you can name the people in them(I realize there are repeats). You get bonus points for using nicknames and if you can name the location and event depicted.

Planning for an Early Demise

Last week there were two incidents that have me convinced my children are already trying to accelerate my aging process. First, I had to have a discussion with Skyler and explain to her why she couldn't have a boyfriend for another 10 years. She's only 6 years old! Luckily she accepted the explanation, but she could tell that I wasn't stoked about the idea she wanted a boyfriend. Similar to her mother, she derives enjoyment from my displeasure, so I doubt this will be the last I hear of her wanting a boyfriend.
And then a few days later I took Madison to Disneyland and we took a ride on Autopia. This seems like a preview of what I get to look forward to when I instruct her on how to drive in 14 years. (Maybe they will increase the age limit for driving.)



In all honesty, she didn't do too badly. Skyler and Jackson are usually all over the road, but Cooper seems to keep us fairly stable for most of the ride.

Read the Instructions First

There are certain items that I recall being advertised quite frequently during my youth. The ad campaigns must have been really effective, because to this day I am convinced that some really lame products are actually cool. For example, as a youngster I remember being pretty impressed by the Easy Bake Oven (insert mandatory "I like girls" statement here). I think it had a lot to do with what was made with the Easy Bake Oven, because all kids want something that produces a sugary treat. We all know that ovens are for girls, so I never asked for one growing up. But once Skyler was born, I knew she would be the proud owner of her own Easy Bake Oven. Sara wasn't sold on the idea(probably because she had one when she was a delicate flower), so we didn't get her one. However, my parents must have known my desires and bought one for her a couple years back. I was very excited to get it out and help Skyler to bake a treat for daddy. We opened the box, emptied out the contents and I began reading the instructions. The first thing that struck me as odd was the need for a light bulb. Why would you need a light bulb? Maybe to be able to lite up the oven and see the treats inside? To my dismay, I figured out that the light bulb did the baking. A light bulb! I don't remember a light bulb being mentioned in the commercials! I just remember a batter filled pan going in one side of the oven and baked deliciousness instantly coming out of the other side! For those of you who are not expert light bulb bakers, it takes a very, very, very, very, very, very long time to bake a cookie the size of my nipples(which are abnormally small, by the way). I now dread hearing the words, "Dad, can we use my Easy Bake Oven?" I know that it will require at least an hour of my time, and the result won't even be large enough to share.

Flash forward to this Christmas. I opened my present from Skyler and was stoked to find a Chia Head. It was another thing that looked really good on T.V. when I was younger. I was happy to find that Skyler has grown accustomed to my weirdness, because she got me it without me even mentioning it. After the fact, I did recall her singing the Chia song around the house at times. So, a few days after Christmas we opened it up, followed the instructions and this is the result:
It doesn't look nearly as great as it did on T.V. At least I now know where Phil Spector gets his hairdo ideas from. I don't know what I am going to do with this. Maybe I can just hide it in the garden? These are only two examples, but I have had similar experiences with The Clapper. I can only imagine what my disappointment is going to be like when I finally get my Sea Monkeys.
Have you ever had a similar experience?

Along that same line, Sara and Skyler came to the decision that Skyler would grow her hair out to donate to Locks of Love. I was very impressed that Skyler would support a great cause at such a young age. I thought I would be supportive of Skyler and grow my hair out too. It has been growing for a while and has gotten past my collar. Sara has been telling me to get a hair cut, so I decided to finally research how long your hair has to be in order to donate it. It turns out that it has to be 10 inches below the collar! That is going to take me a very long time. So, I am struggling to figure out what I am going to do. Skyler's hair seems much closer to being long enough to donate. When I last measured, she was over half way there. Here is a picture I took of it tonight.

The Countdown Has Begun

Start your training now. The highly anticipated Mr. Sasquatch 2008 facial hair competition is exactly one month away. Last year was by far the best competition since its origination. Click on this paragraph to be transported to the official website. While there, you can see all the details of the competition. Everyone is encouraged to participate. The Sasquatch Commission always welcomes any sponsors. They also encourage everyone to participate in growing greatness on their face. If you chose not to have fantastic facial fuzz, you can contribute by voting and submitting suggestions to enhance the competition.

Bodie is continuing to grow. Here is a picture of him with his eyes open. This seems to be a rare occurrence, because he spends the majority of his time sleeping. This works out pretty good, except for the fact that his little time awake takes place between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m. He's not much of a fusser though, and definitely more laid back than Madison was.

It has been over a month and a half and this is how my foot looks. I go back to the doctor tomorrow. It actually feels like it is getting better each day. I stopped using the crutches a couple of days ago. I still can't walk on it without the boot on, but it is getting better. The swelling has gone down quite a bit and the flexibility has improved since I started physical therapy. Tomorrow they will take new xrays to make sure that everything is healing right. Hopefully I will get some sort of time table as to when I will be able to walk without the boot. I think I have come to terms with not playing basketball anymore, but I went to watch the guys play a couple of weeks ago and it is still hard not to be able to play. That was my weekly stress reducer. I still haven't found a replacement activity. Lucky for me, I am coaching the young men's basketball team again. I look forward to hobbling around the court while the guys disregard my suggestions(that was sarcastic).

And finally, I was very excited to see that American Gladiators was making a comeback. However, after seeing the first 3 competitions I still don't know if I like it yet. I recall enjoying it in my younger years. It still is entertaining to watch the "average joe" battle gladiators, but I don't know if I can deal with the cheese factor. It seems almost as staged as the WWF, except for the fact that someone has gotten seriously injured on more than one occasion. When they did the trials to get on the show they obviously didn't have a trash talking competition, because it is the worst. Hulk Hogan doesn't do anything to lessen the cheese factor. They kept some of my favorite events from the previous version, but I don't like some of the new ones(especially the pyramid). And, the last event doesn't make much sense to me. It is still an obstacle course, but I vaguely recall the gladiators being involved in it. I also don't understand why the competitors would do some of the obstacles if there is no penalty for not doing them. I think I will give it another week before I decide to stop watching. Check it out for yourselves. You can see previous episodes on the NBC website.

(Apparently, they did convince Ben Stiller to reprise his role from Dodgeball).

p.s. I have been watching Comanche Moon and I can't tell if it is supposed to be a drama or a comedy. It seems to be poorly trying to do both. But I will watch anything with Wes Studi in it.

Bodie's Home!

We brought Bodie home late this afternoon. The doctors said to treat him just like any other newborn. He shouldn't have any problems later in life due to what happened. Skyler is super excited to have a new baby brother home. Geronimo is a little disinterested in having another sibling competing for time with his mother, but is a lot more accepting of Bodie than he was/is of Madison. We can't keep Madison away from him, which could make things very interesting. I would not be surprised to see her try and climb in his bed with him. We think he needed a little extra time to build up his lung strength to be heard over Madison's voice imodulation.

On a serious note, we can't say thank you enough to all of those who helped with prayers and in other ways. We can't recall a time in our lives when we have felt more comfort and support. For those of you who want to come visit there are a few rules:

1. Make sure you are not currently ill, recently recovering from an illness, or think you may be getting ill. (A review of your medical records may be required at the door).


2. You will be required to wash your hands more than someone with severe O.C.D.


3. Don't expect to get a lot of holding time during the first few days. (You will be competing against a mother who has gone over a week without having her newborn home. You don't stand much of a chance, as Joshua has already discovered).


4. Gift certificates from Tommy's may get you some extended holding time.

Thanks again for everything. We will update you frequently on how Bodie is growing.(However, don't be surprised when you check this blog and find some posts about how great Ponch is.)

Bodie Made Reservations

Bodie called us today (I know, only 9 days old and already talking) to make sure we have a spot saved for him to sleep in our home. Today he had all the remaining tubes stuck in him removed. Sara and I each got to hold him for the first time since he left for the nursery. Sara even got to feed him a bottle. He is scheduled to have his "thingy" snipped(that's a medical term) tomorrow and could come home as early as tomorrow evening! Everything is checking out good for him and we are very excited to have him with us soon.

The Chest Tube is Out!

We visited Bodie this morning, and his dad got to witness the doctor remove the chest tube. Also removed were the feeding tube and the oxygen tube. They stopped giving him anti-biotic late last night. He is starting to look like a normal newborn. There are a couple more wires hooked up to him that could get removed gradually over the next day. The doctor was pretty optimistic that Bodie could move to another room by late tomorrow afternoon. However, just because he had the V.I.P. window bed in room A doesn't guarantee he will get the same treatment in the next room. Maybe his dad will have to slip a nurse a Lincoln to see if he gets hooked up. Happy Hump Day!

Still Getting Better

Bodie is continuing to improve. Today they took off the blindfold and turned off the light for Jaundice. He currently weighs 6 pounds 11 ounces, which is what Geronimo weighed when he was born. His lungs are continuing to get stronger. The NICU has 3 rooms, room A, B, and C. As the babies get healthier they move from room A to B to C to being taken home. Right now Bodie is in room A. The nurse today said that once they remove the chest tube that was put in to help with the hole in the lung, he will probably move to room B. She thought that would most likely happen before Friday. We'll keep you updated.

Another Bodie Update

We went to visit Bodie today and he is continuing to gradually improve. His lungs are being allowed to work more for themselves and they tried to feed him some of his mother's milk for the first time. He wasn't a big fan of it and they decided to try formula instead. Either way, it means that his body is getting stronger. This is a rare view of him without his blindfold on. Sara visited him in the morning and then came again when others made an afternoon visit. He had quite a few visitors today. He slept through the afternoon visit, but both sets of grandparents came by along with his uncle Knick, his uncle Claron, his aunt Carla, his cousin Catrina, his mom and dad, and his two twin cousins (who were born before him, but still barely outweigh him combined). We were going to try and smuggle the twins into the NICU for a wrestling match against Bodie, but the twins tried to get out of it by faking sleep. His favorite visitor of the day was probably his oldest sister. Skyler got to touch him for the first time. She really enjoyed it, except for the part where she noticed the tube in his side. He seemed to crack a little smile when he held her finger. Skyler participated in the family fast. It was her first time fasting and she was very happy when she didn't end up starving.

We appreciate the continued prayers of so many of you. We also appreciate all of you who have helped through fasting and offering to help us with whatever we need. We have felt a great sense of comfort through this difficult time.


Here is a little bit about how Bodie got his name:
Bodie is a ghost town in Mono County, California. It also happens to be one of Joshua's all-time favorite places to visit. And Bodie is named after that town. It is pretty amazing that name hadn't surfaced during previous pregnancies, because once Joshua thought of it the name immediately jumped past Kahuna, Kahlil, Moises, and Knathaniel to the top of the list. Sara wasn't sold on the name, but gave it to Joshua as a Christmas present. The middle name didn't go as smoothly.
Joshua likes historical figures. "Machine Gun" Kelly was a notorious gangster from back in the day. So, Joshua thought Machine Gun would be a perfect middle name. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on who you ask) Sara didn't see the historical value of the name. Joshua kept pushing for the middle name and thought it might happen. There were a few other possibilities discussed, but Joshua was so sold on Machine Gun that he didn't seriously consider other names. After being given a deadline by the birth certificate lady(I'm sure that is her official title), Sara and Joshua finally decided to hash it out. With about 10 minutes to spare before the deadline, they finally agreed. Some of the middle names discussed were Rockwell(after Porter Rockwell), Winchester(after The Winchester Mystery House, another one of Joshua's favorite places to visit), Bitner(like The Prophet, Gordon Bitner Hinckley), Troutman(suggested by uncle Jedidiah), and Kato(suggested by Kato Stransky and immediately vetoed by Sara). Rockwell had been discussed when Sara didn't know that Madison wasn't going to be a boy, but it just didn't feel right. Winchester was originally liked by Sara, but after thinking it over she thought it sounded like an old man's name. Bitner wasn't liked by Joshua and Troutman wasn't liked by Sara.
That brings us to the winning middle name. McCoy came from the T.V. show "Las Vegas". One of the main characters is named Danny McCoy. Joshua heard the name and liked it enough to use as a backup in case Bodie didn't make the cut. Here is a picture of the actor who plays Danny McCoy. Coincidentally, his name is Josh and is good on the eyes(just like Bodie's dad). We'll update you more on Bodie as we know more.

Bodie's Improving

Bodie has improved since yesterday. The doctors didn't think that the tube in his chest was reaching the hole in the lung as well as they would have liked, so they removed that tube and inserted a new tube in a different position. They took xrays before and after the procedure and his lungs reacted well to the change. His breathing has improved. In fact, they took the CPAP(a.k.a. "The snorkel") off of him and replaced it with a Vapotherm (which looks like the tubes the old folks use with their portable oxygen tanks). He seemed a lot more comfortable breathing with that and was doing more breathing on his own. He looked healthier today. I asked the doctors if there were any issues with any other organs or areas of his body and they said no. The only problem he is having is with his lungs. He was sleeping soundly at 9:30 p.m. today. I'll let you know more when we know more.

Bodie Update

After Bodie was born he was grunting and breathing vigorously. After we spent the first few minutes with him, he was taken to the nursery to run some tests and make sure he was doing O.K. Later on that night he was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He was having difficulty breathing on his own. The doctors suspect he may have been born a little prematurely. The lungs are one of the last things to develop, so they think his lungs may still need to develop a little more. He was hooked up to machines to help ease some of the pressure on his lungs and to monitor for any other problems. The doctor in the NICU told us that the tests they were running for infections were coming back negative, so he thinks they don't need to worry about infection. With the help of the machines he seemed to be doing alright and gradually they were letting him do more of the breathing on his own. At about 5 a.m. this morning his right lung collapsed. The medical term for this is Tension Pneumothorax. They think that he may have caused stress to his lung from breathing too hard or crying and it caused a small hole in the lung. They put a tube in his side to suck out the air and other things caused by the collapse. They were able to stabilize him, and he has been doing well the rest of the day. They expect the hole to heal in the next 2 to 3 days. Because babies are still developing, the healing process in more rapid than in adults. We have been reassured by the many doctors and nurses working in the NICU that he is doing well, and they seem pretty convincing. His eyes are covered because he is also being treated for Neonatal Jaundice, and not to keep him from being overwhelmed by his father's extreme level of awesomeness. Jaundice is quite common in newborns and not a big concern. When we last asked the nurse, she thought that Bodie would most likely be in the NICU for 7-10 days. On a brighter note, he does know how to use a snorkel and will be S.C.U.B.A. certified by the time he comes home.

Sara came home tonight and is recovering well from the birth. We appreciate all of you who have expressed concern, kind words, offers to help out, and kept us in your prayers. Bodie has received a Priesthood blessing and we know that our Heavenly Father has a reason for giving us trials. We will keep you updated as we know more. We ask that you continue to keep Bodie in your prayers. Some of our family will be fasting on his behalf this Sunday and welcome anyone else who would like to join us. If you want to learn more about fasting, you can click here.
Thanks again for all you have done for us.

p.s. His middle name is McCoy.

Happy New Year!

Baby Bodie was born on January 1, 2008 at 8:05 p.m. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 21 inches. His parents are still trying to come to an agreement on a middle name. Some of the names being discussed are Machine Gun, Winchester, McCoy, and Bitner. He and his mother are both healthy and recovering well. However, after being born Bodie was immediately placed on restriction by his accountant father for not being born in the 2007 tax year. You can find more pictures of Bodie here.
Happy New Year!