The McDermott's

These are the Days!!

2012-01-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

Deacon has been keeping me very busy this Fall so I haven't had much time for blogging but I thought I'd post about the last 3 months anyway!! Time used to fly by but now it seems that weeks pass every time I blink!! I am loving these days with Deacon growing so big but he is growing so big, so fast!!!

Deacon makes messes...

...and sometimes he also helps me clean up the messes!!

...and fix things for me around the house using his tools!!

When he isn't making messes or helping me around the house, D goes to swim lessons!

Deacon started swim lessons at Swim Kids in August and loved going every week! He learned how to hum underwater and kick his little legs and "scoop" his little hands and to float on his back! This boy loves to play in the water!!

When he isn't making messes, helping me clean, or swimming, he is cheering on the Utes at Utah Football games!!

When he isn't making messes, cleaning, swimming or cheering on the Utes, he is watching his Dad score Try's and playing with his buddies!

I am so proud of the boys for making it to the Semi-finals at Ruggerfest this year!! It was a total bummer to see them lose by only 1 point to a team from England but I was so totally impressed by them and all their hard work and killer Rugby skills!!

Deacon really looks up to his daddy!!

When he isn't making messes, cleaning, swimming, cheering on the Utes or watching his Dad score Try's and playing with his buddies, he is looking in the sky at Hot Air Balloons at the Snowmass Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival!

When he isn't making messes, cleaning, swimming, cheering on the Utes or watching Rugby and playing with his buddies or attending hot air balloon festivals, he is having his first official hair cut!

Thank heavens for the "itsy bitsy spider" app!

When he isn't making messes, cleaning, swimming, cheering on the Utes, watching Rugby, playing with his buddies, attending hot air balloon festivals, or getting a haircut, he is taking family pictures!

...and then more family pictures...

When he isn't making messes, cleaning, swimming, cheering on the Utes, watching Rugby, playing with his buddies, attending hot air balloon festivals, getting a haircut or taking family pictures, he is suiting up to play in the Turkey Bowl with the big boys!

(we were minus a few boys in the picture due to a seriously gross head trauma that required a recently graduated Physicians Assistant, a Medical Student and their father's dental office and supplies to stitch their friend's eyebrow back together! I would post the picture but it may make some people sick!!)

(...and then being so helpful watching his dad fry our very first Turkey!!)

The marinade consists of a ton of Creole seasoning, Cayenne and Black pepper and Italian Dressing... Seems (and smells) super gross but makes surprisingly DELISH turkey!!

Dylan helped make sure the turkey didn't blow up!!

When he isn't making messes, cleaning, swimming, cheering on the Utes, watching Rugby, playing with his buddies, attending hot air balloon festivals, getting a haircut, taking family pictures or playing flag football, he is inventing things to use everyday objects for...

Like finding a new place to sleep!

or using a strainer as a helmet and then running around the house!

or using his ball holder as full body armor so that he can run into things and not get hurt!!

And when he is not busy making messes, cleaning, swimming, cheering on the Utes, watching Rugby, playing with his buddies, attending hot air balloon festivals, getting a haircut, taking family pictures, playing flag football or inventing games he spends time just being my silly little Deacon...

These are the days of my life!!!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:43:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

This year marked our 6th annual Halloween Party. The costumes are great every year and we really look forward to what creative things our friends will come up with!

Jimmy, Rosie and Deacon McDermott

aka: The Smurfs!

Look at my little smurf waiting for the party to start!! He was just about to start watching a little football on TV, something that he absolutely loves to do!! I love his little Smurf bum!!

Casey, Julie and Maddie Kiser

aka: Blind surgeon with his "gangsta" wife and their little strawberry!!

Is she not the most beautiful little strawberry you have ever seen? I just want to squeeze all the juice out of her!!!

Richard, Emily and Cannon White

aka: Ron Burgundy, Veronica Corningstone and Ron Burgundy Jr. from Anchorman

I am sure Will Ferrell wishes he had as good a 'stache and as sweet a headpiece as Cannon!!

Chet, Shalee, Bronx and Benson Blasucci

aka: Woody, Jessie, Buzz and a Zot!

Buzz was flying around too fast for me to get a good shot... perfect costume for little Bronx who is in perpetual motion!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this little Zot!!!

Brad, Niki & Camden Harris

aka: Camden Shark's latest victims!!

Watch out for this shark... he may look sleepy but that is all part of his brilliant scheme!!!

Garreth and Jessica Long

aka: ummm.... triple Z breasts in a red bra!!! This was probably the most creative costume we have seen at our parties yet!!! Loved it!!

Jake, Casey and the soon to be Jara Jane Anderson

aka: In-n-Out employees!! Love the glasses Jake!

Scott & Heidi Bagley

aka: the scary monkey from Wizard of Oz and a lovely Indian princess!

Mike & Alli Harmon

aka: a California Raisin and a Gorilla

I loved this Raisin costume... it looks even better with the hood on but unfortunately that picture is all blurry... darn it!! Still, a pretty freaking cute costume!!

Dave Bonnomort and his cute girlfriend, Amy

aka: a vampire and his cute pirate wench!!

Brian, Megan and Mikey Haymond

aka: All Blacks New Zealand rugby player, a cowgirl and a dang cute fireman!

Preston & Jamyn Miller

aka: a beekeeper and his buzzing bee!!

Jason Pye and his cute girlfriend

aka: the T-birds from Grease!

Classic!

Jeff, Caitlin and Jackson Beck with Jeff's brothers

aka: the hoop, the ball and the MVP with 2 other guys from the team!!

Thomas McDermott

aka: Scuba Troll??!!

Thomas lost the mask and the wig but managed to turn his tongue blue during our Fear Factor game!!

At least it matched his costume!!

We ate Bloody Eyes-cream Sundae's

with Vein-illa and Neopolitan Bone-Apart Icecream

Drank "Evil Spirits" (water and a yummy juice and sprite mixture)

and everyone took home candy from the spooky candy jars!

I look forward to Halloween every year and to having our party!!

Here's to many more parties to come!!

Now to the actual holiday...

Deacon helped carve his very first pumpkin!

He wasn't too sure about it at first....

..but pretty soon he was digging in with his dad to get all the "guts" out!

His favorite part was playing with the guts!!

And moving them from one bowl to the other and then back again!! and again, and again!

until he realized his hands were all gross and decided he was done playing in the pumpkin guts!!

Shout out to Disney, here's our (much easier) version of your Mickey Mouse transfer!!

I bought this spooky skull headband from Basket Loft... isn't it fun??!! I got so many compliments on it from trick-or-treaters and their mom's tonight... love it when the bleeding corpse brides and princesses alike can appreciate a good thing when they see it!

Deacon was laughing hysterically with his dad.... part of it could be because he was loaded on sugar and extremely short on sleep but whatever, we loved it!!

Here's our little smurf running around the house! It's a good thing the shirt we found had a hood because he will wear hoods (just not hats or anything else on his head!!) so you could actually tell what he was supposed to be!!

Deacon's cute friend Holly came over and they were both admiring the huge amount of sugar (...and an apple) in Holly's spider treat bag!!

Dad, dressed in his Bozeman Montana Murdoch's shirt, took Deacon to see a couple of our neighbors and do a little "trick-or-treating"... it was a perfect night to be out and about!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Birthday Stevie!!

2011-08-21T15:39:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Steve's 56th Birthday and we celebrated by going...where else... SUBWAY!!

Stevie loved Subway sandwiches... so much that he even gave Subway a shout-out in his obituary!!

We know Steve was at Subway with us...maybe trying to sneak some of the banana peppers off my sandwich!! We think that he is trying to petition to open a franchise in Heaven - he would have a corner on the market there!

All we had to say to the very kind but puzzled man who offered to take our picture out front is, "There is a reason we are all standing under the a random Subway sign wanting our picture taken" and that reason is FOR STEVIE!!

With 22 McDermott's in the Subway we pretty much took it over... actually, I think we were the only ones in there for most of the time we spent! The employees were probably hoping for a quiet Saturday night... until the McDermott's arrived!!

Deacon loved feeling Lily and Gracie's pretty skirts!

Gracie was so patient... being the youngest of 7, she was sure okay with a little baby mauling her the whole time!!

After dinner we headed up to the cemetery to sing Happy Birthday!

James had the good idea to put a LiveStrong band around the vases on either side of the bench! They fit perfectly and are a perfect accent to the beautiful yellow sunflowers and wildflowers!!

The kids had a fun time running around with their balloons!

What would a birthday party be without them??!!

Lexie and Ellie were so cute with Deacon and Londyn!!

Deacon likes to show us how big he is getting by climbing onto the bench...

...by HIMSELF!!

Once he was standing on the bench THEN he could really let his balloon blow in the wind!!

Then it was time to let the balloons fly away into the darkening sky!

It was surprisingly emotional for James and I to sing Happy Birthday.

I think it hit us again that he is not physically here with us anymore and it made us miss him a lot.

It is hard to remember that he is free from the trials he faced on this Earth when we miss him so much, but we have to try to remind ourselves that he is happy beyond our understanding and he can do all the things he loves to do without anything holding him back.

Happy 56th Birthday Stevie! We love you!

S'Mores Anyone??!!

2011-08-18T22:02:00.000-06:00

We finally had Gene and Mary Ann over for dinner and s'mores. It was so fun to get to spend time with them and give Deacon some good Great Grandparent bonding time!!

And bond he did... right to Mary Ann!! She won him over immediately with a new football, which he took over to his water table and soaked...

...before running back to her to get her all wet!!

He also loved climbing up on the back of her chair...

and then having her turn around and be so surprised to see him there!! It was so cute!!

He had big kisses for his Grandpa Gene

and was sure to showcase all his tricks to make his Great Grandpa proud!!

I don't know what Gene thought of Deacon's dance moves but I think they are pretty great!!

( haha!... I think he has been getting lessons from his dad!! )

Then it was time for S'mores!!

Gene likes his Flaming!!!!

Mary Ann likes hers with Caramello's...

nothing like melted caramel AND chocolate with your mallow!!

Jimmy likes his perfectly roasted!!!

I like mine to be all kinds of chocolaty gloriousness!!

And Deacon likes his to have a gooey mallow that stretches for miles...

...and then ends up all over his face and in turn, all over his fingers (and everything else in sight!!)

A huge thank you to whoever invented S'mores!! They are so versatile... made just the way we like them!!! YUM!!

Montana... Finally!!

2011-08-18T22:01:00.000-06:00

Deacon has had a lot of fun with his cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandparents these last few weeks!

We went to Bozeman Montana to visit Christina and Brett. My mom, Em, Austin, Lucy and Gavin had flown in a few days before the rest of us (including Dave, Kara, Anna, James, Dylan and Hannah) had gotten there. We had quite the crowd invading the Walker household but Brett is so good and he has learned quickly how the Fisher family can pretty much take over life as he knows it!!!

Deacon had so much fun playing with his cousins and floating the Madison river!

Grandma and 5 of her favorite little people!!

(we are sad the other 3 of her favorite little people weren't here with us this time!!)

Deacon loves when his cousin Anna gives him kisses!!!

I LOVE this picture!!

Deacon did so good in the raft and actually sat VERY still and relaxed next to his Grandma, cousin Gavin and Aunt Emily! (He actually spent most of the two hours cuddling up to his Aunt Emily... and loving every minute of it!!)

Floating the river calmed him right down and he just hung out... he even let my mom "share" her sunglasses with him. He kept them on and wore them for a good ten minutes! (Of course he won't ever wear HIS sunglasses!!)

Floating relaxed sweet baby James too! Here he is nustled in the tube with him mom and Tres (aka...baby #3... due in November, not finding out gender.... VERY frustrating for doting Aunts!!!)

We stayed all together and floated (with the occasional water fight) in a giant group down the river...

It was so much fun!

I wish we had something like that close to us in Utah... I would go every weekend!!!

The next day we went into Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful...

When in Rome right?? Er, Montana!!??

We had to stop for lunch at "The Taco Bus"...

Yes, the Taco BUS...

It was actually really good! Em went to KFC to get Mac and Cheese for the kids but Deacon didn't mind my chicken burrito from the Taco Bus!!

Then it was time to see Old Faithful!

We had an hour before the "predicted" time it would go off so we walked around and saw other geysers near Old Faithful.

Deacon mostly loved hanging out on Dad's shoulders! (and pulling out James' hair)

...and then running away from Dad...

Anna taking a picture of me...

..taking a picture of her...

Could you tell we had a little time to kill??!!

And then... Ta Da!! Old Faithful!!!

But my favorite part of all??.... Getting a kiss from my sweet little boy!!

It was a quick weekend trip but it was full of cousins and fun!!

Thanks Christina and Brett for being such wonderful hosts!!

WE ARE SPARTA!!!

2011-07-13T20:28:00.000-06:00

Thomas, Caroline and Joe decided it would be fun to run in the annual Spartan Race up at Soldier Hollow! It is an 8- mile run with a series of obstacles and tests throughout it. We thought it would be fun to do next year with all of us... maybe in matching outfits (... how cute is that?) but after watching them I may be rethinking that decision!!!

They were all so excited (and smiling) as they ran past us when the race began!!

Then the real test began!!

After running 6 miles (mainly uphill switchbacks) and having one chance to shoot a rifle and hit a target, jump from one tree stump to another without falling (each were 3 feet apart or more), having to scale a 8 foot wall and solving one side of a rubics cube (or have to do 30 burpees if they missed their chances)

they ran down these stairs....

...grabbed a tire and hauled it through a tunnel...

... then went straight to hauling a heavy stone up a hill and down the other side....

...up and over a net pyramid to the climbing rope...

...to another 1 mile run toward the spear toss...

Joe got his to stick in the hay so he got to move on...

...but Thomas and Caroline got to do burpees!!

Then they were off on a run down the hill toward the climbing wall....

...to crawling under barbed wire in totally sick-smelling mud for about 30 yards...

...then jumping over a fire and into a muddy pool another 30 yards long...

...and then the final run to the finish...

...where "spartans" waited to give you that last little push to the finish line!!!

Thomas finished with a few other guys that all ran behind him so that they didn't get hit... sissies!!

But Caroline was smart and waited until they were all occupied trying to get another racer while she ran around the other side!!!

I am so amazed they were still all smiles after the race!!

Caroline finished first out of the 80 women who competed in the 10:30 am start time!!!

She is such an incredible athlete... she didn't even train and she finished first! Amazing!!

How cute are Caroline and Joe?

They have been married 5 months and they are just the cutest couple ever!

Standing happy, muddy and exhausted with Eric and Kathy!!

Deacon and Londyn did so well and had so much fun watching all the competitors!!

Way to go Thomas, Caroline and Joe!!

We are looking forward to next year!!

Happy Birthday/Independence Day!!

2011-07-10T12:18:00.000-06:00

Every year on July 4th we not only get to celebrate America's Independence but we also get to celebrate my dad's birthday!

We partied at the Bungalow which was SO perfect because we could watch the Sugarhouse Fireworks from their front porch!! It was so fun!

My cute mom put together the birthday menu: MEXICAN!

We weren't sure if that was exactly kosher since it was Independence Day and all, but it was DELICIOUS!!! Pulled pork on top of yummy beans (and not just any beans... these black beans also had mexican sausage in them...YUM!!) on top of spanish rice served with roasted garlic and black bean tortilla chips!!

And in keeping with the Mexican birthday theme, we even had a pinata!! What would a Mexican party be without one?

Deacon wasn't sure about it!

...But Anna and James had a great time trying to break it open!!

But it was time to bring out the big guns.... and by big guns, I mean a 30 pound sledge hammer

In the Fisher Family we ask ourselves...."Why use a stick when you have a sledge hammer?"

After a serious workout and some tears of laughter (...or was that their biceps crying??),

they finally got it broken open...

...and Anna, James and Grandpa had a fun time trying to pick out all the candy from the grass!

After that it was sparkler time!!!

Deacon thought the sparklers were pretty cool...Ohhhh!!!

And next year he might be able to hold one all by himself!!!

We had fun playing with the camera and writing messages (this one is supposed to say "Happy 4th") and outlining our bodies!!!

Deacon stayed awake until about half way through the Sugarhouse Firework show but the rest of us sure enjoyed watching them from the comfort of the big front porch at the bungalow!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Days in Sunny June

2011-06-30T23:51:00.000-06:00

What a fun-filled month!!

~ It started with Deacon's birthday on June 2nd. ~

Deacon ate Mickey Shaped pancakes (with a side of blueberries) for breakfast

so that he would have a full tummy for the zoo!

Anna, James & Aunt Kara brought Deacon his favorite thing... Balloons!!

(or "Ba" as Deacon calls them!!)

Then it was off to the Zoo with his cousins Anna, James & Londyn

and his Aunt Kara, Auntie M, Aunt Bree and Nana.

Deacon had so much fun digging for dinosaur bones with Anna & James

and hanging out with T-Rex...

...and watching the elephants with Londyn...

...and riding on the carousel with his Auntie M!!

(okay, so maybe he didn't love that so much!!!)

James found Melissa and didn't want to let go!!

Thanks Melissa for being such a wonderful Aunt to Deacon and a wonderful pseudo-aunt to James!!!

~ Then it was time to PARTY!!!! ~

The weather was perfect!! It couldn't have been a more perfect day for an

Under the Sea Birthday Party!

The decorations:

(there were three centerpieces with Beta fish in them. This one is Henry, Deacon's fish that he loves to look at and point to and even kiss the fish bowl!!)

Henry's Red friend is living at Grandpa & Grandma Fisher's house and his Blue friend is at Uncle Dylan's house... thank you to my wonderful family for agreeing to give Henry's friends such a good home!!

The treats:

"Sweet Sushi"

more "Sweet Sushi"

We also had sliders and fruit... it was yum!!!

Thank you, Darling, for grilling them to perfection!!

Deacon's friends:

Holly (how darling is the Polo swim suit and the pink shades???!!!)

Chloe... I just love this girl!

Jackson

Deacon with Cannon

(emily... I didn't get a good pic of cutie Cannon... can you e-mail me one??!!)

Luke, Anna & Holly

Emmie

Bronx & James

(these two are little fish... they didn't get out of the water unless it was to run to the other pool!!!

So cute!!)

Sweet Maddie... do they come cuter?

Londyn (aren't those shades DARLING???!!!!) She is always so stylin!!!

and Lucy!

Deacon had so much fun splashing and playing in the water with all of his buddies!!

He was just exhausted when it was over!!

Happy First Birthday Deacon!!!

~ Scottish Festival at Thanksgiving Point ~

We missed the games on Friday night but made it in time for the Tattoo

The Utah Pipe Band

(Stevie played in the "Salt Lake Scots" with John Barclay (centered in picture) when he was younger)

Deacon watching the Tattoo

It got a little windy and cold toward the end but Deacon was loving "washing" Nana's hair!!

~ Oxford ~

We went to Oxford, Idaho to visit my cute Grandma Fisher and while we were there we decided to take a little walk around the tiny farm town.

Deacon had so much fun watching a real farmer mow his grass!!!

Where is James?

Where is Anna?

Dylan and Hannah decided to tromp through the grass to an old abandoned log cabin... Creepy!!

We didn't make it to the dairy farm up the street to see lots of cows,

but we did see these new mom cows with their little babies!!

Deacon had fun watching the horses!

As long as they didn't get too close!!

James thought he would try to feed the horse... but decided he didn't want to get too close either!!!

SO THIRSTY after the long walk!! Thanks for sharing Grandma, or maybe Deacon shared more with you than you wanted!!!

~ Sun Valley!!! ~

We spent Father's Day this year in Sun Valley with Becky and Melissa.

It was fabulous to swim in the 95 degree pool!!

Jumping to Nana from the side and LOVING it!!

You can't come to Sun Valley and miss out on "Sun Valley Serenade" at the Opera House!!

It was such a darling movie... they just don't make movies like this anymore do they?

Relaxing at the Lodge with his Sippy Cup and Sun Valley Chocolates with lipstick on his face from all the kisses from his Nana and Auntie M!! What a glorious life!!

Sad to be leaving Sun Valley but hope to come back soon!!

It was so fun to be in a place that means so much to Steve & Becky (they even honeymooned here) and to remember the fun times spent here with him before he was diagnosed with cancer.

A great way to spend Father's Day.

~ Cousins, Cousins, Cousins!! ~

Sarah, Collin and Mason came up from Flagstaff to spend a couple weeks here

Deacon is in cousin heaven!!

At the park:

On the tire with Sarah, Collin and Mason!

Going down the twirly slide with Sarah!

Petting a dog with Sarah!

Now the straight slide! Thanks Sarah for being so cute with Deacon and taking him down all the slides! He loved it!!

Mason climbing up so fast!!

Shy James!!

Collin having a great time spinning fast on the tire swing!!

At the Zoo:

Collin was so cute making sure Deacon didn't get too wet playing with the rolling "world" ball!

Watching the Elephants... why is it I only seem to take pics of the elephants... I know there are more animals at the zoo!!!

Sarah and Collin being like Rhino's with "Horns" on their noses!!!

(This never gets old... I remember doing the same when I was younger!!)

Waiting to get squirted with water by the dinosaurs!!

After being squirted by said dinosaurs!!!

And back to the ball once more before heading home!!

~ Other Fun June Activities: ~

At the aquarium:

We spent a good 20 minutes chatting with the Lion Fish...

...and another 20 minutes chatting with the Butterfly Fish...

... until Deacon discovered the Sting Rays... He didn't want to touch them, he just loved looking at them and pointing at them and running back over to them when I would try to get him to look at something else!!!

Luckily, Mom found the Penguins....

and he and Mikey spent another 20 minutes watching them jump into the water and swim around!

...Until he found the giant frog he could climb on!!

~ Dad's Big Helper!! ~

Deacon is learning early that you cut grass on a diagonal then cross cut the next week!!

~ Checking out the beautiful flowers at the Temple

with Holly! (more pics to come!!!) ~

How cute are these two in their coordinating outfits??!!!

Striking a pose...Isn't this a darling pic??!!

Looking forward to what July will hold for the McDermott's!!!

Happy Birthday Deacon!!

2011-06-02T10:02:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday Deacon!!

I have learned a lot about what it means to be a mom in these short 12 months that Deacon has been in my life...

Being a mom means being unable to imagine living a day without Deacon by my side!

Being a mom means realizing my schedule means absolutely nothing to Deacon!

Being a mom means being able to change a diaper with my eyes closed... and on a moving target too!

Being a mom means needing to shower, vacuum, wash clothes, change Deacon, make lunch and take a nap...all at the same time!!!

Being a mom means suddenly realizing I have a love/hate relationship with Easy Mac.

Being a mom means remembering when I used to have time to read books! ...I seriously undervalued doing "nothing" before I had Deacon!!

Being a mom means loving nap time more than Deacon does!

Being a mom means feeling bliss over a little smile and total bliss at the gloriously beautiful sound of his giggle!!

Being a mom means serving as Deacon's personal assistant!!

Being a mom means knowing that when Deacon is crying it is because he wants something - but not necessarily the same thing he wanted an hour ago.

Being a mom means discovering a little thing called patience that I never knew existed.

Being a mom means holding Deacon by the back of the shirt while he is turned around in a shopping cart because he wants to be standing and looking forward instead of sitting and looking at mom... why would he want to make grocery shopping easy??

Being a mom means needing a manicure in the worst way.

Being a mom means trying to create the best learning experience for Deacon everyday - and feeling guilty when I don't.

Being a mom means perfecting "the look" that stops Deacon from misbehaving in his tracks... most of the time anyway!!

Being a mom means finding myself thinking about my own childhood and then being amazed at how my mom did it with 7 of these little people!!!

Being a mom means waking up during the night just to watch my sweet boy dream.

Being a mom means that I am happiest when I am with my amazing husband (who is also the most amazing father) and my incredibly sweet little one year old boy!!!

Happy Birthday Deacon!

May Days

2011-05-31T22:28:00.001-06:00

This month FLEW by... as always though because life is so fun!!

Happy Graduation!!

The month started out with Thomas' graduation in Communications from the University of Utah!

We are so proud of him!

( Someday I may graduate from the U... Someday!!! )

(...and hopefully before Deacon does!!!)

DEACON IS WALKING!!!!

I am so proud of my sweet boy! He walks everywhere and especially loves to throw a ball (he prefers his basketball or one of Jimmy's rugby balls) in front of him then walk to it, pick it up, and do it again, and again and again! He also loves throwing them in waste baskets or any other container he can find!

Now, I am afraid he will start RUNNING, he just needs to get a little steadier on his feet!

First Trip to the ER!!!

Friday the 13th has never bothered me since nothing bad has ever happened to me and James was born on Friday the 13th so that is not a bad day for him either but for Deacon, Friday the 13th started out his first (of many, I am sure) trips to the Emergency Room!!

James was on an overnight camping trip with the scouts and Deacon was getting very courageous walking from one side of the couch to the other when he tripped and fell right into the side of a piece of furniture!! Luckily my parents were here or I probably would have been FREAKING out!! There was blood everywhere (who knew head wounds would bleed like that??!!) and my Dad came with me to the ER while my mom stayed back and cleaned up!!

YIKES!

Luckily, no stitches, just a (very expensive) Glue job and with Mederma scar cream 3 times a day for the next 8 weeks hopefully there will be hardly a mark left behind!!

He was so brave and so good at the ER and all his Dad could say when he saw his glue dot was, "Well, he is learning early what will be like to be stitched up on the side of a Rugby field!"

I thought this was enough hurt for one little boy's face for a while.... until.....

...He picked a fight with a cement slab and lost...

just a week and a half after the ER visit. This time didn't involve a Doctor, just a little TLC from his momma!! Deacon's Auntie M suggested I wrap this little boy in bubble wrap, being James' son and all, and I actually don't think that is such a bad idea!!!

St. George

Dan and Mary Ann Kimball invited us down to St. George for a quick weekend get-away. It was so fun to laugh with everyone and play in the warm sunshine! The house was beautiful and the pool was heated to a glorious 95 degrees... just like bath water!

Deacon loved splashing in the pool with all of his buddies,

and so did his dad!

All the Dad's (and future Dad's) were ready for a relaxing swim after throwing balls at each other for an hour.

All the Mom's (and future Mom's) were relaxing the whole time the boys were being rambunctious... but isn't that always the way it goes??!!!

The weekend was just full of fun things...

shooting...

walks...

and more swimming!!

Thank you so much Dan and Maryann!! It was a blast!!

(and thank you Jamyn for sending me all these pics!!

I am so glad you remembered to bring your camera!!!)

Scipio Petting Zoo

After all the swimming, laughter and fun in St. George we stopped in Scipio at the petting zoo! Deacon loved the little baby lambs and baby goats!

(and even put his hand out and touched one on the nose!!!)

My husband, of course, loved the Shetland pony

... or maybe it was just jealousy??!!

Queen Bee Photo Shoot

Deacon's Aunt Bree, Aunt Katie and Aunt Kristy are throwing a "Spring into Summer" boutique and had pictures taken of their three little girls, Deacon and Katie's niece Scarlett in the cute Mudpie clothes they are selling.

Here are a few of Deacon's pics. I wish I had some of the other babies... they were so cute!!

(This one is my favorite!!!)

These are just two of the outfits they will have on sale for little boys (how cute are those football socks??!!) and all of the clothes and headbands for the little girls are absolutely darling! I hope someday I have a little girl to dress up!! Katie even makes her own vintage-inspired headbands that she will be selling at the boutique as well as cute frame designs, baby glam jewelry, women's beachwear and home decor. I am really excited to see how their first boutique goes! It will be so fun!

For all of you who want to come to see these fabulous creations, the boutique will be at

Noah's (322 west 11000 south)

on Thursday June 16th from 6:00-10:00 pm.

Les Miserables

Is there anything better than a Broadway Musical? Even if it is Off-Broadway and visiting Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City? I say no! I have seen Les Miserables in New York City as well as in Salt Lake City and I can tell you there is nothing better than these musicals, no matter the venue!!

Thank you Becky for taking us all to Les Mis and thank you to my Mom and Dad for playing with my Sweet Boy so we could attend!!

Memorial Day

It hardly seems real that this Memorial Day we were visiting the cemetery for Steve. The bench was ready and the headstone in place last week and I have to say, it looks wonderful!

(is that quote not perfect for Steve and the whole McDermott family?!!)

It will be so nice to go and sit and look up at Little Cottonwood Canyon (toward Stevie's favorite Ski Resort) as well as hear the water rushing in the fountain. It is the perfect place and we can't wait until it warms up so that we can spend more time there.

As we were placing the yellow sunflowers, we randomly heard a bagpiper begin to play "Amazing Grace". For those of you who don't know, Steve played the Bagpipes and "Amazing Grace" was one of his favorite songs, which was also why it was played at his funeral, but hearing it made us feel like Stevie was letting us know he was still with us. We miss him so much but he finds ways to let us know he is still around and that helps our hearts feel happy when we are missing him most. And we miss him a lot so we need constant reminders from him!! (but I think he knows that about us so he does it often!!)

We also visited my best friend Ali Liddell who was killed in a car accident when we were 16. She is buried about 100 yards from Steve so they are in good company!! She always loved going to the McDermott's and Thomas' soccer games with me and laughing with Steve!!

(She is actually the reason James and I met... she talked me into writing the note at 7-11 and sticking it on his car... if not for her crazy hair ideas, I don't know if James and I would ever have met and I wouldn't be the happiest girl in the world!!!)

We went to say Hi to my grandma Ruth Carlson Nix

as well as James' grandparents Merrill and Ione Davis

We couldn't help but think that Deacon knows them far better than we do right now since he left them only 1 year ago!!

If only babies could talk, how much they would have to tell us!!!

Baby, Look at Us!!!

2011-04-17T20:22:00.000-06:00

The 8th Annual Marathon/ Half Marathon was on Saturday and James had decided that since running a marathon was on his bucket list he would run this one. I do not have running a marathon on my bucket list but thought it would be fun to run the half... just to see what it was like. Plus, my sister Christina (who is marathon running expert) and Bree were running it too so why not??!!!

I am so proud of James for finishing the grueling

26.2 miles and so grateful to Lizzy Davis, Jake & Casey and the Wellings for supporting him along the way!!!

He wanted to finish in under 4 hours but ended up just over at 4 hours, 12 minutes and 22 seconds. He did it!! He never wants to do it again, but at least he can cross it off his list!!

I didn't have a time that I wanted to finish in but ended up coming in at 2 hours, 58 minutes and 29 seconds. It was a great experience but I wish I would have been more diligent on my training!!

Running 7 miles at the most and not running for 8 weeks before the race (except for a 5 mile run 4 weeks before!!!) and then trying to run 13.1 miles is definitely not the smartest thing I have ever done!!!

Christina and Bree blew doors on me, Bree finished in just under 2 hours and Christina finished in just over 2 hours. I am so proud of both of them! Here are some pics of Christina (who came all the way from Bozeman, Montana to run with me)

She is so sweet and I appreciate her support of me when I didn't want to run anymore!!!

I am so grateful to my Becky and Melissa for letting Deacon have his very first sleep over and then waking up with him at 7:30 and coming to Gateway to cheer us on! I am also so grateful to my wonderful parents who supported us along the course at Foothill Village, Sugarhouse Park, Liberty Park and then at the finish line!! James and I are also grateful for ice and ibuprofen and although James is going to probably lose 2 toe nails, we are feeling pretty good!

We know that Stevie was with us along the course and could feel him supporting us when we started to get weary. We know that he was with us as we finished the race and know that he is so proud of us!

We did it!!! ....Baby, look at us!!!

March 2011

2011-04-12T12:48:00.003-06:00

I am just going to start naming my posts by the month since that is how it seems to be going these days.

March 2011 at the McDermott's looked a little something like this:

Wild Life and Times at the Zoo!

Deacon went to the Zoo three times in March. Once with his buddies (Mikey, Jackson and Maddie), once with his Uncle Dylan and his girlfriend Hannah, and once with his Grandma, Aunt Kara and his cousins Anna and James. He loves to point at the animals and have interesting conversations with them, even if they are only one-sided with Deacon doing all the chatting!!

I am now officially a card carrying member of the Zoo, which means there will be MANY more trips to see the Elephants, Monkeys, Rhinos, Camels, Giraffes and Tigers!!! Visit to the Zoo anyone??

I'm Lookin' at the Man in the Mirror!!!

Deacon likes to look in the mirror at the little boy on the other side.... I was laughing so hard watching him discover that the other little boy went up and down, up and down like Deacon was...

and that he could hold his fingers out the same way Deacon did...

... and that he could give kisses to him too!!!

Hehe!!!

Carl Bloch Exhibit and J-Dawgs!

I don't venture to Utah County very often and when I do it has to be for some compelling reason... this time it was for the Carl Bloch exhibit.

This altarpiece is actually owned by BYU now.

Deacon with his favorite friend, Holly Storheim.

The Altarpieces are all incredibly beautiful and so lifelike! It was amazing!

These pictures hardly do them justice and the exhibit only goes for another few weeks (until the first part of May, I think) So if you haven't been down to BYU to see them I would highly recommend it!! There are a few more altarpieces that I didn't get pictures of that are incredible as well!!

If these beautiful works of art aren't enough to get you to venture to Cougar territory then J-Dawgs should give you a good reason!! These are the BEST hot dogs I have ever had!! (Superior only to the delish hot dogs from the vendors in Central Park!!)

They have a "Special Sauce" that they drizzle over top of gloriously large hot dogs and serve with a pickle inside a large and toasty bun.... mmmmmm... J-Dawgs!!! I have heard that the owner has been looking at putting in a J-dawgs by President's Circle up at the University of Utah (which is 10 minutes from my house instead of 45 and therefore would be the PERFECT location in my opinion!!!)
Yum Yum!!!

Utah vs BYU Rugby game at Rio Tinto

We had a fun time eating nachos and fruit in the warmth of Dan Lofgren's suite while the Utes were out in the freezing cold losing in a serious way to the Cougars. Deacon would occasionally look out at the field from inside to see what was happening on the field

but mostly he wanted to hang out inside with the ladies....

Here he is with Maddie Kiser, Chloe Cederholm and his cousin Londyn!!

Doesn't Chloe look SO darling dressed up in her Utah gear??!!!

Here she is with her fabulous parents, Wayne and Katie!!

Scottsdale!!!!

Bree's mom had a conference in Scottsdale at the Keirland Westin Resort and invited us to come along!! So Deacon came on another girls trip with us.... (poor guy, I hope he doesn't get a complex always being the only one without ovaries on all our trips!!!) Hehe!!!

Deacon had so much fun playing in the water while we were there... whether the water was in the Lobby and was falling down a wall of glass....

or swimming swimming swimming in the pool....

(for an hour straight... then a short break... then another hour - that is probably the most time I have spent actually IN the water in YEARS!!!!) but he was loving every moment of it!! He also liked to point at the birds and airplanes he saw flying overhead!!!)

or playing in the fountains with his Aunt Melissa, Nana and Londyn Jane!!

Cupboards!!! FINALLY!!!

I have been wanting cupboards or some kind of shelves in my laundry room(/laundry closet!!) since we moved in a year and a half ago and I finally do!!! James put these shelves together and then hung them up for me!! I am so thrilled!!

(it is kind of sad that I would get so excited over something like this but... look how beautiful they are!!!)

Deacon had fun helping his Dad find the right tool to use for the job!!!

We will have to get him his own little tool belt and safety glasses so that he can help Dad with all his projects!!!

Hmmm... well, until the next post.....

Goals

2011-02-28T23:07:00.002-07:00

Goals are a good thing to have... when you keep them. I have had a "goal" to blog since mid-January. It has since evolved many times from, "I am going to blog about Dallas" then "I really should blog tonight" to "I need to blog about Dallas, playdates, Vegas, Valentine's Day, a beautiful wedding" (among other things) until it finally became, " I just need to blog before March" So here I am, 11:00 pm on February 28th blogging. At least I can say I accomplished my ultimate goal...right?

JANUARY

Dallas:

Each year the McDermott girls take a trip to Dallas for some fabulous food, shopping (and a little lighting on the side at the Dallas Market Center) but since Deacon was going to be joining us, our girls trip turned into a girls plus Deacon then it became a girls trip (with Deacon) with James & Thomas meeting us half way through!

Since they came along we ended up going on a tour of the Dallas Cowboy's Football Stadium two weeks before the Super Bowl took place there.

It was Incredible!!!

It would be hard for me to not watch the action on the field with the huge TV in front of me!!

The teams had not yet been decided before we went so the endzones weren't painted but the Super Bowl field was down and Deacon had a great time playing on the turf.

Here are the ladies next to the lockers for Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Miles Austin. Apparently these lockers are each worth $8000 because of the wood that was used.... They didn't seem THAT nice but what do I know about NFL locker rooms??!!

Here are my boys posed by one of the Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders... Or posing AS one of the Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders!!! Their lockers aren't worth $8000 each... maybe not even $80 each!!! But there are TONS of mirrors!!!

GO RED ROCKS!!!:

Here we are at the Utah Gymnastics meet against Stanford. We were there to watch cute Mary Beth Lofgren (the daughter of one of Stevie's best friends, Dan) compete in all 4 events (which is huge if you don't know gymnastics... especially as a Freshman!!)

Deacon was sporting his "Lil Ute" hat that his Grandpa Stevie bought him! Go Utes!! Go Red Rocks!!

Playdates with Mikey:

Deacon loves his playdates with Mikey Haymond! They have so much fun together!

They Share....

...They Wrestle....

...And then they SLEEP!!!

Okay so they have only both fallen asleep once but they sure do have fun together!!!

I Like The Way You Move....:

Deacon felt like he should walk off some of the delicious breakfast he ate at Eggs in the City(1600 East 1300 South - totally delish and highly recommend if you haven't ever been there)

Deacon is getting so good at walking with help and here he is, with his dad, both in their cute Nike shoes!! I am not dressing them alike these days but they both have LIVESTRONG yellow on their Nike's!!!

He is also getting good at drinking out of a Sippy Cup.

His favorite drink is Odwalla Super Food but since it is green he can only have it when he is sitting in his chair (because he likes to throw his sippy cup as much as he likes to drink from it!!!)

(just moments before the sippy cup was thrown on the ground... we have developed a "strike three" policy these days... three throws on the ground and he loses Sippy Cup privileges!!!)

FEBRUARY

IRB Las Vegas 7's Rugby Tournament:

They boys put together a team again this year and, even though they are getting old and out of shape, ended up playing very well against some serious competition!!

We had so much fun staying in a house in Hendersen with 25 of our favorite people!! Luckily we had a room but I feel bad for the few who ended up on air mattresses in the living room that woke up to 4 happy babies and a toddler every morning!!!

Deacon did SO GOOD watching Rugby all day at Sam Boyd Stadium!! He actually watches the athletes on the field and dances to the music playing. He loved this tournament last year too but he could only kick and flip around in my belly, this year he can actually see what is going on!!!

Apparently he was too busy watching the game to want to smile for a picture!!!

Bubble Baths!!:

Deacon loves baths but he loves BUBBLE baths more!! He found himself in the middle of a tub full of bubbles after he sneaked the soap from me during a bath and figured out how to take the lid off. He had a great time though and since then he is always trying to get a hold of the soap bottle!!!

I have a Benjamin Button on my hands... nice goatee for an 8 month old huh??!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!:

Where's my Valentine??

Peek-A-Boo Valentine!!!

Nana and Melissa played with Deacon so that James and I could go out with some friends for a yummy Valentine's dinner and a movie. It has been MONTHS since J and I have seen a movie and "Just Go With It" was hilarious and the perfect ending to a wonderful Valentine's Day!! Thanks James for being such a wonderful husband and for being my Valentine!!! I Love You!!

I Wonder Where He Gets It?:

Does every child love climbing into the pan drawer? James and I both have pics of us doing this exact same thing when we were babies!!

Happy Day for a Wedding!!!

Karoline and Joe got married on February 19th. They looked so happy and we love having Joe in our family!

Here are the girls at the temple while the newlyweds took pictures! They say rain on your wedding day is good luck and there was plenty of it!!

At the reception later that night... aren't they the cutest couple??!! Both TALL and SKINNY!!!!! Congratulations Joe and Karoline! Marriage is BLISS and we are so glad you found each other!!!

Hide-N-Seek:

Lately I find Deacon in the bathroom, behind the shower curtain looking in at the shower, usually tapping on the tub. This is what I see when I go looking for him.....

Deacon... Where are you???

Here I am Mom!!!

Just the Right Size!!:

How cute is this little chair? Nana bought a Utah chair for Deacon and one for Londyn to lounge in while we hang out outside in the glorious summertime heat!!!

Give me MORE!!!:

Thank you Becky for introducing my son to frosting covered beaters!!!

He couldn't get enough!!!

I will continue to make my little goals to blog, but if I don't quite reach the current one, just know that I will eventually get around to it... EVENTUALLY!!!!

Life and Times!!

2011-01-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

It seems like a lifetime ago but I realized today that I haven't posted about Deacon's first Christmas! Christmas didn't quite feel like Christmas this year. Maybe it is because I really was Santa and so Christmas has lost some of its glitz and glam or maybe it is because Stevie was in the hospital and instead of gift opening taking 7 hours, it maybe took 2 because we were without his clever comments. But whatever the reason, Christmas came and went super fast and if I don't document with some notes, it will be as if Deacon never had a 1st Christmas!!!

So....

I was inspired by one of our friends last year who made homemade eggnog and tried a recipe out myself....

One word: DELISH!

What isn't to love about eggs, milk, and heavy whipping cream... LOTS of heavy whipping cream.... with a little nutmeg on top?

Deacon sat up to the table on Christmas Eve like such a big boy and didn't even make a fuss when the Reindeer antlers would poke him in the face!!

It wouldn't be a first Christmas without Reindeer Bum jams!!

After a big Christmas Eve dinner and party at the bungalow, Deacon was all tired out and knew that he needed to get to sleep if he wanted Santa to come visit him!!

Deacon started CRAWLING on January 2nd, his 7-month birthday!! I couldn't believe my eyes when he took off across the carpet to find his favorite new Mickey Mouse Train!!

Still no teeth yet but Deacon does love to chew on his teething rings!!

He also likes to sit up in a high chair at restaurants (while chewing a celery stick from the appetizer and banging his toy on the table)

and likes to slobber all over Melissa's half Diet, half Classic Coke as if he can actually taste it through the glass!!!

He decided the other day that he didn't want to wear his bib out in front like a normal kid, he wanted it to be a cape...like a superhero!!

Now that Deacon is crawling like a crazy man and starting to climb, I decided it was probably time to have bathtime in the big tub. Deacon LOVES it! He crawls all around after his toys and loves to get mom and dad wet with his big splashes!

I caught him climbing up the stairs the other day... he was already up on to the first stair... YIKES!!

This kid is fearless!!!

Nana bought him a pair of yellow crocs... just like Grandpa Stevie's...

but Grandpa's didn't have a cool Nemo and Dori fish on them!!!

We put Deacon and Londyn in their cars...

Deacon is so tall now that his feet touch the ground and he can make it jump. Sweet little Londyn is just barely able to keep her head up and her little legs dangle a few inches off the ground! It is the cutest thing!!

Deacon was trying to play bumper cars already though and I am afraid that sweet Londyn is going to be influenced by his bad behavior and then we will have two wild and crazy kidlets running around crashing into everything!!

Life goes fast and, as you can see, this little boy has me wrapped around his finger! Maybe the next post will actually have pictures of the rest of us, not just Deacon!!!

2011-01-09T17:09:00.001-07:00

We laid sweet Stevie's mortal body to rest on Wednesday after a wonderful funeral service. Steve would have been so proud of Melissa, James and Thomas for the sweet memories and laughter that were shared with all of Stevie's closest family and friends.

There were tears of sorrow

but there were more tears of laughter

and that is how he would have wanted it.

The Barclay's played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes as we left the church and also at the cemetery. Stevie played with John Barclay when they were younger and Mr. Barclay considered it an honor to play for Steve.

Becky released 23 yellow balloons into the air as a tribute to Steve and his love of LiveStrong yellow and the #23 which was his football number (as well as both of his sons).

Thank you so much to the wonderful boys who loved Steve as much as he loved them for being his pallbearers: Jake Anderson, Armando Chavez, Casey Kiser, TJ Davis, Richard White, Nate Herrscher, Mike Poulsen, and of course, James and Thomas.

Livestrong bands were given to everyone who came so that they could wear the touch of yellow and be reminded of Steve and the mantra he adopted in his courageous fight. Hopefully, as we continue to wear them and honor Steve we will remember to LIVE STRONG in all areas of life, just as he did.

(The cute people, Brook and Deiter, at Larkin, even put LIVESTRONG and a Drum and Feather on the hearse! They are so wonderful!)

After the cemetery we had a party in Steve's honor at Le Gardin (thanks to Pixie a.k.a. Mary Ann Hatch and all her hard work and effort) and it was beautiful!

We miss his jokes and smart comments but his humor and good character definitely live on in his children. They each have his ability to make people laugh with their quick comments and can make friends with anyone and everyone. Those who came to his viewing as well as the funeral could see how many people loved him and cared for him... even old friends from High School that hadn't seen him for years or his old babysitter... the line was a mile long with people and it was such an incredible tribute to Steve and the incredible person he is.

My heart aches when I think about how much I will miss him but I find the words I need in my favorite hymn:

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone, sorrow for forgot,

Love's purest joys restored

When change and tears are past, all safe and blessed

We shall meet at last.

We know this life is a pin prick in the eternities and that we will see him again so soon and until then we know he will be watching over us.

We'll Be Seeing You

2010-12-31T01:13:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Steve returned home to his Father in Heaven yesterday morning, December 29th, after a valiant fight with cancer and the complications that came from his radiation treatments and 14 surgeries. It was so wonderful to have the chance to tell him how much we loved him and to hear him tell us the things he wanted us to know before he passed on. His earthly life was spent making others laugh and we know he is whooping it up in heaven with his jokes and humor. One of our friends told us that Heaven just got a lot more fun with Steve there and we feel comforted and have peace in our hearts that he has no pain and can walk and breathe normal again. He will be so missed by us on Earth but having the gospel in our lives with the Plan of Salvation and knowing we will see him again soon will help us to endure this void that is now in our hearts and lives. We feel blessed that Deacon was able to spend time in his grandpa's arms on this earth and we know that Stevie will always be watching over him and all of us. Deacon and all of our children will know this incredible man and will know what he believed in and what he taught and meant to everyone he came in contact with.

We love you and miss you Stevie but know that you will always be with us!

Thank you for all of the prayers and thoughts offered on Steve's behalf

these past 5 years as he bravely fought his battle.

You will always be with us Steve and we'll be seeing you soon!!!

Has it really been 2 months???

2010-12-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Since this blog thing is really like a journal for our family (and surprisingly I am better at blogging than I am at writing in my journal...2 months for the blog, I can't even count for my journal) I am going to post about the last 2 months of the life and times at the McDermott household, which is sadly 1/4 of Deacon's 6 month life so I really need to get better about doing this!!

October Happenings:

First Family Photos!!!

I would have worn cuter shoes, if only I'd known!!!

I love my handsome boys!!

Disney World!!!

D is thrilled to be headed to our room at Saratoga Springs after a long ride in the airplane and on the Magical Express! Deacon did SO great on the plane, we were SO proud of him!!!

Deacon got a "1st Visit" pin along with a balloon! Ready to head off to the parks in his stroller!

First a dip in the pool! Deacon loved playing in the fountain!!

Magic Kingdom

D wasn't sure he loved dancing with Minnie!!

But he put a BIG smile on his face for Goofy!!

Deacon's first ride on the Merry-go-Round! Deacon also went on Peter Pan, Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean and Mickey's Philharmagic! I can't wait until he can ride on the big rides with me!!!

Deacon is tuckered out after a long day! We are SO glad Nana came with us to Disney World! Not only is she the expert in all things Disney but it was wonderful to have someone to play with at the parks while Dad was in meetings! Thanks Becky, you have no idea how incredibly nice you were to come with us - a slightly different trip than the ones before!!

Epcot

Cogsworth & Lumiere, Chip & Mrs. Potts Topiaries, How cool are these??!!

Deacon LOVED the Nemo ride... Couldn't get enough of Nemo!!

Deacon went straight for the Nemo toy after the ride! Look at those big eyes.... Nana couldn't resist them and bought him the Nemo!!

Of course, Deacon did let her try on millions of hats and smile big for her pictures!! Fair trade!

Asleep after a long day!

Hollywood Studios

Nana trying another hat on Deacon while James and I went to ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror! He is such a good sport!

Animal Kingdom

This is the "tree of life" and there are hundreds of animals carved into its bark.... it is incredible to see!

African Safari!!

It seriously felt like we were on a real safari! The animals are given a huge area to roam and there are no cheesy "play grounds" for them like at the zoo! I was seriously blown away by all the cool animals...this is only a few of them, I was going camera crazy! I loved it! Deacon of course fell asleep with all the bumping and four-wheeling around but I am sure next time he will be able to really enjoy it!!

This was Deacon the whole trip... We would get so excited about something and tell him to look at it and he would be looking everywhere except where we wanted him to!! Like this cool duck 2 feet away from him and all he wants to do is play with his toes!! It was still so fun to have him with us in Disney World and I am sure this is not his last trip there (if his Nana and Grandpa McDermott have anything to say about it!!!)

On our way to ride "It's Tough to be a Bug" in the Tree of Life. This is one of the carvings... Dang cool! I had never been to Animal Kingdom before this trip and I can't wait to take Deacon back when he is a little older... it is like the coolest glorified Zoo you will ever visit!!!

The three of us on the Boardwalk after going to Epcot again so that James could ride Nemo with Deacon! They had such a fun time looking at the fish in the aquarium just outside the Nemo ride!

Deacon was mesmerized by all the fishes, sharks and stingrays!!

Riding the "Easy Riders" motorcycle at the Harley Davidson store in Downtown Disney!

We realized as we were getting ready to leave Disney World that we had a little pirate to take home with us!! The perfect Souvenir!!

My little pirate-without the patch this time!!

Halloween

I already did our Halloween post but since this was part of our last 2 months I thought I'd add it!! We got home from Florida 2 days before the party and it was a little crazy getting it pulled together but it turned out just fine!!

November Happenings:

Deacon started eating Solids!! We started him with Rice Cereal then went to Oatmeal and so far he has had Squash, Bananas, Apples with Blueberries, Peas & Pears!! Yummy!!

He is getting so big so fast!!

Deacon in his Bath Robe!! He still loves bathtime!!

Look at my boy! Sitting up SO big!

At the Hogle Zoo with his cousins Anna & James Fisher

Deacon loves his Uncle Dylan!

I don't have to go to a Zoo to see animals... I have one of my own, named Deacon!!!

Isn't this outfit the cutest??!! His Aunt Melissa found this (and the hat!!!) for my little Giraffe!!

Deacon and his new baby cousin (technically second cousin, but who is keeping track??!!)
Chloe Isabel Cederholm

(the next shot would have been Deacon putting Chloe's blanket right into his mouth...
He is a fast little guy!!) Deacon's Great (and fabulous) Aunt Kathy is holding him while the soon-to-be mom to Londyn Jane (stay tuned) holds onto sweet Chloe giving mom, Katie, & dad, Wayne, a break!!

Introducing: Londyn Jane McDermott
born November 15th, 2010
Happy Parents: Thomas & Bree

The sweet babe at 3 hours old!!

The delivery just wore her out!!! Big Yawn!!

Another big yawn with her Uncle James! Breezy looked so incredibly fabulous after a long difficult labor and delivery. I don't have a pic to document (I am sure to Bree's delight) but just take my word for it! It is amazing what we are willing to go through for these sweet little humans! It still brings me to tears to think back on my experience with Deacon and how amazing life is!

Deacon helping his Grandpa sort through the millions of baskets he brought back from Africa!

He is giving big smiles to his Grandpa Fisher!!

What would Thanksgiving at the McDermott's be without the annual
TURKEY BOWL?

Look at all these crazy guys who braved 7 degree temperatures to play a little flag football in the snow!! Deacon and I showed up 2 hours later (fully bundled) to document these mad men!! (by then it was a glorious 15 degrees!!)

Thanksgiving Dinner

Look at these Turkeys!!
My turkey is 5 1/2 months, sweet Londyn at a week and a half!

Bree & Londyn

Deacon loves his new baby cousin! I love that they are touching each other... well, if one of us wasn't watching very closely, Deacon would probably maul Londyn... luckily James had his hand ready to grab Deacon's if he started batting!!! It is hard to remember Deacon being so small and not moving around all the time... wait, did that ever happen???

Happy Thanksgiving!!

and finally.....

Utah vs. BYU
Enough said!

That has been our life the last 2 months... next time it won't be 2 months before I blog again.... hopefully! If it is though, Merry Christmas from the McDermott's!!

Monster Bash!

2010-11-02T19:14:00.002-06:00

Halloween Party 2010!

Mr & Mrs Incredible and Dash!!

(Yes, Jimmy is wearing - and LOVING - the women's panties and leggings... so superhero-ish!!!)

He is such a good sport!!!

aka: Jimmy, Rosie & Deacon

Sailors and a Grease Monkey (with the wrench!!)

aka: Jake & Erin Splan and Erin Appelbaum

King Tut & Cleopatra

aka: Brad & Niki Harris

(+ baby Harris who will be making an appearance at next years party!!!)

French Painter with Mona Lisa

aka: Jeff & Caitlin Beck

(Eeyore, aka Jackson came too!! (but the pic is too dark))

Chilean Miners

aka: Jake & Casey Anderson

Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia & Yoda

aka: Chet, Shalee & Bronx Blassuci

Graceful Ballerina & Thug-Life Gangsta

aka: Garreth & Jessica Long

Blue Haired Beauty with her Ladybug and Horse

(and husband who didn't want to dress up... BORING!!)

aka: Nate, Wendy, Barrett & Keira Herrscher

"Chet" with Halloween Spider Lady(??!!!) & Cutie in a Car Seat!

aka: Richard, Emily & Cannon White

(Em... This picture is kinda blurry so if you have one let me know!!!)

Yip Yip Martians from Sesame Street

aka: TJ & Alex Davis

(this was my favorite costume!!!)

Zimbabwean Bobsled Team

aka: Jason Pye & Ben Nichols

(they left our party to go pick up on the chicks at other parties (with Wrestling Champion Dave Bonnemort who I totally forgot to get a picture of!!... NOT Gay, just good friends!!!)

Sorry boys, had to clarify for some people!!!

You would make a cute couple though... the Lycra is super hot!!!

Gold Digger with her Sugar Daddy!!

aka: Preston & Jamyn Miller

Cutest Green Dragon Monster Ever!! (and his parents!)

aka: Brian, Megan & Mikey Haymond

(didn't snap a pic of the Harmon's either... I will be better on my game next year!!!)

White House Party Crashers!!

With Minnie Mouse and Elvis!!

(yes that is Emmie's real hair... she makes a perfect Elvis at 3 months old!!!)

aka: Mike, Juliann, Lucy & Emily May Law

... and Pres. Obama, of course.

Thanks for coming to the party this year! Can't wait for next Halloween!!!

We missed the Johnson's, Kiser's, Hatch's and Kimball's but hopefully you will be able to make it next year!!!

The Boys of Fall!!!

2010-10-21T23:50:00.001-06:00

It has been 6 weeks since my last post and before I know it Christmas will have come and gone!!!
... school is SO overrated and is totally putting a damper on my blogging!

So much has happened in Deacon's little life in the last 6 weeks and since I am constantly getting texts and e-mails requesting the latest pics of my sweet boy I am doing a quick blog of the last 6 weeks in pictures!!!

Deacon has loved cheering on his favorite Utes!! (Thanks Grandpa Stevie)

He couldn't wait to go to his first game... Waiting patiently for our ride!!

Look at those cutie socks with the Drum & Feather covering his little feet!!!

Utah vs. Pitt

Deacon was having so much fun watching the game he could hardly look away...even for a quick picture!! He was SO good and actually slept through most of the game...even with all the cheering! I had forgotten how loud the stadium gets but he did just fine!!

That first game against Pitt was so emotionally exhausting that using the pacifier alone wouldn't cut it for our boy... he had to make room for his thumb in his mouth too!!!

Utah vs. UNLV

Utah vs. SJSU

Deacon has cheered on his Utes both at Rice Eccles (again, thanks to Grandpa Stevie) and on TV... hopefully we will get to cheer them all the way to a BCS Bowl Game again!!!

Go Utes!!

Deacon is getting so strong and tries to keep his body from laying back... I have resorted to using the straps that came with his swing so he doesn't fall out! But he sure loves is stuffed dog friend Truffles from his Aunt Melissa!! Such a big boy these days!!!

Deacon with his cousin James Ross

(well, first cousin once removed if you really want to get technical but to us, he is cousin James!!!)

Deacon loves watching Sunday afternoon football games with Grandpa!

He is so serious!!

We could SO be German!!

Up at Oktoberfest at Snowbird!

Deacon makes a pretty cute German man too!!!

Deacon's first time at Snowbird... Daddy can't wait to have a little Ski buddy!!!

Daddy had to have another go at the naked rugby pics... This time Deacon seems to actually be enjoying it!! Look at those rolly-polly arms!! Ohh, I love this boy!!

Already practicing his form touching the ball down in the Try zone!!!

For now though, he will just have to settle for watching his Dad play!

Utah Rugby Alumni Game 2010!

Found this hat at Janie & Jack... does he not look like Great Grandpa Elden Fisher??!!

So Handsome!!!

Mowing the lawn with Dad!

(it wasn't until after they edged that we thought it would be smart to put sunglasses on him to protect his eyes!!! Oops.. we are still figuring out this whole parenting thing!! ...Next time!!!

Deacon is checking out his cousin Chloe & Mia's new wheels!!

He has got to look out for these lovely ladies and make sure their new ride is perfect!!

BIG smiles for his Aunt Melissa!!

My so sleepy boys!

Deacon's "lead up to a BIG sneeze" face!!!

SO Hilarious!!

Looking so serious in his seersucker suit!!

Look at his big cheeks... I just love to pinch them!!...And his necks too!!!

Deacon's first haircut! Well, just a trim in the back so his mullet wasn't quite so "sweet" for our family pictures (coming soon!!)

And my favorite picture of the last 6 weeks is.....

"I'm SO glad when Daddy comes home!!!"

This was Deacon's first time seeing his Dad in 4 days! He had really missed him!!

(mom's face was beaming just as much to see her sweet husband home from his business trip!!!)

Aren't my boys darling???!!!!

And the Days Go By

2010-08-26T13:04:00.000-06:00

How is it already the end of August? My summer has been a blur with adjusting to life as a mom and figuring out this sweet little gift from heaven! I have had great intentions of blogging (3 weeks ago, 2 weeks ago, last week...) but most days I am just grateful I showered!!!

We celebrated Jimmy's Birthday and Deacon and I made a delicious dinner of Salmon with cucumber dill sauce, roasted corn-on-the-cob and fruit with a fun Ginger Snap/Pineapple/Mango Ice Cream dessert!! Then we took off the next day, with Deacon in tow, to the Zermatt Resort in Midway to spend the weekend (as a kind-of combined birthday get-away!!) On the way there we decided to stop at a cutie little diner on the corner by Jimmy's grandparents cabin in Oakley called The Rhode Island Diner!

It is a real diner over 70 years old that was transplanted from Rhode Island to the small town of Oakley, Utah.

Everything is authentic...even down to the names of the waitresses - each of them take a name from the 40's and 50's! There was a Shirley and a Cora and a kid named Marvin!

It was so cute!

They even had little juke boxes at each table and Jimmy and I chose a Beach Boys song!

(right after we heard Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, which totally reminds me of my Grandpa Nix's 80th birthday party!!) It was a total blast and the shakes were DELISH!!!

- How fun are these long spoons??!! (Deacon is just mad he couldn't have any of Dad's shake!!)

Deacon was such a good boy and even though we brought up a pack-and-play for him to sleep in, his daddy thought it would be fun to try him out in our bed for a little bit!!

We had Sunday Brunch at Sneitter's restaurant at the Zermatt then went to Park Silly! (No big deal, they were having a "Miss Park Silly" contest so we stopped to watch and who were the contestants?? - CROSS DRESSERS, of course!!! Why should we expect anything less in Park City on a Sunday afternoon??!!!)

Jimmy wanted tickets to the Scorpions for his birthday (and since Poison isn't coming this summer we had to go to some kind of rock concert!!!) so we went to Usana and, although it wasn't quite as crowded as a Poison concert, the people watching was still fantastic!!!

And you've gotta LOVE rock concerts... Nothing like the drummer toasting the crowd and chugging a beer on stage then telling us that "[We] kick ASS" then having him take off his shirt and tattooed all down his back are the words "Rock and Roll Forever"... What isn't to love? No wonder they attract such strange people - seriously, you wonder where they come from because you could swear you have never seen people like this in Utah - Well maybe at the state fairs!! Deacon was lucky enough to get to play with his Aunts, Melissa and Bree and Nana Becky while we people watched and waited, and waited, and waited for them to FINALLY sing "Rock You Like A Hurricane" (which happened to be the LAST song they sang) but the Birthday Boy wanted to stay until he had heard it LIVE...!!!

The things we do for the ones we love!!!

Next was Grandpa Steve's Birthday and he wanted to go to Gateway and bum around after eating at California Pizza Kitchen. They boys went to Dick's Sports while the girls went shopping and Deacon had a great time playing with all the athletic gear and touching all the different cleats and balls!!

He is already a fearless football player with his face mask!!!

And he loved having his hand in the tiniest baseball mitt they could find!! (Yes, Jimmy has a brace on his thumb... luckily he didn't break it playing rough in the pool a few weeks ago but he gets to wear this brace around for a few weeks!!!)

Grandpa Steve couldn't let Deacon leave the store without the Baseball Mitt, a Football and a Basketball - All too big for him right now but I have a feeling some day soon my boys will be playing with them for hours and hours!! Jimmy is such a good dad and I know he is looking forward to really being able to play with Deacon and teach him all he knows about sports, but the smiles and his "chats" with him are melting his heart for now!!!

Deacon loves to play with his toys and spends lots of time chatting with them! Apparently this helps with Eye-Hand coordination and lately, he is loving it!!!

Look how big my boy is getting!!! Ohh my gosh, I am loving his little rolls and the "rubber band wrists"

- Did you know it was possible to have rolls behind your knees??

I didn't either... but for my sweet growing boy that loves his foodies, anything is possible!!!

Deacon loves his little Bebe Pod that helps him sit up... and the toy that stands on the tray! He is seriously concentrating in the picture but loves to hear the noises it makes and the colors when he gets it spinning around!!

He is big into sucking his thumb these days... But he isn't sure where to put his other fingers that aren't in his mouth.. they usually end up being straight up, covering his eye and nose!!! At least he hasn't adopted the "around the nose" hook with his index finger that his Aunt Lydia was so good at!!!

Deacon met his Uncle Dylan for the first time on Monday... and I feel like I met Dylan for the first time too... what is this beard? Who is this guy? I guess 4 months in Seattle and you come back as a mountain man!! I am so glad he is home and I am glad he had to come back for school, otherwise I have a feeling he would have loved to stay in Seattle forever!!! He met a cute girl up there the week before he was scheduled to come home but instead stayed until the 11th hour then drove 15 hours on Sunday so he could start school on Monday!!!

How cute is this picture? I think it is one of my favorites!! Deacon has such a big smile and it just captures so perfectly how much his Grandpa Steve and Nana Becky love him! And how much he loves them!!!

Deacon loves his Baby Bjorn!...

Well, he does now that we figured out how he is supposed to wear it!! I am surprised he was able to fall asleep with his arms out like this... I didn't read the directions before I strapped him in to find out that his little arms actually go BELOW the flaps... hehe, no wonder he looked so funny in it the first little while!!!

Deacon loves his daddy!!

And loves to take long naps after church like his daddy too!!

I can't believe it has been 3 months already! I am loving each stage that Deacon is in and it already seems like I don't remember when he didn't smile or chat with us with his cute little voice!!

It is all going way too fast!!!

Farmer's Markets!!

2010-08-09T11:11:00.001-06:00

I love the Summer! Not only because of the glorious sunshine and pools and flip flops and Molokai SnowCones but also for the Farmer's Markets!!! Farmer's Markets are so much fun! We love to see what creative things people come up with! We went up to the Canyon's this last Wednesday to the Farmer's market up there and found some fabulous things! This one girl had figured out how to make car seat covers that don't go up over the handle, they just stretch over the it! It is so fabulous! It doesn't make Deacon's car seat feel quite as heavy when I am carting him around in it!

And it has a little peek-a-boo hole for them to look out of and stay nice and cozy inside!

Deacon had so much fun up there that he ended up throwing up all over his uncle Thomas! This picture was taken after we got smart and decided to put a burp cloth on his shoulder!! Thomas is such a good sport!

This is the second time Deacon has done this...Thomas must have that effect on him!! No, Deacon really does love his uncle Thomas!!!

Since we had so much fun at the Canyon's I decided that, for my birthday, I wanted to go to the Farmer's Market downtown at Pioneer Park then go up to the Park City Arts Festival! (I planned to also throw in an afternoon at the pool, but we had too much fun at the Festival to leave early!!) My birthday started out with a yummy breakfast prepared by my sweet husband while my sweet son continued to sleep soundly in his bed (10 hours has been his average night... I am LOVING it!!) then we were off to the Farmer's Market! I found some fun headbands that will be perfect for the Utah Football Games this fall and some other cute hair buttons!

I am so grateful for creative and talented people so I can buy their stuff!!!

The Arts Festival was so incredible! I love to see how talented some people are... and how unoriginal others are (Like the guy who took photographs then just painted a clear glaze over them to make them look like original paintings - they still looked cool but, come on!!)

We saw lots of people we know up there like the Gray girls -(we missed seeing Sharon and Gray because they had sneaked away before we ran into Marti, Sheridan & Alicia) and Rachel and Sophie Brenchley! Fun to run into people you haven't seen for a while!!

Deacon was such a good boy the whole day and I couldn't have had a better first birthday as a mom!!

Friday Night we spent at a Pool party/ Birthday get-together for Jeff Beck at Caitlin's parent's house! It was so fun and the weather was beautiful for most of the evening until heavy rain, wind and lightening took us inside!! I love getting all the little boys (and the one token girl) together! There's Bronx (in the Superman shirt) who is just over a year, then Jackson (Orange and white stripes) who is just over 4 months, Mikey (dark blue) who is just over 5 months, Deacon, then little Londyn (who is 5 months old but weighs as much as my 2 month old Deacon...both at 12 lbs!! Actually, I think Deacon probably weighs more than that by now!!)

We can't wait to welcome little boy White in a couple of weeks... it will be such a blast next summer when they are all crazy splashing in the pool together!! Megan Haymond taught me how to blow in Deacon's face so that he holds his breath and I can dunk him under the water! (She teaches swimming lessons so if any of you need a fabulous teacher for your kidlets let me know!!) She had cute Mikey and Bronx swimming under the water and loving it!!

Here are a few more pics of my sweet and gloriously happy life with Deacon!

He is so smiley these days!! Ohh, I love this boy!!

Ohh SO Tired!!

Just chatting with his toys!!

Daddy wanted to play with Deacon's toys too! Deacon loves his little yellow fishy and reading his books (especially "I Love Monkey"... cutest children's book ever!!)

Deacon is always kicking his legs so we thought he would like his jumper...

...hmmm...Not so much just yet!!

Deacon's Blessing

2010-08-02T17:43:00.000-06:00

James blessed Deacon yesterday and did a fabulous job! I am so in love with James and I love that he is worthy of his Priesthood so that he can bless our family! He blessed Deacon that he will be a good influence on the lives of those he comes in contact with and I know that, just like his dad, he will grow up to be a wonderful man! I am so proud of my boys and I am so lucky to be able to call them mine forever!!

I talked James into wearing his blue seersucker suit that matched one we found for Deacon and he agreed... Don't they look so handsome??!!

How cute is he in his white shirt!! (Thanks Kathy for searching for the perfect size!!)

Deacon was such a sweetheart and didn't make a peep during the blessing and then fell asleep until almost noon! He was passed around from one arm to another and didn't even stir! I don't know why he was so sleepy...being blessed just wears him out, I guess!

(He slept 10 hours straight last night!! Wowza!!)

His Uncle Thomas broke out his soon-to-be-dad skills and fed Deacon his lunch! Deacon loves eating from a bottle... it goes so much faster and sometimes too fast and he ends up choking and coughing for a moment before he is back at it!! He didn't gain 5 lbs in 2 months for lack of loving his food!!!

He actually did a great job for having never fed a baby before and I know he will be a great dad when Londyn Jane makes her grand entrance in November!

We had a great brunch after the blessing and, thanks to Melissa & Bree, it was totally stress free for me! They got everything pulled together (and then cleaned up afterward) and it all looked so fabulous!

Deacon is officially 2 months old today!

I took him to his 2-month check-up last Tuesday and found out that he weighs 12 lbs already and is 22 1/4 inches long. That puts him in the 60th percentile for his weight and 25th for his height... so he is my short, fat little boy that I just LOVE and can't stop kissing!!

Look at those arms and his double chin and big belly!! Ohh my gosh, I can't believe that 2 short months ago he was just a little 7 lb 4 oz little skinny boy and now look at him!!! It just confirms that his momma's milk really is heavy cream and he loves it!!!

He also had his 2 month immunization shots and I can honestly say that his momma cried more about the shots than he did!! Just talking about him getting the shots and having to just hold him while he was being poked made me cry! (... could be the hormones!) But he did so good and, thanks to the wonderful invention of Tylenol pain reliever/fever reducer, he didn't seem to have much, if any, pain and he didn't develop a fever which I learned some immunizations can cause!!

Here are a few more pics of the center of my universe!!!

His daddy can't wait for him to really be able to play with his squishy rugby ball instead of just touch it with his fingers!!! - In that outfit he could be a throw pillow on my bedding!!!

24th of July BBQ at the McDermott's!

He is all smiles and cute noises these days!!!

Deacon loves to sing "Pat-A-Cake", "Wheels on the Bus", "5 Little Monkeys" and "I'm A Little Tea Pot" with the arm motions and read books and look at all his bright colored toys!!

We are still working on getting him to love Tummy Time!!

Nothing but Blue Skies

2010-07-19T18:46:00.000-06:00

Since our lives now revolve around this sweet little bundle of joy I thought I would post a few of the 99 pictures I just imported into iPhoto... It's a good thing everything is digital these days... could you imagine what it would cost to have 99 pictures developed every week at the photo lab? And where would we put them all?? Another reason why I am so thrilled to be living in these times!!

Deacon usually sleeps with his hands up by his head, even when he is in the swing but he decided to sleep with his hands outstretched in the air instead!! Oh, he makes us laugh!!

Deacon loved playing in the pool at Great Grandpa & Grandma McDermott's on Saturday! He was so happy... didn't even cry!!

Look at his big belly hanging over his swim trunks!! They are actually an inch too big around his belly normally but he was just so relaxed in the sunshine that he was letting it all hang out!!!

He had a lot of fun hanging out with his Aunt Bree at the pool too and thinking about how much fun he and little Londyn Jane will have next summer splashing in the water!!

He loves those hooded towels...

Just relaxing with Dad on the swing after a long afternoon of swimming... look how chubby my little boy is getting??!! Ohh, I am loving it!!!

His first Sunday going to Church!! He looked so darling in his little blue striped outfit with the cutie suspenders!!! One of these days we are going to hire a photographer to take family pictures... I think we maybe have 2 pictures total that have all three of us in it!! Until then we will continue the switcheroo!!

Grandpa Steve bought an "infant" sized University of Utah baseball hat for Deacon... It's a little bit big for our "Lil Ute" right now, even on backwards but we still have another month before Utah Football games begin for him to grow!! And growing is what he does best right now... and pooping but that's another story!!

All tuckered out after a long fun weekend!!

Sweet Child of Mine

2010-07-11T17:45:00.001-06:00

Like Father Like Son...

I always wondered what qualities Deacon would have of his dad and even at the young age of 5 weeks, one of those qualities is very apparent:

His LOVE of 80's Rock!!!

James and I put Deacon in his swing so we could get a birthday dinner together for my Dad last week and he was just not loving it! We tried his pacifier, putting the swing on the highest setting (which he normally loves) then, as an attempt to calm him, I pushed play on the I-pod thinking it was set to the mix I had made for him with songs from Enya, George Winston, Yanni, Pachelbel, etc. However, it happened to be on another mix of 80's butt rock, the song: "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns 'n Roses and Deacon quieted right down!!! He was totally digging it!! And within a few moments, his eyes were closed and he was a complete angel!! Of course his dad was so proud!!

I tried the 80's rock mix a few days later at the McDermott's, this time it was a Poison song that quieted him right down!!

I don't get it!

We always said James had been born in the wrong era with his love of 80's Rock but at least he was actually born during the 80's so it makes some sense... however, where Deacon got his love for the 80's is a quality I am sure only he and his dad will share!!

Actually, James and Deacon will share many more qualities I am sure since they look so much alike! This is a picture of Jimmy when he was a month old:

Deacon at one month:

Deacon's eyes are a little more open in this picture and he doesn't have his mouth open but I think they look so much alike! From their cheeks to how their mouths hang open and their ears and noses!!
Ohh, I love my handsome boys!!

Friday night was the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life in Riverton and a woman Melissa and Bree work with at Lighting Design organized a team! Steve got a shirt with "survivor" on the back of it and he and Thomas made the lap around the course after the dinner.

We are so proud of Steve and his amazing attitude as he has been fighting this battle for the last 4 1/2 years and still has a long road ahead of him! He is so strong and is such an incredible grandfather to our little Deacon!!

We love him so much and are full of hope as he continues to be a Survivor!!

Deacon made his first splashes in the pool yesterday! He couldn't tell if he totally loved it or not but as we continued to place his little feet in the water he decided he didn't mind the water!!

We even got a smile out of him!!

Then Grandma McDermott took him further into the water... getting him wet up to his back! As long as she was holding him close to her he was totally content! I am sure that next summer he will be quite the little fish!! And even though he got his Dad's love of 80's rock and playing in the pool, I like to think he also got his Mom's love of laying by the pool like he did with his grandma and soaking up the lovely sun!!

4 Weeks Old Already!!

2010-06-30T20:32:00.001-06:00

Our little Deacon is 4 weeks old today... Already!! It is hard to believe that a short month ago he was not officially part of our lives! He has filled our lives with so much more love

from how perfectly his sleepy little body fills our arms

to how the place where your shoulder and neck meet suddenly seems made for him to snuggle his head into! It feels like he has always been here with us ...probably because he always has and he was just waiting to come fill that place in our hearts!!

He is such a sweetheart and we really don't know what we did right to get such a darling little babe but we sure love him!!

He even makes us smile when he is very mad - we just laugh, it is the cutest little scream!!

He is already sleeping 7-8 hours at night and his mom couldn't be happier!! I don't know what I will do if the next one isn't this wonderful!! Probably take everyone up on their offers to come play with the babe so I can rest!!

He watched his Dad play Rugby for the first time at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday!

The boys played really well for their first-ever tournament (or even game for that matter!!) and made it to the finals!! Jason Pye put together a talented team and Deacon and I look forward to many more
7's tournaments this summer and being Jimmy's adoring fans!!

Beautiful Boy!!

2010-06-13T13:10:00.000-06:00

We welcomed

Deacon James McDermott

into the world on June 2 at 6:58 pm! He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and was 20 inches long!

I was induced at 7:15 am and our sweet boy came almost 12 glorious hours later! After my epidural it was smooth sailing and we even watched some of the French Open!

James did ask our nurse after I had been in labor for about 6 hours when "active labor" would start... he was fully expecting the movie version of childbirth (with the woman screaming at her husband for "doing this to her") and having to use the breathing techniques he learned as a
Labor Partner in our Childbirth classes to help calm his angry wife...haha! Lucky for him there was none of that but I do love that he was preparing himself for the worst!!!

It has already been 11 days and I can't stop kissing this sweet babe!!

I love to just sit and hold him and watch all his funny facial expressions as he sleeps in my arms...like he is doing this very moment!!! He has his mommy and daddy wrapped around all 10 fingers (and toes too for that matter!!) and we just can't get enough! He is a really good eater and loves to sleep! In fact, I usually have to wake him from his sweet dreams to nurse him, especially at night!! Hopefully this means that by the time his little body is big enough to go 7 hours without nourishment he will sleep through the night!! My mom keeps reminding me that not all babies are like our little Deacon (and she would know...she had 7 of her own!!!) so we feel blessed to have gotten so lucky this time around!!

Here are a few pics...

A Utah Man, Sir!!

Coming home from the Hospital...Not loving the Car Seat so much!!!

Watching his first Rugby game with Daddy...well, sort of!!

Dreaming sweet dreams in his Giraffe Swing!!

Being Loved by his cousins!!

Deacon with all of his cousins & Grandpa & Grandma Fisher

...this was hilarious trying to get all the kids pulled together!!!

Ohh so sleepy!

Past My Due Date and I'll Cry If I Want To!!!

2010-05-27T13:03:00.001-06:00

Went to my Dr this morning and found out that I am no more dilated or effaced since last Friday when I saw her last... I have gained 2 more pounds though!!! I am officially PAST my due date and she said she was surprised I hadn't gone into labor since there were two girls she also saw last Friday who were dilated and effaced as much as I was that have both had their babies!! Not this girl though!!

What kills me is that I have done EVERYTHING possible to induce labor since last Friday from Pedicures to walking up and down stairs, even cleaning my carpets, eating THE pizza from Trio, even nipple stimulation and everything else under the sun (other than the castrol oil... not so sure, even if I was beyond desperate, that I would attempt that... kudos to the crazy women who do!!!) to induce labor and they have all proved futile!! And not only did they not induce labor but they didn't even dilate or efface me any more that I was 6 days ago!! Fantastic!! So to all you ladies who are prego, good luck with the home remedies to get you going since I was not so lucky!!!

I must have just made life inside my belly too comfortable or something and he doesn't want to come out! He still thinks he has the room to move around (not just kick but full on MOVE) and even surprised my doctor this morning with how active he still is - that's my boy, always stretching his limits (and his mom's!!!). Sometimes I wonder if I even want him to come out at all since I have a sneaking suspicion he is already going to be a handful!!!

I will be induced on June 2nd though if he hasn't made his appearance before then but I did just learn that my doctor will be out of town this weekend (of course!!) so hopefully he doesn't decide anytime from Saturday to Monday afternoon is a good time to come, otherwise she will miss the whole thing!! We even tried talking her into Inducing me today but with my progress so far I was only putting up a "7" on some Bishop Scale thing and in order to have a voluntary induction I have to at least score a "10"... James asked if it were possible to earn extra credit points but unfortunately there is no getting around it!!!

Talk about the LONGEST month of my life!!! Wish me luck!!

New Additions at the McDermott's!!!

2010-05-02T14:49:00.003-06:00

It has been 3 months since our last post and so here is our attempt to catch you up on what we've been doing.

Starting with our soon-to come addition: Deacon James McDermott!!

Deacon would not hold still for long during his 3D ultrasound... It was fun to be able to feel/see him move around my belly while watching him on the TV screen!! So that's what he is doing in there when my tummy goes bump!!! He was holding on to the umbilical cord and wouldn't stop moving to get some really good pics but this one will hold us over until he makes his grand entrance May 26th (or sooner would be totally cool with me) and we couldn't be more excited! We are already totally in love with the little guy... we just haven't met him yet!! I guess we cheated by doing the 3D ultrasound (and totally wigging out our parents who "can't believe this kind of technology is possible because back when we were having babies.....") but we just couldn't resist another look at this little wiggler!! We think he has my nose and lips... hopefully we will be able to see more of his daddy in him when he is officially here!! It has been fun to watch the little guy grow and thought you might like to see how he has changed his moms tummy since week 16! ...I can't wait to look like that again!!!

Make your own picture slideshow

We have almost finished the nursery (pictures to come soon) but the office project has FINALLY been completed so we thought we would show you how it turned out! It looks fabulous and I am so proud of James and all of his hard work! I remember him telling me he was freaking out when he took out the door jamb thinking he didn't know what he was doing- the next thing we know, the room was completely gutted and there was no turning back!!! He did a great job learning how to use all the tools he has been collecting over the past few years but it might be a long while before we jump into another big project like that!!

To catch the full effect of the whole start to finish ordeal that started as "just adding French Doors to open up the space and make it seem more like an office"...watch the slide show!!!

Another free photo slideshow by Smilebox

We will be better about posting in the future... just a crazy few months at the McDermott's!!!

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-02-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

I took my first official trip to Vegas last weekend with Jimmy and some old Rugby guys and their wives for the Vegas 7's Rugby Tournament. James and his friends entered a team

into the social division of the tournament that ended up being combined with elite division due to so many teams dropping out at the last minute! They played two teams in the Elite division, the Samurai, an up-and-coming team from the UK, and another one, I think from Argentina, and definitely got their butts handed to them but considering they had walked out of their cars onto the field early Friday morning without even passing the ball to each other, they didn't do that bad!! Then the cheering squad

showed up and they won the rest of the games they played! We missed Alicia, Addy and Jamyn but there is always next year!!

It was so fun to see the boys all playing together again! I have missed watching Jimmy play Rugby and definitely got some good shots!!

I think we are going to make this an annual event and I am already getting excited for next year! Of course, we will have added 3 more kidlets to the bunch by then but that will just add to the excitement...right??

Saturday and Sunday were spent watching the REAL Rugby 7's with the professional players! There were 16 countries

that entered and it was so fun to watch them all! The USA Eagles played really well and ended up winning the Bowl but the New Zealand All Blacks took the tournament!! Of course! It really was so fun to sit in the sun and watch Rugby - Best of both worlds for me and James!!!

Since I was a Vegas Virgin they took me to "The Strip" and I got to see all the fun places you see in movies - The Bellagio fountains, real Casino's (not just the kind you get on Cruise Ships) and even though James and I didn't gamble, we ended up losing almost $1000 on car issues that came up on the trip - SO FUN!!! (Sorry Preston and Pye for having to spend the night in St. George after we had just had our car apparently fixed 36 hours before - That's the last time you ask for a ride from us huh??!!!) But I keep telling myself that there was probably a reason our car decided to have even MORE issues so that we couldn't make it home Sunday night like we had hoped!! We would have been leaving St. George at 8:30-ish after a long day in the sun - so probably best that we got a good night's sleep and left on Monday morning!

Since we didn't quite make it home Sunday for James to meet my brother Dave with a Mini-Excavator early Monday morning to dig out the windows in our basement, James got to do it by hand when we got home! He dug down almost 5 feet so that we could continue on schedule with the appointments set for Tuesday to cut the concrete and place the new window for the office!

It looks awesome and you don't feel like you are in a basement when you are in the room so that will be nice for Jay to work in everyday when the little guy comes into our lives! I appreciate him working so hard to get it done!

I have officially grown out of my last pair of Jeans. I knew this day would come but I now no longer own any jeans that I don't have to have completely unbuttoned to wear! Thank heavens for Belly Bands! I know eventually I may have to buy the dreaded pregnancy pants but since my legs still fit in my jeans, I will prolong that day until the Belly Band is no longer cutting it!!

Weekend at the Lazy H

2010-02-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

Dave & Irene Hatch invited us and some other friends up to their fabulous Lazy H Ranch for a little weekend get away!

It was so much fun! We chatted and played games on Friday then took the

4-Wheelers out to check out the "Wolf Moon", apparently the biggest brightest moon of 2010. It didn't look super huge from our vantage point in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Utah

but it was still bright enough to light our midnight adventure!! The next morning the boys were actually the ones in the kitchen cooking a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and fruit -

I had to document such a momentous occasion - if only to remind myself that miracles do happen!!! After breakfast it was out on the 4-wheelers again to go shooting and explore the millions of trails throughout the Lazy H Ranch!

I shot a 22 pistol for the first time - Yes, the very same one Richard shot himself with 2 weeks before entering the MTC - Sorry Rich, just had to throw that in there!!! It was so freaking loud - I felt so cool, all Police officer style!! Then we set up some cans of soda and bottles of water to aim at with the rifle Richard brought up!

Dave said we could shoot at anything "smaller than a Chicken" but since we could only find wildlife tracks, we had to resort to bottles and soda cans!!! - Not that I could have even attempted to shoot a poor little animal -

I will stick to Clay Pigeons!!! HeHe! After we shot through most of the ammunition we decided to continue our explorations!! We came to "crossings" in the trail that crossed over frozen rivers - well, frozen over before we drove through them!! The water progressively got deeper and deeper with each crossing and the ice chunks became thicker and thicker!!

Some ice chunks were almost 2 inches thick!! Wowza!! It was a totally fun weekend get away and I am excited for our trip to Las Vegas in a few weeks to watch the 7's rugby tournament - The boys have put together a team so it will be fun to see Jimmy play Rugby again! You can be sure I will be documenting every move he makes!!

I am officially 23 weeks today!

I have also officially gained 20 lbs!! YIKES! My doctor was so proud of me for "finally putting on some weight" - SOME weight??? Hello, that evens out to almost a pound a week! But it has been so fun to start feeling the little guy kick - and even be able to see it! We were sitting at dinner tonight and he was going CRAZY! I have a sneaking suspicion this little guy is going to be quite a handful! But we are getting more and more excited every second! We haven't started on the baby's room yet because the "office renovation" is still underway - It will really be fabulous when it is all done but it has just been such a process - you can't do one thing until something else is done! I am getting excited for the "Big Reveal" coming hopefully sometime in the next few weeks!!!