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Most of this week is a blur, trying to keep most things functioning somewhat normally while Kim recovers and Mark figures out how to sleep more than two hours at a time. Grandma Mills was here most of the week, and she helped with chaufer duties and such, and I worked half-days most of the week. In the end we survived, Kim is close to being back on her feet , and I think Mark may have slept 3 hours once… I don’t remember, maybe that was me who only managed three hours of sleep.

Caleb received his Wolf badge at Pack Meeting this week. Trent lost his first two teeth — even though the permanent teeth had already grown in behind weeks ago — he looked like a shark with his extra rows of teeth. Alec graduated from the cardboard box ‘violin’ at lesson this week and gets to play the real thing now — even though he can’t hold it with a brace on his left hand.

Enjoy the pictures!

I took most of the week off of work this week, due to the birth of Mark Aaron Slade. It’s been a crazy week, and we’ve definitely been feeling like it seems exponentially harder to stay on top of things than it was just a week ago. But I’m sure we’ll get back to some sort of routine and manage through within a few weeks. I guess it just means more of the less important stuff will fall off the plate as we have to give more focus to what is important to us.

Last Sunday afternoon, Kim and I were getting ready to go into the hospital, thinking it may be time. Just a few minutes before the grandparents arrived to take the boys to church, Alec’s hand got smashed in a window that closed unexpectedly on him. We saw that he was hurt pretty badly, but in all the distraction, it wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon after Mark was born that we were able to take him to have it checked. Turns out he did have multiple fractures in his hand. The good news is everything looks in good shape to heal back up, but he will be in a splint or cast for several weeks - we’ll see what the orthopedic specialist says this week.

Oh, and this week should be a fun one, now with Kim needing to be seen for follow-up, Mark needing to go in, Caleb needing dental work, and Alec getting his hand checked. I hope to work only half days this week, and Grandma Mills will be here, too, so maybe it won’t be so bad. Hopefully Trent won’t feel left out and decide he needs to get in on the action

I was disappointed and frustrated by an experience at Sacrament Meeting today. I had heard of an investigator who was planning to come to church, but hadn’t met him yet. I happened to meet him in the foyer just before the meeting, standing alone looking a bit lost. I had to go collect my children (since Kim stayed home today), and I also had to leave him there, but invited him to join us in the pew. Another family got there first, and he and the missionaries ended up sitting back a row, all by themselves. It was frustrating to me because I wasn’t available to be more involved, but more so because there are those in the ward (ward missionaries) who have the direct responsibility to be welcoming and fellowshipping visitors and such. Why wasn’t someone assigned to meet him at the door? How did it end up that he sat alone with the sister missionaries? There’s nothing wrong with the sisters, but it’s the wards responsibility to fellowship and build those relationships.

The experience reminded me of some teaching I received in the mission field on the conversion process - I don’t know the original source, but Elder Scott covered the topic in a General Conference address in 1997. To have a full and lasting conversion, it has to happen on three levels:

• A spiritual conversion, in which one feels the witness of the Holy Ghost and develops a desire to come unto Jesus Christ
• A doctrinal conversion, learning the principles and commandments of the restored Gospel, and commiting to follow them
• A social conversion, which involves learning new patterns of life and developing a new social circle

Elder Scott says:

the social transition … is the most difficult to achieve. It is best accomplished with the love and support of members. Your worthy example and caring support can lead them through each step required to learn to live as a Latter-day Saint. This social transition requires careful nurturing and help to teach new patterns of life, to introduce new friends, and to assist the new converts to be obedient and begin to serve in the Church.

I believe it is hard for me to appreciate the magnitude of such changes for people coming into the church. There is so much more to it than just teaching them a few lessons and having them baptized, and that is why it is critical that the ward is involved early and often

Mark Aaron Slade was born Tuesday, November 7th, 2006, at 4:30am. He weighed in at 6lbs 12oz, and was 20.5in long. Mark came a bit earlier than we expected (two weeks early), but everything went smoothly, and he came out fully cooked with a thick head of hair.

Kim and Mark stayed in the hospital for just one day — she found the hospital to not be very restful, what with doctors and nurses coming in, other doors banging, etc. The older boys were all thrilled to have her home, though. It’s definitely nice to have our family all together.

We are excited to have Mark in our family, and happy he is very strong and healthy. It’s been a few years since Alec was born, and we’re still trying to find all the baby ’stuff’ stashed away in various boxes and closets. And I don’t remember being nearly this tired before… is that just my selective memory or is that the factor of four? Probably both.

There are more pictures here, and I’m sure there will be plenty more in the future.

The big news this week… no news.  Today started out interesting with two trips to the hospital, thinking that Kim’s body was kicking into gear and getting ready to have the baby.  But nothing so far.  It may be a long night and a long week, so I’m off to bed…