Grandma has a sign on her piano that says “Grandkids welcome; Parents by appointment.” We guess that pretty much sums up 2009 for her and grandpa. Grandma is busy cleaning house getting ready for her parents to come for Christmas and everyone else, except us, have other stuff to do, so it is up to us to write the letter this year. Who are we?? Santa’s little helpers!! We are Cade and Kent, the two newest editions to the Udy family this past year.
Since Kent wasn’t born until midyear, I guess I’m (Cade) the best to let you know what happened during the first half of 2009.
January found Grandma and Grandpa anxiously awaiting my birth because they knew once I was born I got to move to Pullman to be closer to them. Dad (Brett) got his dream job last November at Schweitzer Engineering flying their cool jets, but mom (Rachel) had to stay in Utah working while she was waiting for me to be born. Dad was able to be at my birth (he was traveling back and forth between Pullman and Utah) since he has wonderful bosses. Grandma and Grandpa got a call on Saturday night at 8:30 pm that I was on my way. They left Pullman at 10pm in the worst foggiest snow storm and drove on the iciest roads ever to come and meet me. I was born on January 25th, in the morning at 1:42 am in Ogden, Utah. I weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. They named me Cade Allen Udy. Great Grandma and Grandpa Larsen from St. George also drove up to see me. My dad said he would never have a nickname for any of his kids. “Peanut” is not my name!!
In February, just before Valentine’s Day, my stressed out mom and dad left Utah and moved to Pullman. They had bought a house by the high school, but my mom wanted to clean it up before we moved in. Therefore, we got to live with grandma, grandpa, Aunt LeAnn, Uncle Ammon, and Wiley for a month. Grandma and grandpa loved having us there. Grandma loved coming home from work to cuddle on the couch and watch TV until it was my bedtime. Grandpa loves trying to get me to smile for the “tickler”.
We only got to live with them for a month because we had to free up Uncle Lance’s room for him. He came home from his mission on March 11th. Aunt LeAnn bought me a onesie to wear that said “Welcome home Uncle Lance” in Scrabble letters. That use to be his favorite game, he could beat everyone at it. He was glad to be home, even though he loved being a missionary and had spent the past 7 months as an assistant to the mission president. Dad had helped grandpa buy him a Honda Accord over New Year’s that he was excited to see and drive. He wasn’t home long before he and a group of friends drove to Utah to General Conference where he got to go to his first missionary reunion. He had only been home two and a half weeks and was already attending a reunion! He enjoyed meeting up with his missionary buddies he spent time with over the past two years. He also got to go back to work at Cougar Country. It is the best job for him because he could still have a social life and not have to work on Sundays (Rhonda, the boss loves Uncle Lance).
During the spring, my mom enjoyed fixing up the new house and staying home with me. Dad loved his new job flying all over the place. My room is decorated with airplanes!! Grandma and grandpa bought one I can ride on last Christmas before I was born!! I can’t wait to ride it without falling off! In March, we drove with grandma, grandpa, and Uncle Lance to Utah so the Poll side of my family could participate in my blessing. It was a quick trip!! We took a side trip to Rexburg, Idaho on the way down so Uncle Lance could have a quick tour of the BYU-
Idaho campus. It was a beautiful day and he thought he would like it when he started school in September.
At this time, Aunt LeAnn wasn’t doing so hot. Between morning sickness (24/7) and working as a substitute teacher, she didn’t feel so great. She also got news that there might be something wrong with my baby cousin and was told they needed to have a high level ultrasound done to determine if he’d be ok. After a month of waiting she was able to have about 100 cool pictures taken that determined my cousin was indeed just fine. Then one day in April, Aunt LeAnn had to spend a week in the hospital because she went into premature labor (after they attended an awards ceremony for Uncle Ammon). Uncle Ammon was really good to stay with her at the hospital. When she was getting magnesium treatments, he thought this pregnancy might be her last. When she came home from the hospital she was on bed rest until further notice. Aunt LeAnn and bed rest didn’t go together. She called it “house arrest”. She wasn’t so sure she was going to get to go to Utah with Uncle Ammon for his internship at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah until she had her baby. But she lucked out and the doctor gave her the ok to fly mid May. So off they went to Utah for the summer. She of course was under “house arrest” there too because Uncle Ammon had the only car. Uncle Lance drove her car down the end of May. The house got quieter with only Uncle Lance and Wiley at grandma and grandpa’s during the summer.
In June, we were off two days before grandma’s school got out (grandma, grandpa, mom and me) to head to Utah again. Aunt LeAnn was scheduled to have the baby on June 11th around 4 pm. We loaded in the truck, spent the night in Boise, and got to Utah a few hours before Cousin Kent was born. Dad couldn’t come because he was gone for 4 weeks for more training. But that was ok, because I got to spend some quality time with my mom’s side of the family. Seeing them in person is much better than seeing them on the computer via web cam or seeing my grandpa on TV when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is singing on Sunday mornings. I got to take my first airplane ride when mom and I flew back home.
Hey Cade, it’s my turn to finish telling about grandma and grandpa’s year, since this is where I came into the picture. Let me introduce myself to you, I’m Kent Ammon Mills. I was born on Thursday, June 11th at 8:04 pm in Ogden, Utah. I weighed 8 lbs 5 oz. Grandma Mills was also able to be there when I was born. I was about 15 minutes old when they got to come in and meet me. The first thing Grandma Udy said was “LeAnn you look better now than you have for the last nine months”. Mom was beautiful. She said “When you know the baby is coming, you can have your hair done and your makeup on!!” I got to meet Aunt Rachel and Cousin Cade the next day. Boy was Cade a big kid. I prayed he didn’t roll over on me!! Grandma and grandpa got to stay with my family for the week. During that time Aunt Rachel and Cade came to visit us. He got to go swimming for the first time while I had to nap. He sure thought he was a cool dude! Grandma and grandpa stayed with us while dad was at work and then they were off almost every night visiting friends and family. Of course we had to go shopping, but thank heavens grandpa took care of Cade and I on the mall benches so we didn’t have to go in the girly stores with the women. Grandma and Grandpa had to go home because they missed Wiley and Lance.
I got my first plane ride home when I was one month old so my mom could go to a friends’ wedding. Mom had a terrible trip and was glad she could fly into Pullman at 10:00 pm and not Lewiston at 11 pm. She was a wreck!! During the week at home, I got to meet Uncle Brett, Uncle Lance and a bunch of family friends. Cade and I also got to meet Great Grandma and Grandpa Udy for the first time. Mom and I had a better flight back and were glad to
be reunited with dad. For the next few weeks I met other members of the family and got to meet both sets of great grandparents (the Larsen’s and Pendletons) in St. George. I also got to meet my namesake, Great Uncle Kent. You know when mom asked him if she could name me after him, he said “Be careful what you wish for!” Well, Grandma Udy has been known to say I seem to have the same personality as him. I can be happy, moody, grouchy, and sweet all in the same hour—just like him!!
We moved back to Pullman in August since dad was done with his internship. His scholarship is a blessing for us. It pays for school, books, dad’s insurance, a monthly stipend, and a paid internship for two summers. Then when he gets done with school next year, we get to move back to Utah for a paid job for the following 2 ½ years. Grandma doesn’t want us to leave, but she is excited she will be able to go shopping when she visits!!
We got back in Pullman just in time to take care of Wiley (since Uncle Brett really didn’t want to) so grandma and grandpa could take Lance back to Connecticut to tour and meet all of the people he taught and “worked” with for the two years he served his mission. They flew into Hartford, spent a night in Boston, drove back to Hartford, took a couple (they use to be in grandpa’s ward but now live in Hartford) to New York City for a day and a half, and then back to Hartford to attend two different wards in one day that were an hour and a half drive apart. They wanted to meet as many people as possible that Uncle Lance knew. They were privileged to meet with the mission president and his wife for 2 ½ hrs. During the time they were gone they drove about 1100 miles and were exhausted when they got back to Pullman. Everyone they met only had compliments for Uncle Lance and his missionary work. Cade and I think he’s pretty cool too.
During August, Cade and I got to spend time together. He did the things 6-9 month olds do, while I did the things 2 month olds do (cry, eat, sleep, cry, cry, cry). I was finally blessed at church on the 23rd, 2 days before grandma and grandpa’s 30th anniversary. Spending time with Uncle Lance was fun too. He has a girl friend, her name is Robin. They tried to make us believe they were just friends. They didn’t have Cade and I fooled at all. But of course life for the two of them was bitter sweet when grandma and grandpa took Lance to BYU-Idaho to start the fall semester of school. We snuck a peek at the cell phone bill—the texts and phone calls are flying!! It is a good thing they both have Sprint!! Uncle Lance has made several trips home this fall. He tells Cade and me it is to come see us. Again he doesn’t have us fooled!! We know who he is really coming home to see. Robin flew down to see him once, but it was a long trip because there are no direct flights with short layovers between here and Rexburg, Idaho! Actually there isn’t much of anything between here and there, according to Cade. Uncle Lance said he loves school at BYU-Idaho but thinks we should all move there because he really misses the “fam”. He has chosen to major in Hospital Administration as a result of working with two wonderful mission presidents who both had retired from this field.
This fall has gone really fast. Grandpa has been busy at work. Throughout the year his big productions were Cats, Huey Lewis and the News, and just this past month Jeff Dunham the ventriloquist. He is still the bishop for the married students’ ward where we all get to go to church as a family (except Uncle Brett—he was made a counselor in the bishopric in one of the two singles wards, the one Robin attends). Grandpa was able to baptize and confirm his secretary in November, just four months after Lance baptized her daughter (grandpa confirmed her too). My dad (Ammon) is busy as the Elder’s Quorum President. The men are all busy on Sunday’s which leaves the moms
and grandma to manage Cade and me during most of the three hours at church. Cade’s mom is a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency and mom teaches Relief Society once a month. Grandma just helps take care of us and continues to be referred to as “the bishop’s wife”. She still embroiders baby blankets, though this year has been slow compared to the past three years. She also embroiders Cougar Country logos on aprons when she has time.
Grandma thinks the best thing to do is babysit. She hates it when she has to go to work during the day and then to the coliseum at night. She just wants to play with us. I wonder what it will be like when we want her to make cookies for us. She hates to cook!! She has a sign in her kitchen that says “This kitchen is closed.” Hopefully that won’t apply to us! She has been really patient with me this fall since I have been really colicky. I think I am passed that stage now. She knows if she wants me to stop crying all she has to do is sing Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree. That is the only song that works. I don’t even care if she sings off key. Cade comes and visits us often (since mom and dad still live with grandma and grandpa). We get together at least on Sunday evenings for dinner, if not more times during the week. I get to go visit Cade at his house several times a week since Aunt Rachel babysits me while mom substitute teaches. Cade and I are going to be really good friends. Grandpa has already practiced what he will say to us when he wants us to stay out of trouble “Cade get out of that. Kent don’t do that”. Cade is moving around a lot, even though he hasn’t got the crawling on all fours thing down. He is creeping on his stomach and pulling himself up on the furniture. So far he has only had to be told to stay away from the Christmas tree once. He sure loves my mom and dad’s computer cords! I’m just sitting up, jumping in my jumper, and love staring at the Christmas lights.
Grandma and Grandpa are getting ready for Christmas. How would I know? You should see the boxes that come each day from QVC and Amazon!!! Also there are bags of stuff in grandma’s closet she has bought every time she and mom (and unfortunately I) go shopping. When she is away, Wiley goes in and peeks for me!! Grandma bought Cade and me the pajamas you see us wearing on the Christmas card. We had to put them on Thanksgiving evening so we could have our picture taken! Aren’t we cute? Yes, grandma had the Christmas tree up for Thanksgiving dinner. Robin and Uncle Lance helped her get everything up so we can all enjoy it for the next few weeks. We think once the house is cleaned for grandma’s parents, she will be able to rest and enjoy life again. Great Uncle Kent and his family will be coming to visit for a few days too. It will be a full house full, but it will be nice to have everyone here for the holidays. I will have to share my room with my mom and dad, but dad doesn’t hear me cry anyway so it should be ok.
We hope we have been good Santa’s helpers writing this letter for grandma. We didn’t have anything else to do today!! Maybe when grandma finds out we have done this she will read us one of the Christmas books she just bought. We know how grandma loves books!!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday seasons from the best editions to the Udy family to date!!!
Santa’s Little Helper’s Cade & Kent
P.S. Our grandparents have Facebook sites. You can be their “friends” and see more pictures of us!!
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