General Conference Soon
March 30, 2007 | Filed Under Church, Family | 1 Comment
It’s almost time for General Conference again (that link allows you to listen to it via the web…and in Mandarin if you’d like…very cool. Now listening to it via Windows Media Player, keep in mind, the coolness factor drops a ton…but still).
Yes, thousands will again descend upon downtown SLC, from near and far, to hear modern-day Prophets, Seers, and Revelators. Well, most of them. Minus the token protestor, of course.
I, for one though, am usually way excited about Conference. Probably because it is a time that easily signals that part of my faith that I have a solid testimony of–the Restoration.
Most people close to me know I like church history. None of that Work and the Glory stuff. Don’t get me wrong, that’s entertaining and if it helps someone that’s good, but I prefer a biography or the hundred-year-old-book with dust on it inside Sam Wellers. Anyway…We usually try to head over to Temple Square and just take in the vibe there, between sessions–walk around, see a Legacy Theatre film (the new one on the prophet Joseph Smith is probably my favorite there), see the Christus, etc. It’s nice in the spring. Brighton loves getting up close to the fountains and looking into the reflecting pool. The weather is supposed to be nice enough. But this time around we will be staying indoors, with Baby Keane.
A great thing about Utah is you can watch the sessions on TV in your own home. I remember when I was younger and it was a huge thing (in the midwest) just driving to church and watching the satellite broadcast, then having a meal or something in between sessions, and then watching the rest. It was cool. Either way, we are excited to hear the talks this weekend.
It’s kinda like the Superbowl for Mormons. Seriously. It’s awesome.
Adjusting
March 22, 2007 | Filed Under Family, Website | Leave a Comment
So I forgot how much I liked to sleep. Baby Keane sure has a pair of good lungs, that’s for sure. 
Every few hours he will sleep though, so that is nice. Sleep when baby sleeps. That’s a good one to remember. I had forgotten that one with Brighton. Kuei is doing pretty good. She’s healing pretty well but is trying to get into the new feeding, sleeping, changing routine. Although, apparently, Keane smiles when he’s all satisfied. She says she sings to him a bit too. Keane hasn’t smiled for Dad yet. Oh well. Maybe I can score the first word, “Dada,” though.
As many of you know, I took a leave of absence from school for the semester to be around more when Keane came. It has been pretty good, and I have been looking for full-time work while I am out of school. Something to help us get a car again and all that.
When we moved downtown, a big selling point was the train. It goes right up to school. But let’s face it, if you want to get around in Utah (even SLC), you need a vehicle and that isn’t going to be changing anytime soon. Though, SLC is on the right track. But for now, it’s best to have a car, as it is quite hard–not to mention a completely stupid idea–to take a newborn to a doctor visit, for example, on the trian. Right? Crazy. That’s the cool thing about really dense urban areas. What I like most about Taipei is the conveinence. If you’re in the city, you’re set. Turn a corner and whatever you need, it’s only a little walk. Or jump on the subway (which you don’t have to wait 15 minutes for) and go where you need to. We went to church on the 5th floor of a green skyscraper not far from Jingme and it was awesome. Here in SLC, without any family out west, in any close proximity to where we live, we are really lucky to have some help in the friend department. Our ward is really great too.
So we are all adjusting to some new things now. Relearning things about having a new baby again. Plus, Brighton is growing so fast. Everytime we look at him too. Living as a full-time grad student on a tight budget and having a little family makes it interesting, but we are really blessed. We know it is all an investment for the future. My brother is in transition too right now with a likely move further east to pursue law school (go get it Joe!) It’s been years since we have seen him. It would be nice to head out there in the summertime or vise versa. Sometime, he wants me to come bounce around Chicago with him, and that would be a blast (great architecture too).
Stay tuned for some more photos, when we get around to it. Kuei usually takes the good ones. By the way, this new blog I created with Wordpress. It makes it easier for us to post, and more frequently. I’ve used Wordpress in the past for other projects and I thought it would be a good fit for the new family site. So far so good. I don’t like Blogger much, and without getting too political or anything, I’ll leave it at that. Anyway, thanks everyone out there (you know who you are) for being so great. And those of you who are visiting, welcome to MadeofSun.net
Keane Aaron Doney
March 18, 2007 | Filed Under Keane, Family | 1 Comment
He has a name! There. For all of you who have been wanting (or demanding might be a better word) to know his name, here it is! Kuei and I have finally agreed on Keane (pronounced “Keen”). I liked the spelling “Keene,” but Kuei wasn’t thrilled with so many “e’s” in there. She likes that the “a” softens the name a bit.
So, now you can look at the pictures and say, “There’s baby Keane!” This name has been one I have liked pretty early on, because it means sharp and bold. Even before he was born, Kuei and I talked about what kind of personality he would have and who he would become as a man. We both felt he would be strong, bold. When he was born, we both had the name Aaron come to mind, and this is why it is his middle name. When we looked at him, shortly after being born, we thought it fit pretty nicely, because it is a soft name, with a deep meaning. But looking to the future, as a man, we think Keane is stronger, and we think it is the right one. Here are some meanings from the web. We looked at some books too, and I think Aaron means “exalted,” as well.
Name: Keane
Gender: (Male)
Origin: English
Meaning: Sharp, bold
Name: Aaron
Gender: (Male)
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Shining light, high mountain, messenger
We Love Grandma
March 18, 2007 | Filed Under Family | 1 Comment
It has been nice to have Mom with us while we are re-adjusting to life with a new baby. At times, it’s hard to get her to willingly submit to having her photo taken, but I got some! Mom is one of those people who look great no matter what her age. A lot of people are suprised she is a grandma because she looks so young. We are very glad she is with us to share in this new chapter in our lives.
Back Home
March 16, 2007 | Filed Under Family | 1 Comment
Hello everyone. Thank you for everything. It is nice to be back home now. Though, as has been the case even in the hospital, our schedules have changed with baby, and while it has been a bit overwhelming at times, it has been nice to have a little one in the house again. Brighton is excited and is already a bit protective as his big brother.
I know a lot of people are wondering when we will tell you all his name. This is the million-dollar-question we have been working on for a long time now. Even though we have had our favorites from the beginning, it is something we are not taking lightly, we want to get it right, and something we BOTH think is good. But you’ll be happy to know we are finalizing the name, and will let you all know soon.
Kuei is recovering pretty well. But, as expected, she is very tired, achey, and overwhelmed with getting into the new schedule of feeding, changing, sleeping when baby sleeps, all while taking care of herself too. I am trying to help out where I can, and having Mom here has also been very nice to help with Brighton.
We’ve put up some new pictures. Hope you are all well. Thanks for your well wishes and phone calls, we really appreciate them.