A few Inspiring Young Fellows

So for more then a week or so has passed and I have endeavored to blog about some hilarious insights into my pregnancy, before it ends of course, and I still am in the thick of the comedy! I usually blog personally on the weekends, seeing how it is that I blog all week long professionally. I still hope to get to this before baby comes, even though it seems these days with just a little more then two weeks left, that he could really need to be delivered any day ... any moment. Ill do my best to entertain you still!

But today I have decided to blog about some of the benefits that I have received from being involved so heavily in the athletic world of both my husband and son. It comes in the way of some serious inspiration and touching perspectives of life. Nate introduced me {on the TV that is} to this amazing young man Anthony Robles who is a current national champ out of Arizona in the college wrestling world. Whats amazing about him, he was born with only one leg! He recently was the recipient of the Jimmy V award at the Espy's. His speech was nothing short of inspiring and touching, I particularly find his mom to be a stunning inspiration to me. Its so hard to watch sometimes, being a mom is truly the most incredible and emotionally painful experience to be had here on earth. I kept thinking how is she watching him wrestle? I can hardly watch Stock and hold back tears and stomach contents!

Robles Acceptance Speech at ESPY Awards (Jimmy V Award) from Keith Jennings on Vimeo.

Anthony's story obviously hits home really hard for me as I watch my own talented son strive for excellence in this same sport and as I watch my own little miracle child endeavor to beat all the odds in front of her to become something impossible. Anthony's message ... is going up on our wall!

He reminds me a little of another wrestling friend, Henry Cejudo. A wrestler who beat many odds and became an Olympic gold medalists. A few years back when I was first privileged to meet Henry i was so smitten with his humble nature and his ease and willingness to let saylor wear his gold medal for a while! His book still stands out to me as one of the most inspiring books I have read. These two young men not only inspire my children but they have taught me a great deal about work, hard work, and what it takes to be a true champion. {Henry's book is called American Victory}

If Nate is home and has down time, a sport channel is on the TV! You can be sure of it. And though this usually annoys me to some extend I have found myself pretty fascinated and impressed with all the stories on ESPN's E60. I will even go as far as to say I would watch the program if he wasnt around ... yep I know your stunned right?

I am so grateful on so many levels for the inspiring nature of athleticism and its contribution and influence in my home. For the man I married and what he brings to the table, even if it means I am a lone a heck of a lot of the time!

Thursday Hero Reunion 2011

Saylor was a "Thursday Hero" for the BYU football team 2 seasons ago, it was one of THE most incredible experiences of our lives. For those of you that dont know what I mean by this, Bronco {head coach} has several programs to enrich the lives of his players, to teach them gratitude and service among other character building attributes, this is one of them. For home games the Thursday prior to the game the team watches film and hears about an inspiring person and then after practice that person comes to the facilities where they sign the team flag and the team signs a flag for them as well as spends time with them and their family. An unforgettable day for sure! Saylor is still very much in love with Cosmo and takes much pride in that she is the only Thur hero to have him at her team night. Every year prior to the season there is a Thursday Hero reunion for all the inspiring people, their families, the coaching staff, and the players. It's a private event {obviously} so my kids get genuinely spoiled and spend time with their favorite players, get john hancocks and the boys eat every second up of football talk and food they can get. This year saylor was a little shy, but still had a blast and proves that she still bleeds blue ... like her dad.


This is Bryan Kariya, he plays for the cougs and was also my little brothers mission companion. We love chatting with him, he is simply a doll with a great head on his shoulders and fantasmic smile!


Saylor & Bronco have a yearly chat to catch up on how she is doing. I swear this exact scene is not much different then last years image of this. Bronco was even wearing the same outfit, hat, flip flops and all! Saylor was also wearing a similar outfit :) He always tells her when he sees her how when the team views the Thur Hero videos compilation that Saylor always hits his heart pretty hard. They talked about pink and purple crutches and shoes.


This year we spent the most time with Kyle Van Noy. We actually find his personal story to be quiet inspiring and he was really down to earth and fun to chat with.

I didnt get as many pics as i should have. I was so hot and exhausted! But we ate dinner with the "brown brothers" Braden and Rhen. And they were a hoot. They dont look anything alike but charming they were. We also stopped for a hello with Chad Lewis who it seems we see a lot these days between skiing, football camps, BYU stuff and other athletic events. I am sure this was Stock's highlight because the first thing chad said to him was hey you are that really fast kid from OHS FB camp that was really good ... yep thats him! It's always nice to catch up with our old friend Coach Weber as well!


As we were leaving the team equipment semi had just parked and the kids couldn't believe how nice it was, so they wanted a pic!

Good times. Thanks Bronco and the Cougs! Awe the benefits of living with a hero ...

August

Last month {i cant believe its been a month ... see time is escaping me, someone is stealing it!} Nate's brother Aaron and his family were in town from Texas. And so Nate's mom thought it would be a great time to do family pics. I wasnt very familiar with the photographer and so i didnt endeavor to have any pics taken of our own little fam {i know way to many amazing and talented photogs to do this} and i am not sure that a family pic 7 months prego is really productive anyhow. I didnt plan to take pics of my kids on my own until after the two hours of work it took to get them all ready. I needed more of a pay off for all that work! so i took our own camera a long for some quick shots and this is what came of it. nothing special but a little visual update! {obviously ... Nate selected for us that we wear BYU colors to signify our loyalty!}

Storie recently finished up long course season on UVRAYS and has a little bit of time off here in August before short course season starts up again. She finished the season off impressively with amazing improvements on many of her times! She recently got a new violin, that almost cost one of my limbs. Good thing I dont play. And taught me a serious lesson about buying off KSL! Beware of PEG is all i have to say about that. {if your ever in the violin market locally and want more info or cautions just message me} She also has begun fall girls soccer, a new endeavor for her. I fear that swimming was just not enough of an athletic feature to make her feel welcome in her dads world. Which in reality is of course not true and also makes me sad ... but we do live with a crazy man who lives and breaths sports so i get the inevitable feelings. I also feel like its a bit of insanity to add that to our calendar .. especially right now, oh well ... as i say to every question that befalls me these days ... ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Stock has begun football again and both him and his dad are pretty focused and enthralled in the world of a single brown ball. It exhausts me. He is my only child not looking forward to school, but on the same note is my only child who cares what brand of clothing he is wearing ... seems a little off to me. I do have an almost 12 year old girl. But thats ok. If possible he would adorn himself head to toe with anything under-armor, jordan, or nike. and thats pretty much it! Everyone asks us {me and or him and i suppose nate as well} if stock is excited to have a little brother. And i suppose he is far more excited about the babe then he would be if it was a girl ... but he is quietly excited, as you would expect a boy to be.

Saylor had her first soccer experience last week thanks to a friend who took her when i could not. Of course her physical capabilities in light of her limitations were nothing short of impressive. she is naturally an obrien ... and therefor an athlete. We dont seem to make any other kind of breed. We also were able to take her to WC tennis for the first time all summer. It was a delight ... it also makes me feel so terribly guilty when i realize the mounds of potential this kid has and then also realize its up to me to facilitate it and get her there! She has enjoyed attending numerous baptisms for friends all summer long and her play dates with peyton and summer are priceless! 7 peaks with nate is a highlight for her because she gets to go down the slides and do something beyond wade in the wave pool with her incapable pregnant mother. And her biggest high was BYU Thursday Hero reunion last week. {More on that to come} This year we are trying out some new steps in way of independence at school and with school only a week away i am quiet nervous for her. She is not however. typical.


As for baby obrien ... this is from our early august ultra ... also our last one with dr ball, a sad and difficult day for me. Baby is still growing strong. He was a little ahead of himself for a bit but has slowed his rate back to his gestational age. Though he continues to look a little muscular to all the techs who see him! {If they only knew!} Dr ball has escaped back to UCSF and left me in the hands of my regular OB dr sloan. That being said he tells me time and time again that he is only a phone call away. And i do realize that likely not many, if any other, patients have his number and his beckon call. He has never not answered or called me back within 10 minutes in the entire 8 years i have had personal access to him! SO for now that will have to do ... He did recommend one more ultrasound prior to delivery, but trusted the temp MFM's about as much as i do, so the plan is just to have his timp hospital tech cassidy scan us and call him when she is done. That will be aug 30th. We are hoping for a minimum of 2 more weeks. {I am 32 now} And a max of 4. We have completed a lovely steroid cycle that left me with a few side effects for a few days, luckily no allergic reaction this time. and at least its on board should we not make it! Non stress tests once a week have begun as well. So i feel like i am driving to st marks several days a week now between apts and NST's. oh wait i am doing that. alright then.

Nights have become nearly unbearable with discomfort and a few nights have brought on some braxton hicks and in usual audrey style some vomiting as well. I think both Nate and I are at this place were we are a little bit of constantly on edge, knowing that we are very much down to the wire and that we cant predict how this is going to go down, though we would like it to be scheduled and planned we know from too much experience that life doesnt always go down that way! I still feel not at all ready in many respects. As painful as his movement has become i still really enjoy this miracle and seeing/feeling him move inside of me. Still smitten with this miraculous fascination. We are ready in material sort of way ... i think anyway ... but i dont feel ready in any other way. It hardly feels real that in a month at longest we are going to have an infant in our arms! The memories of the challenge a new born brings fade, this is how women are convinced to have more you see, but there is enough there {vaguely} to send terror through me, i dont know if i can handle this! Yikes! Our lives are so busy and complicated ... this will be nothing short of a beautiful mess i am sure.

whats to come on the blog ... well thursdays hero of course! and yes i did it .. maternity pics ... first day of school next week ... end of pregnany woes ... and likely leaking nursing boobs to go a long with newborn woes! and what would an obrien blog be without athletic updates!