Baby Blessing

The day after the move was James' baby blessing. It was held at the union 5th ward (Cindy's parents ward and our new ward). surrounded by friends and family we were able to give James his first blessing while in this mortal earth.

After we went to Alex' parents house for lunch and celebration. We had the opportunity to take lots of pictures of James with his 2 cousins very close to his age, Jainna Lydia Kirkby and Tyler Kevan Whipple.

Moving

The morning of the 10th after graduation we headed back to our apartment to kick off the moving party. We had actually been planning ahead quite a bit by taking boxes down to Utah over the last few months, but we were still surprised by how much stuff we still had. On Friday night when people arrived into town for the graduation, I think we were taken a bit back by how much work there was still left to do for the move.

That night James decided to kick off the morning at 3:30 a.m. As any responsible parents, we changed his diaper. During which he put on 2 spectacular water shows that rival the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It was so exciting that Cindy and I just couldn't go back to sleep, so we got the rest of the apartment packed up in the next few hours.

After Commencement, everyone changed into their moving gear and headed back to the apartment. While the guys were downstairs packing the trailer and 2 pickup trucks full, the girls were upstairs cleaning and preparing for our final walk through with the apartment manager. They did a terrific job!

Around 1 we headed to Wingers for lunch and then started our trek back to Utah. Everyone's help was extremely appreciated and we could not have pulled it off without it.

Graduation

On June 9th, 2002 Alex graduated from Highland High in Salt Lake City. Finally here we are 8 years later and he has now graduated from college (lots of people spend that long in school. Ya, they're called doctors).

On April 9 and 10 we had family come up for Alex's graduation. Alex's parents came into town as did Cindy's parents and aunt and sister, and winning the award for furthest distance traveled for the occasion goes to Cindy's brother Craig and his Wife Danielle for coming all the way out from New Hampshire to join us.

We would like to say that Alex graduated in the top 5% of his class, but he didn't. To be honest we count the fact that he graduated as a huge blessing!

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What Jimmy means to me

I have found myself completely reassessing every decision I've ever made in life. With the title of "Father" now permanently stamped of every action I do, it really puts a whole lot of things in perspective, and I'd like to share with all of you, exactly how I feel about some things in life.

1. My role as the head of the household.

OK, so my son isn't asking to borrow the keys to the car just yet, and I don't exactly have to "lay down the law." But being responsible for a newborn child really helps me feel some of the gravity of what lies ahead. It is my duty to make sure that the home needs are met. That my wife and children have food on the table, and a roof over their heads. Before today I would have looked at my current living situation as "My wife and I living in an apartment on the 3rd floor." Now I really understand why "A man's home is his castle" and that it really is the family that makes it a home.

2. My role as a husband

I can't exactly take away the pain that my wife is enduring and help her to feel better. I can't protect her from the one thing that I truly never will be able to comprehend, or understand. The only thing I can really do, is everything she asks, and more. If she is strong enough to endure pregnancy and childbirth, I can definitely pick my socks up off the floor (or better yet make sure they make it to the hamper in the first place!) She is the vessel which carried my child into the world, which in my eyes makes her divine.

3. My role as a Child of God

Every thing I have ever learned about the nature and character of God, now has a completely different application. My son's spirit has dwelt in his little body for 16 hours now, and I have already pledged every moment of the rest of my life to making sure that his life is the best one anyone can experience on this planet.

My love for my Son is completely unconditional. I thought I knew what that word meant before today, I would have made some statement about the existence of the eternities, and not being able to fathom quite how much our Father in Heaven has invested in us as his Chosen Children. But now I can understand, that there is nothing my Son can do, that could make me love him any less. EVER. His choices will be his own, and his spirit will follow the path he wants, and I hope that I can teach the principles of Gospel of Jesus Christ such that he will desire to follow in his Saviors footsteps; but despite whatever imperfections my Son has, I would gladly step in front of a train to save my Son.

This helps me to understand so much more about our Heavenly Father's plan for us! The entire plan of salvations was laid out so that we could spend eternity with our families and with our Father in Heaven! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the key to that plan, showing us how we may follow in Christs steps to obtain the blessings of Heaven. Missionary work exists completely because of Our Fathers love for all of his children, and because of this love he boldly declares: "No unhallowedd hand can stop the work from progressing, persectutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may dafame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every country and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehova shall say the work is done."

4. My Role as a Priesthood Holder

I am imperfect. Very Imperfect. And now that I know this child will look to me for an example, I have infinitely more of a reason to maintain a higher standard. I cannot falter. I will not Falter. In the words of my boss Kempe Nicoll, "It's not good enough to try. You need to just do it. Trying will never be good enough."

I have been endowed with gifts from on High. I have received commandments from the other side of the Veil that I need to be better about being Obedient too. Sin is the ultimate deterrent, the drop of motor oil in my gallon of milk. I must do everything in my power to bring my own family closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I will also recommit myself as a missionary to do the same for everyone of my fellow Men.

I love you James. I promise I will do my best for you.

James Daniel Kenney

Whew! What a day!

Last night around 12:30 Cindy's water broke, which happened to be just about the time we were getting ready to fall asleep. After a quick test of "was it really the water breaking? or did I just have a massive accident?" it was determined that the water sac had ruptured and that it was only a matter of time before our baby arrived. According to "What to expect..." after the water breaks, that means that the time for delivery would happen within the next 24 to 48 hours.

We called our Doctor to ask what to do, since Cindy hadn't actually started having contractions. He told us to just try to keep Cindy comfortable, hopefully let her sleep for a few hours, then maybe around 5 or 6 in the morning bring her in for delivery. He also mentioned to bring her in early if she started having really bad contractions sooner, or if she went for a good amount of time without feeling the baby very much.

She tried to relax, at least as much as one can when you feel like you have a consistent water faucet turning on and off in between your legs. She tried laying down to sleep, but just couldn't get comfortable because the water would just keep rushing out. The other thing in the back of our minds was that she hadn't felt the baby move enough since the water broke, which was finally the deciding factor of us to go in early.

Approximately 3 a.m., we scraped off our car and drove to Madison Memorial Hospital (in Rexburg) where she was admitted to the Labor and Delivery. She changed and was inspected by the nurses. After being double checked, it was determined that sometime in the last week, our baby had flipped and decided to go heads up through this endeavor. At 4 a.m. our doctor arrived and confirmed that the baby was breach, and that the best option would be to perform a cesarean section as soon as possible. It wasn't an "emergency C-Section" but they still didn't want to take any chances, and wanted to get the baby out sooner than later. By 5 a.m. Cindy was doped up and preped for surgery, and the latest addition to the Kenney family was born into the world at 5:11 a.m. MT.

As Cindy was sewn up and given her after birth treatment, Alex followed the new baby in to watch him get his first bath and get measured. He weighed in at exactly 7 lbs even, and 19.75 inches long. 10 fingers, 10 toes. A completely healthy baby! What more could 2 brand new parents ask for?