Help Us Pick a Baby Name

Okay ladies & gentlemen...Mike & I have come up with three awesome boy names for our first three boys, but we are struggling with what to name baby #4. I know that I want his middle name to be William, after my grandpa who passed away a few years ago. He was one of the kindest, sweetest, most patient men I have ever met in my life...so that part is set in stone. But, we can't decide on a first name. Here are the ones that are leading the pack right now (with some commentary from yours truly about each of them). Let me know which ones you like best, or if you can think of something totally different, then pass that along to me too. Just FYI, with a last name like Storrs, I definitely lean toward two syllable names. In broadcasting, consultants will tell you that the "perfect stage name" has three syllables (i.e. Lindsay Storrs), so I guess that has been drilled into me pretty hard because 90% of the names below are two syllables to match with our one syllable last name. There is one name that is only one syllable, but the rest are two. Okay, here you go:

Ethan William Storrs

(I really like this name & think it sounds good, but Ethan is a really popular name & I don't know if I want him to be Ethan S. his whole life)

Asher William Storrs

(I love the name Asher. I don't know why. I just think it sounds like a cool kid. But, my sister's name is Ashlee. Will I be stepping on her toes if I name my child Asher? Plus, Asher Storrs may have too many "R" sounds in it.)

Ian William Storrs

(I love the name Ian. In fact, we thought about giving Cohen the name of Ian. But then we realized his initials would have been IRS. You can't put that on a backpack!?! Who wants to have the initials IRS? I don't think there's anything wrong with the initials IWS though, so it's probably one of the leaders right now.)

Isaac William Storrs

(I love the name Isaac. Mike isn't totally in love with it though...mainly because he doesn't know what you would call him for a nickname. I suggested just "I" or "Saac"...pronounced Zack. But, considering Cohen is called "Coconut" or "Cocoa Bean" most the time, I'm sure we can come up with some sort of suitable nickname.)

Kai William Storrs

(Yes, this is the only one syllable name on my list. I just think Kai is such a cool name that it doesn't matter that Kai Storrs is only two syllables instead of three. But, maybe it will end up bugging me in the long run that it's only two syllables. Like I said, it's been drilled into me.)

Callen William Storrs

(This is a name that Mike came up with several months ago. He was trying to remember one of the contestants from the reality show Design Star & said, "What's that guys name? Callen or something?" I said, "No, it's Courtland...but Callen is actually a really cool name!" My only concern is that it's ANOTHER C name. That means 3 of my 4 children will have C names. That's kind of weird, don't you think? Plus, will Aiden feel left out because he's the only child that didn't get a C name? Well, knowing him, probably not...so that's not a major concern. But, what IS a concern is that Callen may be a little too close to Cohen. What do you think?)

Beckham William Storrs

(My friend, Melissa Shippen, named her son Beckham a few months ago & I just think it is super cute. I even asked if she would mind if I used it if I were to have a fourth boy. My only concern is that Beckham ends in a M & so does William. Is that too many "M" sounds in one name? I guess when people say his name, they probably won't be saying his full name...so it probably doesn't matter. I'm also still trying to talk Mike into this name. He thinks I'm using it so that our son will be named after David Beckham. Speaking of David Beckham, isn't he yummy? I have no idea why Mike would think I would want to name my son after some totally hot soccer player with a sexy British accent? ;) Anyway, I also like the idea of naming him Beckham because then I can say my kids are my ABCs. A=Aiden, B=Beckham, Cs=Connor & Cohen. Pretty cute, eh? Okay, it's lame. Never mind.)

Okay, so those are the names that are leading the way right now. Like I said, if you have another boy name that you think is great...PLEASE pass it along. It's hard to come up with boy names when it's your fourth time around. --Lindsay

Altered Dreams

Well, in my last post, I told you about the CBM test that I took last Saturday. What I didn't tell you is that I took another test on Saturday too. Before I took my CBM exam, I took one of these tests...


Yep, I took one of those pee-in-a-cup gender prediction tests. The result? Baby #4 is a................................nother boy!

Yes, that's right folks! Boy #4 is coming to our family! I had a doctor appointment on Friday and heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was only at 130 beats per minute...a pretty sure indicator that it is a boy. I called Mike after the appointment & told him the news. We decided that, if it really was a boy, we might as well find out for sure so that we could stop hoping for a girl. So, on my way home, I bought one of those stupidly expensive IntelliGender tests. The directions said that you have to use your first urine sample of the day for the results to be correct, so early Saturday morning I took it. Instantly, it started turning greenish-brown...meaning it was a boy. My heart sank! I really, truly thought I was prepared for the idea of having a 4th boy, but once the reality actually HIT me that I would never have a daughter in this life, I was completely devastated!

I was going to write this post earlier in the week, but talked myself out of it for fear of being judged by those who would read it. But, I've decided now that I don't care. You can dislike what I have to say all you want, but this blog is the story of my life & this is how I have been feeling. Do I worry that Baby Boy #4 is going to read this someday & think that I hate him? Yes...but I'll tell him right now that that is not the case! I love him very much! I started feeling him move last week & love him more than anything already and wouldn't trade him for all the girls in the world, simply because he is MINE and I know he is meant to be in this family. The problem isn't him...the problem is me & this silly dream I've had since I was a little girl.

Maybe it's because I grew up in a family of all girls, I don't know, but ever since I was little, I have pictured my life with daughters in it. Maybe there would be a token boy or two, but I always had daughters. At least one daughter. I was going to dress her up so cute. She was always going to be dressed to the nines. (Yes, I even had her clothing fund already built into the family budget.) Her hair was always going to be immaculate. We were going to have tea parties. She was going to dress up as Cinderella or Tinkerbell for Halloween. She was going to wear those cute little baby bikinis that have ruffles on the butt. I was going to teach her that when people say, "You are so cute!" she was to reply with, "Thank you! I look just like my MOM!" We were going to go Back to School shopping & actually be able to shop on the CUTE side of the store...the one that doesn't have Transformers, Star Wars & Pokemon T-shirts. We were going to go to YW Conference together. We were going to go prom dress shopping and, later...much later (after she completed both her bachelors & masters degrees), we were going to go wedding dress shopping. We were going to go on lunch dates together every once in awhile. She was going to call me on the phone and complain to me about how her kids were always messing up the house, or about how she didn't get any sleep last night because the baby wouldn't sleep. You know, all the stuff that moms & daughter do. That was my dream. No, actually, that was my REALITY. I KNEW it was going to happen. I just knew it!

First Connor was born. I cried for a week! But, then, I realized that it would be GREAT to have a boy first because then my daughters would have a big brother to be their body guard! Next, Aiden was born. I cried again. But, hey, now Connor would have a buddy his whole life...and my daughters would come next. Then Cohen was born. I cried...and cried...and cried. But, it was okay because my next baby (my last baby) was going to be a girl. She could be the little princess of our family. We would all spoil her rotten. And then I took that test Saturday and everything changed.

It hit me that my dream of having a daughter was no longer ever going to be a reality. I would never experience any of those things. And, it SUCKED to come to that realization! Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, but I have found myself crying A LOT over the past few days. I'll be doing the dishes & find myself crying. I'll be watching TV and see some cute little girl on a commercial and start crying. I'll be laying in bed trying to fall asleep & find myself crying. I've gone through all sorts of emotions the past few days. First, it was shock & disbelief. (Out of all the families in this world that have four children, 93.75% of them get at least one girl. Am I REALLY one of the 6.25% that didn't? What had I done to make statistics so mad at me?) Next, I felt guilt. (Maybe I did something that made me not worthy to be the mom to a little girl. Maybe God thought I didn't deserve to have a little girl.) Then I was angry...with anyone & everyone. (I was angry with myself for having an alkaline pH and not trying those books that tell you what to eat & stuff in order to have a girl. I was angry at Mike for apparently not having one single X-sperm in his entire body. I was even mad at God for not giving me a girl. Why does he hand them out so freely to almost everyone else in the world, and not to me? Why was I denied this experience?) But, more than anything, I was just depressed. Depressed that my childhood dreams were not going to come true. I would never get the daughter that I so desperately wanted. And that's when it hit me that I was going through the steps of grief. I was GRIEVING...not for the loss of a person, but for the loss of "my dream." It had nothing to do with the fact that I was having a boy, it had everything to do with me not ever getting the little girl that I had hoped & prayed for.

Back in January, I went through something similar. That's when my little sister found out she was having a girl. I was happy for her, but sad for me. Why was it so easy for her to get a little girl, but not for me? One day, I was sitting in the school parking lot, waiting to pick up Connor & the rest of my carpool kids. I was reading my Ensign from the previous General Conference to pass the time. I turned the page of the talk I was reading and I saw this picture...


When I saw those four boys, a very calm feeling came over me. I could see myself & Mike in that picture with our four sons. And, I was okay with it. Or, at least I THOUGHT I was okay with it. Apparently, deep down, I wasn't since I've been so emotional the past few days. The other night, the thought came to me that I should try to find that picture again. So, I found it. It was the night that I was angry with God & was convinced that the reason he wasn't giving me a daughter was because He felt I wouldn't be a good mother to a little girl. But, when I looked at that picture the other night, a thought came to me that has come to me before. The thought simply was "Do you think THAT girl is a bad mom and that's why God didn't give her a daughter?" The answer was a resounding no. She's obviously a beautiful, smart, confident, strong woman that would be a wonderful mom to any girl in this world. In fact, she'd probably be a better roll model for a little girl than half the moms out there that have given birth to little girls. Then, I started thinking about how many other women I know that have given birth to four boys & no girls...like my friends Amanda, Shannon, and Chantele. Every single one of them are beautiful, intelligent, strong, confident, faithful women that would be excellent moms to a little girl or two. But, they were just MEANT to have the boys that were given to them. Just like I was meant to have my boys...including this last little one. He is meant for ME! I need him in my life! I need to have the blessings and experiences that ONLY HE can give me. For some reason, God feels I don't need to have the experience of having a daughter. Maybe it's because I've gone through enough girl drama in my own life & I've already learned all the "girl lessons" that I need to learn. :) I don't know. But, what I do know is this little boy was meant for me, and that once I see him for the first time, I won't want to trade him for all the girls in the world.

So the conclusion I came to last night was that really it's not the end of my dream...it's just an ALTERATION of my dream...hence the title of this post, "Altered Dreams." My dream has come true...it just happens to be wrapped in the color blue. That's all. I have a husband who is everything to me. He is constantly telling me how beautiful I am & that he loves me. He is always encouraging me to be the best that I can be in every aspect of my life. He always has my back...and, speaking of backs, he rubs it almost every night too! Together, we have built a beautiful life, which most importantly includes our 3 (oh, that's right...FOUR) awesome little boys. Yes, they can be a little crazy and rambunctious at times, but they are seriously the coolest kids I know. I wouldn't change a thing about them! And, I am so excited to see the kind of men they are going to become. I can honestly say that I would never trade my life for anyone else's that I know...even with those people that are surrounded by daughters.

Plus, I'm obviously doing the world a favor by bringing another one of these into the world...


Yes, it is obviously my calling in life to repopulate the world with good looking men and, let's be honest, that's something that the world is SERIOUSLY lacking in. So, I say, "You are welcome people of the planet Earth...there's another one coming your way"! My future daughter-in-laws are going to be really blessed to get them...that I know! And, I also realized that by having four boys, it makes my odds REALLY good of getting at least ONE daughter-in-law that likes me...maybe TWO if I'm really lucky. Right?

So, there you go...an overly dramatic post from an overly theatrical pregnant lady that just found out she's having her fourth boy! Judge as you please because frankly, I don't care. And, don't bother telling me that "there is still hope." I've had a lot of people tell me to just to wait for the ultrasound & worry about it then. PEOPLE...the baby has a low heart rate, I'm craving red meat, & the "90% correct gender test" just told me I'm having a boy. IT...IS...A...BOY! I would rather start believing it now, rather than have "hope" for several more weeks, just to have them dashed all over again. I feel as though, over the past few days, I've come to terms with & began to accept my "altered dream" of reality. Will there still be hard days? Uh yeah, obviously! But, I trust God & his plan for me. And, if this is His plan, than so be it. BRING ON THE TESTOSTERONE!!! So, now I'm off to do what any pregnant woman in my situation would do, eat some Chips Ahoy & Neapolitan ice cream and cry like a baby while watching some stupid, sappy chick flick. --Lindsay

I Am Now a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist

So, today I took & passed the CBM (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) exam. It's a beastly two-hour, 100 question test that is basically the final of all finals for Meteorologists. As many of you know, I already hold the AMS (American Meteorological Society) Seal of Approval for Broadcast Meteorologist. But, a few years ago, the AMS decided to discontinue the use of the AMS Seal & create a more prestigious seal that would be much harder to obtain. In order for AMS seal holders to upgrade their seal to the new CBM seal, each person would be required to take & pass this exam that tests you on anything and everything you may possibly learn while completing a meteorology degree. Needless to say, I was a bit overwhelmed by it. First of all, I have been out of school for almost EIGHT years. Second of all, in real life, you only use maybe 10-15% of the things you learned in school on a daily basis. I don't do calculus equations when forecasting...I let the models do all that stuff for me. So the thought of having to remember and be able to execute all these things that were somewhere in the cobwebs of my memory was slightly overwhelming!

Well, two years ago, I started studying...and studying...and studying. I would guess that I have put over 500 hours of study into this test trying to remind myself of all the things I've forgotten over the years. I finally got brave a few weeks ago & signed up to take it. I didn't tell anyone, except Mike & my mom, that I was taking it...for fear that I wouldn't pass and then I'd have to tell everyone that I failed.

I got to the testing center this morning & started the test. It was ridiculous! I swear to you that more than half the questions had 2 or more answers that were correct, so it was my job to figure out which one was MOST correct. About 25% of the questions were totally irrelevant to ANYTHING in life (or meteorology). There were a bunch of trick questions where you had to read it like 5 times in order to figure out what they were really asking for. And there were even a few questions that I truly had no idea what they were talking about! I was sure I was not going to pass.

But, much to my surprise & delight, I got a score of 85%, which means I PASSED! Yes, I realize that an 85% is a B, which I normally wouldn't be happy about...but with this thing, I didn't care! I passed and that's all that mattered! I am so happy to no longer have it hanging over my head & feel like I can finally relax a little bit!

Anyway, if you couldn't tell, I'm a bit excited about it! It's a pretty prestigious thing. I am the first meteorologist at my station to get the seal, only the 3rd or 4th in the state of Utah, and only one of 400 in the United States! Yay! --Lindsay Storrs, CBM :)

LOTOJA Weekend 2010

This past weekend was LOTOJA weekend. For those of you who may not know what I'm talking about, LOTOJA is a bike race where the cyclists ride from Logan to Jackson Hole (206 miles) in one day. This was my dad's 9th year doing this crazy race! When he does it, we always tag along to "support him."

On Friday, we headed up to Logan at about lunchtime. When we got there, Kristin & Dan wanted to go to the USU bookstore to pick up something. The kids had a good time playing with the toys, reading the kids' books & trying on USU-themed costumes...


Since we were already on campus, Kristin & Dan had to go kiss on this A stand. There's something "really cool" about doing this. I can't remember why it is cool, but apparently it is when you go to Utah State...


Then Cohen wanted a turn on the A with Tata. But, in two-year-old defiant fashion, he wouldn't kiss her...

After that, we checked into the hotel and went swimming. Temperatures were only in the 60s, but the kids didn't care! They couldn't resist the water...

Neither could the big kids apparently...

They did, however, make frequent trips to the hot tub to warm up...

And a little snuggle time with Nana never hurt anyone either...

Here's Poppy & his shadow hanging in the hot tub...

Cohen actually liked the water, for the most part, and didn't freak out too much...

That night, we met up with my cousin Michael (he rides LOTOJA every year too) and his family, along with his parents, for dinner at Beehive Grill...

That night, I got one of the worst migraines of my life (it may even have been THE worst migraine of my life). I felt like my head & eyeballs were going to explode, and I threw up at least four times (that I can remember). It even lasted into the next morning, which was the race itself. I spent several hours sleeping in the car while everyone else cheered Poppy on. Here's Kristin & Aiden in Preston, Idaho at about 8:00 am waiting for Poppy at the first Feed Zone. It was only about 35 degrees at this point...

The next stop was Montpelier, Idaho. By this point, my migraine had subsided into just a normal headache so I was able to slightly function. While we were waiting for Poppy to get in, the boys ate some lunch...

After that stop, the cyclists go one way & the support vehicles go another. We are usually able to catch up to Poppy once the paths come back together, but he was hauling this year & we weren't able to catch up to him. We actually missed the Feed Zone in Afton, Wyoming because he was going so fast. So, once we finally caught up to him, we created our own Feed Zone on the side of the road in Star Valley...

From this point on, we were finally able to get some good shots of Poppy in the race...

And actually get to Feed Zones before him. Here's the fam in Alpine, Wyoming...

From there, Poppy headed up the canyon to Jackson Hole. By this point, he had already rode about 150 miles & he was still smiling...

We stopped several times up the canyon so the boys could cheer him on with their cowbells...

And give him some high fives too...

From there, we headed to the end of the race. Here are the "cheerleaders" waiting at the finish line to cheer for Poppy...

And here he is crossing the finish line. It's not a very good picture. Mike was going to try to take multiple shots but the camera wouldn't reload fast enough, so this is the best shot we got...

I seriously don't know how my dad does this race every year! It's an incredible feat! Way to go Poppy!

That night, we headed to dinner at one of our favorite little Mexican restaurants in Jackson Hole, Los Abuelitos...

It was a long day--apparently not only for Poppy, but for Connor too...

The next day, we decided to get up early and head to Yellowstone National Park. We usually go to Grand Teton National Park, but we decided to try something new this year. On our way there, we saw a buffalo! I had never seen one in person before...

We actually drove through Grand Teton to get to Yellowstone, so we stopped off a Jackson Lake to get a picture of how beautiful it is there...

Once we got to Yellowstone, we headed first to the gift shop & did what we do best in gift shops, played with all the stuff...

Then we headed over to Old Faithful to see it erupt. Here's what it looked like when we first got there, in between eruptions...

We got some lunch and then waited to see it go off...

Finally, it happened! Here is the beginning of the eruption...

And then here it is at it's peak! Pretty impressive...

Cohen was in awe. "Tata! Warr (pronounced Wa-rrrrrrrr)! Tata! Warr!"

Once Old Faithful was done, we walked around the area that surrounds Old Faithful. There were all sorts of weird looking hot springs...

And smaller geysers...

It was a really cool place! We stopped and attempted to get a family picture. Yes, I know that I already look 6 months pregnant, even though I'm only about 3 1/2. It's not cool, not cool at all...

We stopped to look at some "wildlife" too! Here are the boys making friends with a caterpillar they found...

When we were done walking the trail, we went into the lodge that is there. It was built in 1904 and was awesome inside! I didn't take any pictures though. And, as we were walking back to the parking lot, we got lucky & got another glimpse of Old Faithful as it was erupting again...

After that we headed home. We were so far north by that point, that we decided to just head west until we hit I-15. This route took us into Montana for a few minutes, so I can now chalk that state off my list. I'm now up to 28 states! Wahoo! Haha!

It was a long drive home after that, which was not the best time of my life considering we had a two-year-old who was not interested in watching movies, reading books or looking out the window after several hours of begin stuck in the car. But, overall, it was a great weekend & we can't wait for next year! --Lindsay

Aiden Turns FIVE!!!

My little Aidenator turned five-years-old on Tuesday! Seriously?!? Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that I showed up at the hospital, the nurses told me I wasn't really in labor, and then I gave birth to him a few hours later! How was that FIVE years ago? Holy cow! Well, we had two celebrations to mark the occasion. Last Friday, we had a "Cars" themed birthday party with Aiden's friends, from both the new neighborhood & the old!

We started out the party with lots of Cars games, thanks to my creative husband who was the "Master of Games" for the celebration. We played "Hot T'Mater" (Hot Potato), "Don't Wake the Tractor" (kind of like Ghosts in the Graveyard), a "Mater Backwards Relay," "Red Light, Green Light," and "20 Cars Questions." All of them were really cute! Mike did a great job! I didn't get pictures of any of them because I was too busy trying to corral 7 little boys into the same area.

After games, it was time for their VIP Dinner. We had all of Aiden's favorites...hot dogs, chips, grapes, goldfish crackers and kool-aid. Not exactly the most nutritious dinner, but it's what he wanted.

Then it was on to the cake, courtesy of my favorite baker "Mr. Smiths" (as in Marketplace)...


Here's Aiden blowing out the candles before I even had a chance to set the cake down on the table. And, yes, I realize Connor doesn't have a shirt on. He decided to dump an entire pitcher of kool-aid on his head while trying to get it out of the fridge, so he was half naked for most of the party while his shirt went through a cycle in the washing machine. I love being a mom, I love being a mom, I LOVE being a mom...


After cake and ice cream, it was on to opening presents & then letting the kids run wild, while the moms that were there got a chance to just sit and chat for a few minutes. It was so fun to be able to see some of my good friends from the old neighborhood. I love & miss them so much...

On Tuesday (Aiden's actual birthday), we had a family party. Aiden wanted Little Caesars Pizza & a funfetti cake for this celebration. I'm hoping his tastes always stay this cheap, but something tells me they won't. :)

After dinner, we opened presents. As if this kid needs anymore stuff???

And then it was on to the funfetti cake. Isn't he the cutest five-year-old you've ever seen?

And then his brothers helped him blow out the candles. These three are like the 3 Musketeers. Although, I'm pretty sure they fight a little more than the Musketeers did...

Cohen enjoyed his cake...or more correctly, he enjoyed destroying his cake...

It was a fun party! I can't believe Aiden is getting so big! He is turning into a little man before my eyes! Mike just decided to teach him to ride his bike without training wheels the other day, and Aiden is actually picking it up a little bit. He still needs lots of practice, but he's getting there...

Happy birthday Aidenator! We love having you as a member of our family! You are definitely our "class clown" and our "Wii Champion." You make us laugh on a daily basis with the funny things you do and say! We love you! --Mom, Dad, Connor, Cohen & Baby #4