Happy Birthday Elder Matt-Man

March 16, 1991, I woke up at 4:30 am with a start. My body was shaking and I was wondering what in the world was going on. Feeling sick, I ran for the bathroom and called for Tom to get the car started. Tom asked, "Are you sure?" Yep, I was sure. This was it. This was the day we had looked forward to for 9 months. The day that our little baby was going to come into the world and we were officially going to be parents.
I had packed a bag a few weeks earlier in preparation for this day, not knowing that we would only get 2 hours of sleep for the night. My brother had planned his wedding day on March 15, Matt's actual due date and I being large in the tummy, spent the entire day on my feet helping with the wedding. Tom had to take a final at Utah State that day, so we stayed at my parents the night before the wedding and then headed to Salt Lake in the morning. Just before pictures, Tom left for Logan to finish his finals for the quarter and I stayed to help with things.
Tom made it back around 4:00 pm and we had family pictures taken with the Bride and Groom. We then spent the evening walking around mingling with friends and family. I had been having small contractions throughout the day, but not bad enough to make me alarmed. After the wedding, we cleaned up the kitchen and headed for home in Logan from Centerville. We arrived at home around 2:00 am. Feeling exhausted I crashed heavily on my bed and fell asleep.
Tom was very obedient and got ready to head to the hospital and helped me out to the car. Driving like a bat out of heehaw we zoomed through Sardine Canyon heading for McKay Dee Hospital. We caught up to a Standard Examiner van who then tried to stay up with us as we drove 80 mph in our little Toyota Tercel. Meanwhile, I'm trying to breathe and also telling Tom to pass the dumb van because I didn't want them around when I had to deliver the baby in the car. Uncertain that we would make it to the hospital in time, Tom became more concerned and sped up passing the van. "Where are the police now?" I thought. "They are always in the canyon when you don't want them there."
We made it to the hospital and I walked in with Tom, as I felt the contractions make my whole body shake. Wow! They whisked me away in a wheel chair and checked me in at Labor and Delivery. I was now ready to just relax, right? Ha! Ha! Tom had to rest his head between his legs as the Anesthesiologist came in to give me an epidural.
Within a few short hours, we gave birth to a beautiful little boy. He had a ton of thick dark black hair. Matthew Thomas Hales was born at 9:15 am on March 16, 1991 weighing 8lbs 8 oz. and measured 21 inches long.
Little did we know what joy could come from this sweet little baby. He grew so fast, weighing 25lbs at 3 months. I gained a great amount of upper body strength as I carried him around, but the doctor was concerned about his weight and suggested that we put him on a diet. We tried to feed him water in between meals, but he wouldn't drink it. So, he continued to gain weight and was a very content baby.
He continued to grow and was a very happy baby and still has a very happy disposition. I learned how to draw dinosaurs while learning their names and what they ate and what time period they lived in. We read book after book teaching Matt to recognize and say the letters in the alphabet by the time he was 2.
Then we were blessed to have another baby boy, Bryce, born on July 7, 1993. Matt was so excited to have a little friend to play with and they have been best friends since. They together played and wrestled together. They would march around the room like their favorite dinosaurs growling and marching as they went. They would pack a lunch or snack in a back pack and go for an "Adventure" on the 89 acre farm we lived on in Kaysville. They learned how to help out on the farm by feeding the cows with Dad and bottle feeding a calf they named "Chip". Every time they went out to feed him, Chip would follow them all over the yard nudging them in the legs and back.
Matt was our 'guinea pig' as he was our first kid. We learned a lot from Matt because he was always the first to try everything. Like our patience, our ability to listen, our unconditional love, and our willingness to trust our kids. It's just a good thing that he came first, because he has always been a straight shooter, an arrow, a great example and a man of integrity. He has a desire to always do the right thing.
When he was called to serve in the Mexico Chihuahua mission, we knew that this was where the Lord wanted him to be. He sat with me a few days before he left and talked about the dangers that were there in Mexico. I talked to him about obedience and how the Lord will bless him and keep him safe if he is obedient to the Commandments and the Mission Rules. I find comfort in knowing that he has always been eager to be obedient. We are blessed to have him in our family. Happy 20th Birthday Matthew Thomas Albert Hales! (He added the Albert in there when he was 3)