Merry Christmas!

Me and my sister. Can you see the top of Jen's red rubber boots. Love it! And I really love Jen's hair. And my goofy smile that my parents had to pay a fortune to fix. Mom - how old were we in this picture? 5 and 3?

Funny thing - I found this picture over on Inchmark's blog. Actually - there is a good reason for that - Jen and Brooke are friends but it was funny to see my little face hanging out there too.

Hope all is happy and well for each of you this Christmas. We love our Savior Jesus Christ and celebrate his birth and the gift of His life.

President Thomas S. Monson said,

"What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following His footsteps."

Santa's Elves are Amazing

 We don't know who you are? But seriously you are amazing. Leaving the most perfect and over the top gifts each night at our door. We would like to thank you. And I don't even know if you read my blog. But we are grateful and you are making each night so fun.

What Sunday Looks Like

This is what Sunday looks like - after a long day of being home since church gets out a noon. We have games spread out all over the floor, the hair do is ruined, and Quinn is busy hoarding all the toys and necklaces she can fine. She wants to be in control and the center of attention. Oh but we think she is so cute we could eat her up.

Jonah and the Whale - Great story telling

Gather your kids around for this one. I want her to tell my kids bible stories every night. And then I want them to learn how to tell their own.

Why in December?

Teague had to make a volcano for school. Cool project but why in the heck would you assign a project like this for December? We are plenty busy and it is cold outside. Save it for spring. Geesh.

Teague was quite proud of it, though. And thanks to Grandpa and Kenyon it came together. I didn't do a single thing. Wahoo!

The Knee Update

So ... we went to yet a 3rd orthopedic doctor this week.

One thing we know for sure - 2 doctors are convinced that the only way to help Kenyon - and they are confident it will help him - is to do total knee replacements. They both agree that while Dr. Rosenberg is a great doctor - he is totally wrong in believing that a calcium rich and healthy diet will heal Kenyon's knees.

So...we will be moving forward with total knee replacements in 2011. The question is now when, where, how, and who.

We need to pick a doctor. One recommends doing them separately 8 weeks apart. And would operate on the left leg January 5th. The other doctor recommends doing both at the same time but can't operate until April 22nd. Are you kidding me? He really can't fit us in sooner. Duh!

Kenyon would rather have it over and done with so doing 2 at a time seems better to him. But waiting that long - not good.

Both seem like very competent doctors and have dealt with this specific problem. What to do? We don't know yet.

But funny side note (and maybe a concern) - this 3rd doc we went to has the most outdated office we have EVER been in. The monster computer monitors with monochrome screens. The computer programs they are using must have been developed in the late 80s. And they are using dot matrix printers. It is backwards in there. And the furniture is worn out and dirty. Should we be concerned? Orthopedic Surgeons have to be making enough money to invest in their office a little bit. Right?

Holy Cow! Ginormous Apple

Look what arrived in the mail today! The largest apple we have ever seen. And it tasted amazing! Thank you!!

Check them out at Williams-Sonoma.

Pomegranate

I had no idea how easy it is to de-seed a pomegranate. We love them but I always thought it was so messy to pick all the seeds out. Oh I am so excited....

Stephmodo sent me to the Martha link that teaches you the very simple de-seeding method. Hooray.

Happy eating!

Food Drive - Monday!!

For the past 3 years, we have hosted a neighborhood food drive. I really look forward to it. We feel so blessed to have so much and we want to give back. This idea struck me one day (I know it isn't unique) and I ran with it.

Here are some interesting facts about hunger in Utah.

• 1 in 10 Utahns, and 1 in 8 Utah children, lives in poverty.
• An impoverished family of four makes about $22,000 a year to cover health care costs, shelter, food, and other household expenses.
• Utah has the fourth-highest rate of food insecurity in the nation. About 350,000 Utahns risk missing one meal every day.   
• More than 134,000 Utahns receive food stamps, and 63,000 eat dinner at a soup kitchen.
• 1 in 7 Utah children is at risk of hunger, and nearly 40 percent receive free or reduced school lunch.

Check out the Utah Food Bank for more info or other ways to help out.

Last year we gave over 700 lbs to the food bank and I HOPE we can beat that.

So come join us and bring some non-perishable food or baby items. And I will be serving scones and hot chocolate. Tempted?