James is Getting Married

Last Saturday Adam's cousin got married. It turned out to be kind of an all-day event. We went to the sealing in the morning and I watched all of the kids in the waiting room. Then we attended a very nice wedding luncheon at the Cottonwood Grill. Later that evening we went to the couple's wedding reception. At one point, James asked me, "Why did they get married?" I told him because they love each other. He said, "Oh, well then I'm going to marry you next week because I love you." Aww, so sweet.

Christmas European Style

Ten years ago I spent a semester abroad in London. It was especially lovely to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas in Europe. It was at the London temple distribution center that I discovered the above album by the Mo Tab. It is now one of my favorites and features Christmas songs from around the world (I think mainly Europe though). I love this album because the songs are familiar yet not the kitschy, over-played songs on the radio. Don't get me wrong, I love "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" and all of the old favorites but I also wonder why the "continuous Christmas songs station" can't seem to branch out a little and bring out some lesser known carols like "I Saw Three Ships" or "Go, Tell it on the Mountain" or "Ding, Dong Merrily on High" and the like. But I digress.
I thought I had lost my CD until yesterday when I found it crammed in the glove box. I immediately inserted it into the car player and was transported back to Europe.
I remember vividly listening to the beautiful strains of "The Rocking Carol" as our bus meandered through the streets of Oxford.
Joseph, dearest, Joseph mine.
Help me cradle the child divine.
We will rock you, rock you, rock you.
Jesus, Jesus, do not fear,
Those who love you will be near.

Later that evening, we went to King's College (pictured below) and listened to the famous boy's choir perform at Evensong (evening Catholic worship service) by candlelight. It was a beautiful and aesthetic experience.One of my favorite memories of Christmastime in London was when I attended a choir concert at St. Martin-in-the-Field (pictured below). This concert was held in the evening by candlelight and was absolutely amazing! The soft glow and flicker of the candles danced and reflected off of the antique walls and ceilings. The voices from the choir filled the room and its tones were impeccable. It was almost magical to be in that setting and to have nearly all of my senses awakened.

It seemed like Christmas in Europe was much more about the music, the community, tradition and less focused on gifts and commercialism. Maybe I was just blinded because of the difference in culture.
Even the Mormon church parties were different. I attended the London Stake Christmas concert in which a professional opera singer was hired to perform an aria from "Handel's Messiah." Holy awesome!
Speaking of "The Messiah" I just remembered attending a performance in London shortly before Christmas. All of the performers, including the orchestra, were dressed in traditional Baroque costumes. The sounds were so impressive and incomparable!
I had the the opportunity to spend the weekend in Germany with two of my flatmates. One of them had been an exchange student in Germany during high school and we flew from London to Frankfurt to spend the weekend with them. We attended their ward Christmas party and it was so neat to sing Christmas carols in German and, once again, listen to professional performers. Later that night, our German host mom sang us carols in German in her home over delicious cakes and desserts.
I'm so grateful I was able to experience Christmastime in another culture. One other thing I loved about London--caramel roasted nuts from street vendors. You could literally smell them all the way down the street and they were so warm and tasty on a cold day.

Winter Activities

I took James to a free Christmas craft activity at Barnes and Noble a couple of weeks ago. Santa was there and he really didn't want to sit on his lap. I finally convinced him, or rather, I drug him up there and plopped him on his lap all for a free picture. He was pretty nervous and he kept twitching his eyes. Here is the exchange that took place between James and Santa.
Santa: How old are you James?
James: Good
Santa: How OLD are you James?
James: Three
Santa: What do you want for Christmas?
James: Pausing for quite a while finally says, "Mmmm, rocks."
At this point I busted up laughing and Santa looked like he was thinking, "Okay."
Finally, Santa says, "What kind of rocks?"
James: Um, big rocks.
I was laughing so hard. All I could think was that the employees must think my kid is deprived because the most exciting thing he could come up with was rocks. I still don't know where he came up with that because I have never told him that if he's naughty that Santa will bring him rocks/coal. He's a funny kid.


This is James at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. I helped organize an outing for the foreign exchange students in the Boise and Idaho Falls areas. By the way, little kids don't like creepy old jails. In fact, it really freaks them out. James still talks about it. He would cry and say, "Mommy, don't go in there. I don't want to go in there." I must say, I was little creeped out myself. Especially since it was featured on the travel channel as one the most haunted places in America. Note to self, don't do that again. Although, I have to say, it was a learning experience for him. He now somewhat understands what it means when we talk about jail. Not that we talk about it a lot.
This picture was taken at an International Holiday Celebration at Boise State. We joined hands with everyone in the room and did a traditional Native American dance. I think James thinks his parents are officially crazy now. He didn't know what to think about the dancing with the wild shouting and yelling but I think he had fun.

This is a picture of the first snowfall of the season. James shoveled our entire driveway and walk all by himself. It was awesome! He did a great job, too. And he's only three!

Hospital Scenes

Here are some pics of Ruby while she was in the hospital. They were taken with my phone so they aren't very good. The first picture of James and Ruby is really sweet. James missed Ruby a lot and worried about her a lot too. He wasn't allowed in the hospital due to the Swine Flu epidemic (no one under 14 allowed) and so he didn't get to see her for about a week. We finally just brought him in because we were the only ones in pediatrics. They were so excited to see each other. They just stood and looked at each other and laughed and laughed. It was so cute. It was the happiest I had seen Ruby in a long time. She looked so cute in her little hospital gown--poor little baby.
The last picture was taken right after her first surgery. She doesn't have any clothes on because she was burning up with a 103-104 temperature.

Shows

I know this is a lame post but now that it's winter I find myself watching a bit more tv.

Some shows I am really enjoying this season are, in no particular order:

1. Modern Family on ABC Wednesday nights. Funny and original.
2. The Office, of course, but doesn't seem as funny this season.
3. Community. I enjoy this one a lot.
4. Parks and Rec. This show has really redeemed itself this season. Much, much better this year.
5. 30 Rock. Love Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.
6. Heroes
7. Biggest Loser
8. Conan
9. I never thought I would say this but I actually enjoy tuning in to the Jay Leno show now and then.
10. House Hunters International
11. Psych. I'm excited for the new season to start in January!
12. Jeopardy

As for James, he's really into Bob the Builder these days. He goes around the house all day singing, "Bob the Builder can we fix it? Bob the Builder! Yes we can! Working together to get the job done." I personally find the show extrememly boring. At least The Wiggles were somewhat entertaining.

Happy Anniversary!

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on the 27th! What a ride!
We attended the temple and did some sealings. It was nice to look at Adam across the alter and to hear the promised blessings in the sealing ordinances again. We have been very blessed .

Excuse Me While I Gag

Last night Adam and I loaded the kids in the car and headed downtown to see the annual tree lighting. On the way there, I looked back at the kids only to see James pick his nose and eat it.
"James, please don't pick your nose and eat it. It's so gross and disgusting."
"No, I'm a squirrel."
"Squirrels don't eat their boogers."
"I'm a squirrel pretending to eat acorns."
I wanted to laugh and puke at the same time. So gross!

By the way, all of my posts have been 'naked' lately as my USB cable is on the fritz and I'm too lazy and poor to buy a new one.

Thankful

I won't lie and say that 2009 was the best year ever. In fact, in a lot of ways, it kind of sucked. It kind of sucked a lot. I don't say that to be a whiner or a complainer--I know things can always be worse. But let's face it, some days are better than others and so are some years better than others. Adam has been unemployed for a full year now. In retrospect, as I think about the past year and the challenges we have faced financially, I can see huge blessings that were a direct result of him not being employed. Some of those blessings are as follows:

Adam was able to focus almost solely on school. Because of that, he was able to take more classes and will now graduate slightly earlier than expected.

When Ruby was in the hospital, Adam was able to take care of James most of the time and he was able to come and relieve me at the hospital.

We learned to rely on the Lord for nearly everything. It is a miracle to us that somehow we have managed to pay all of our bills every single month without going into debt or having to borrow money from our parents. We also never had to apply for food stamps or other assistance (other than medical) which we are grateful for. I'm very thankful to know that assistance is there if it came down to it but fortunately we were able to get by without it.

We have learned to go without even if it was something that we really needed at the time. Is it an absolute necessity or can it be put off for a few more months? I'm thankful that (hopefully) I've learned the value of money.

We have learned from some mistakes. A few years ago, we bought a car that we immediately regretted purchasing. We have prayed and prayed that we would be able to sell it but we haven't. I know the Lord understands that we have learned our lesson but that doesn't mean He's going to instantly make the problem go away. He's definitely helped us make the payments but it would have been easier if we could have sold the car or, even better, never purchased it to begin with.

The blessings of tithing are real. I'm so thankful for this divine commandment. The Lord gives us so much more in return. We are indebted to him for all that we have and all that we are. He wants to bless us and He wants us to be happy.

FHE

The other night, James was flipping through his "Jesus book" (aka: the nursery manual) and he came across the picture illustrating the story of the good Samaritan. He asked me what happened to the man. I told him that some bad people came and beat him up and left him on the ground and this nice man came along and helped him.
James: How did he help him?
Me: He gave him some water and took him to the hospital.
James: How did he take him to the hospital?
Me: On his donkey.
At this point he starts laughing hysterically and shaking his head. He finally held his hand up and while still laughing said, "I guess I just don't understand."
Me: What don't you understand.
James: (Still laughing hysterically and keep in mind he is only 3) A donkey can't hold two men it can only hold one man. And then he laughed and laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

After Adam got home that night, I was telling him about it and I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face. I love that kid. He is so stinkin' smart and cute.

Perspective

I admit there were times during the last few weeks when I felt pretty sorry for myself, for Ruby, for our family in general. For Ruby's third surgery, we went to St. Luke's instead of St. Al's. I met an 8 year old girl that was battling cancer. I saw her in the playroom a lot, hooked up to oxygen, her pale bald head bent over her art work or games. I wanted to cry every time I saw her. I no longer felt sorry for myself. My Ruby was fixable-- she would be able to leave eventually. This girl, Raegen, had been in the hospital for 27 days straight and was staying another week for chemo treatments. I can't imagine facing something like that as a parent. I had a small taste of what it's like to see my child suffering, feeling helpless and confused, the endless hours of monotony at the hospital. That was nothing compared to what Raegen and her family have experienced. We may be dirt poor, we may be frustrated with our job situation, we may feel like our situation is never going to change, but at least we are healthy and our children are healthy and for that I am very grateful.

Weeks in Review

The last few weeks have been a little crazy, to say the least. The week leading up to our trip to Bermuda, I noticed a large lump on Ruby's neck. I took her to the doctor that same day and he thought it was an infected lymph node and prescribed antibiotics. At the end of the week, she had a follow-up appointment (doc knew we were going to Bermuda) and the lump had gotten significantly larger. He called SW Idaho Ear, Nose and Throat and we went immediately to that clinic for an ENT to look at her. The ENT was fairly certain it was a large pus pocket that would need to be drained surgically and a CT scan would confirm his diagnosis. We went immediately to the hospital. It took two or three tries before they were finally able to get an IV in her tiny vein. They strapped her down so she couldn't move at all while they did the scan. She screamed the entire time and I thought it would never end.
We waited at the hospital for the results so she could go directly in to surgery without having to do another IV. The doctor finally called and confirmed that it was a pus pocket and they were preparing for surgery right away.
I was so disappointed and upset. I was worried about Ruby and I was mad about our trip. Why did this have to happen now? It was 4:00pm and we were supposed to be on a flight at 7:45 in the morning. Adam's parents met us at the hospital and we started talking about our trip. To me, going was not really an option anymore. I couldn't get a hold of anyone at EF to see if we could fly out a day later but I couldn't reach anyone. The doctor had told us several times that it would be alright if we went, that this procedure was not exactly routine but that he had seen it enough times to know that she would only be in the hospital for 1-2 nights. Adam still wanted to go. Adam's parents still wanted us to go, saying that they would take care of Ruby and everything would be alright. I was not so sure. Adam went home to pack and I stayed and waited for her to wake up from surgery.
I was up all night with Ruby. I literally had not slept all night. Adam's parents came to the hospital at 5am--one was staying with Ruby and one was taking me home to get my luggage. It was so hard leaving Ruby, curled up on the big hospital bed, burning up with fever. I tried not to cry. I didn't want to disappoint Adam. He wanted to go so bad. I was in such a daze from lack of sleep. It all seems like a dream then and now looking back. Somehow I went home, packed up the car and we got on the plane. I cried practically the entire flight to Salt Lake.
Once we got to Salt Lake, it didn't seem as bad and I was actually getting excited about spending the evening in Boston. Plus, Ruby was going home in the morning so it started to feel ok.
We arrived in Boston and spent the night there and then left for Bermuda the next morning. We didn't have cell phone coverage in Bermuda because it's another country and calling from the hotel was ridiculously expensive. Finally, we were able to call that evening fully expecting to hear that Ruby had been released and was doing well at my mom's house. Well, my mom said she hadn't been released but would probably go home in the morning. My mom calls the next night, Ruby didn't go home again today, her fever isn't going down and the doctor is thinking about doing another CT scan because she might need another surgery. Adam and I talked about it and decided that we really needed to go home. We were able to get a flight out the next day at noon.

We arrive in Boise at midnight and go straight to the hospital. The next day, another CT scan is done which revealed that the original pocket had filled back up with pus plus there were two more pockets that needed to be drained: both sides of her neck and the back of her throat.
Another surgery. Ruby seems to be doing better right off the bat but her fever is still present. After 10 days in the hospital, the doctor says we can go home. Our first night home, Ruby slept all through the night, she seemed happy, etc. The next day, things were great until her fever hit in the afternoon and she was up all night with a fever and she threw up.
Took her to the doctor in the morning and he said her lump was the same and call if there are any changes. Went home, put Ruby down for a nap. When she woke up, the whole side of her face was swollen. Call doc immediately. Sends us to hospital right away for yet another CT scan which showed that she needed a third surgery to drain it. Adam and I had to hold her down for nearly a FULL HOUR while the nurses tried to get an IV in. It was so sad. I wanted to leave but I knew I had to stay and give her what little comfort I could. It was so painful for her. She screamed and thrashed through the whole ordeal. Finally, a nurse from PICU came and put one in her head which was very sad. Poor little Ruby. She just cried and cried while they held her head down and put a needle in her scalp. I was a mess. I wanted to scream at the nurses, "What kind of a children's hospital is this that you can't even get an IV in a child?!" My stress level was at an all time high. I just wanted Ruby's torture to end. I just wanted her to get better.
This time a specialist of pediatrics, infectious diseases was brought on board. So, we spent another 5 days in the hospital. She was released just yesterday (Saturday) morning. So far, so good.

Bermuda was awesome, by the way.

Bermda

I'm starting to get really excited about our trip to Bermuda. It's beginning to feel real like it's actually going to happen. I'm also really nervous about leaving James and Ruby for six days. When we went to Chicago for a few days James cried on the phone the first night, "I want you to come get me!" It broke my heart. It was so sad. I wanted to fly home right then. I keep thinking about that and I am increasingly apprehensive about leaving. Plus, we're leaving the morning of Halloween and I'm super sad that I won't be with the kids Halloween night. Adam doesn't care but I really love Halloween and I want to share that magical evening with my children. I posted these pictures for inspiration.

As a side note, Adam has lost 20 pounds in 17 days!! Woo hoo!

This Weekend

I've been trying to savor the last few days of warm weather. I think I'm already in mourning for the summer/fall temperatures. I hate winter. I know I shouldn't but I do. I hate being cold and I hate feeling couped up. We have spent as much time outdoors as we possibly could this week. I took the kids to the train depot on Thursday and watched the HUGE Koi fish jump and splash. James loved following the train tracks and was in awe of "Big Mike" the train engine. I love the train depot. The views are lovely of the city and the mountains and the ponds and plants are so tranquil. I have so many fond memories of the depot--watching the fireworks during the River Festival (before it was canceled), playing night games (sardines, hide-n-seek, etc), exploring the man-made cave, seeing my friend off as he headed back to New York... It feels like a little nature oasis in the midst of the city.
Friday Adam and I went to the temple, picked up the kids and then headed up to Bogus. We found a little trail off the side of the road and went exploring. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with clear skies and cool temperatures. James loved finding pinecones and sticks and had to stop every few feet to dig a hole.
That evening we went downtown to pick up some concert tickets and ended up walking around. James played in the fountain on the Grove and we did some people watching. I love the energy of downtown. It makes me feel like I'm back in a big city.
Anyway, that was my weekend. How was yours?

Adam

Adam started a new diet about 9 days ago. It's called the HCG diet where he injects himself with hormones and subjects himself to 500 calories a day. He's doing awesome! I was a little worried that he wouldn't have the will power. Anyone who knows Adam knows he loves food. He's already lost 13-14 pounds. He heard about it from my SIL who lost 30 pounds in a month. Adam's sister decided to do it and she lost 25 pounds in a month. He's hoping to reach his weight loss goal by the end of 26 days. He's already had to tighten his belt and his wedding suit actually fits again. Amazing what can be accomplished in a short time if a person is really motivated. Go Adam!

Harvest Time

It's that time of year again! I am looking forward to making lots of yummy pumpkin desserts: bread, cookies, cake, and pie, oh my!

Must-Reads

Last week I read the first book pictured Under Pressure and this week I am working on So Sexy So Soon. Under Pressure is a great read about the consequences of hyper-parenting. The author asserts that in today's world parents hover too much and obsess about germs, getting into the right university, keeping them involved in every activity available, stranger-danger, and more. It was full of good advice in how to raise a happy, non-anxious, creative, well-rounded child. Really enjoyed it.

The second book So Sexy So Soon I actually found from the bibliography in the first book. Sexy is a little frightening but eye-opening in terms of how to protect our children from an over-sexualized world. So fascinating-- the book covers topics from pornography to Bratz dolls to pop music and cartoons. While reading, I thought how depressing this would be if I didn't have the gospel in my life. I'm so grateful for the safety the gospel provides, for latter-day prophets whose counsel if heeded will keep my family safe from the evils of this world. The thought of sending my little babies out into the world (ie: school) scares me but I also have faith that Heavenly Father will protect them if I do all that I can to teach them correct principals. If anything, this book has reinforced my views of limiting television, internet and other media exposure, spending quality time with my kids, and being more consistent with family scripture study, prayer, and home evening.

Some sobering facts from the book: The average teenager spends 6 hours a day in front of a screen (tv or internet) and view over 14,000 sexual acts a year.

The majority of children have viewed pornography unwillingly on the internet by the time they reach 6th grade.

The list goes on. Like I said, it can be depressing but I'm glad that I know what I'm up against as a parent. I'll take all the help I can get.

Ruby the street walker.

James in the middle of saying "cheese."

This is at our new favorite park called Quarry View. It's right next to the Old Pen and has great views of Tablerock and Castlerock. It's beautiful and quiet and the hills glow a lovely reflective purple at sunset.

Speaking of sunsets, the most beautiful sunset graced the sky the other night. I tried to snap a picture of it while driving but it obviously didn't turn out all that great. James said, "I want to go to heaven someday and paint sunsets with Heavenly Father." He's so cute!

Wal-Mart

This is my new favorite website www.peopleofwalmart.com Thanks Mo for sending it to me.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I am an avid recycler. I'm actually slightly compulsive about it. My husband thought I was crazy when we were newlyweds but now he's gotten used to it. I love the new city bins that were recently delivered. They have made it so easy to recycle now--no sorting just throw it in the bin. I love the fact that my recycling bin is more full than my garbage bin by the time trash day comes around. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I'm not just consuming, consuming, consuming and throwing it all in the city dump. Call me anal, but it irks me when I pass a trash can full of empty plastic water bottles or aluminum pop cans. How hard is it to take it home and put it in your recycling bin? It bothers me when people don't care especially when members of the church don't care. If anything, we should care more. I despise the mentality that the Lord has given us this Earth to use it's resources however we want--just use it up because "there is enough and to spare." There is only "enough and to spare" if we use those resources righteously. There is an island of trash the size of Texas floating in the ocean off the Asian continent. That is crazy! The size of bloomin' Texas! I wish I could do more but it makes me feel good that at least I'm doing my part to limit how much of my trash is dumped in the landfill. It's awesome that most items can be recycled. The city of Boise has made it so easy so just do it! It will make you feel good.

This is the best article I have ever read regarding LDS theology and environmentalism. It's pretty lengthy but interesting. http://josephsmithconferenceloc.byu.edu/shop/pdfsrc/40.2Handley.pdf

James and Ruby

James never ceases to amaze me. His memory is so keen. Tonight while brushing his teeth he recited half of the sacrament prayer. It came out of nowhere. Think your kids aren't listening in church? Think again.
Last week while eating at my in-laws, Adam's brother said something was stupid and James turned to him and said, "Damn it, Aaron, don't say stupid. It's a bad word. You know better than that. How many times do I have to tell you?"
By the way, Ruby took her first steps tonight at the Elder's Quorum activity. She just stood up and took three steps. Hip-hip-hooray! I'm excited for Ruby not to have dirty hands and knees anymore.

Under Construction

Our street has been under construction for several weeks now. At one point, we had a huge pile of dirt right in front of our house. It's actually been kind of nice because it's been easy entertainment for the kids, especially James. He will sit and watch all of the trucks work thoroughly enthralled in all of the diggers, bulldozer, rollers, and sweepers. In the evening, after the workers have gone, James and the neighbor boy play in the huge piles of dirt. Even Ruby wanted in on the fun. She kicked until I finally let her down so she could crawl up in the dirt. James has been in heaven being able to watch up close all of the trucks working.

More Distribution Items

I love church distribution materials. They are so inexpensive and obtainable even while living on unemployment. I read about the new church art book in the Ensign a few months ago. It's only $3.50 for over 130 pictures/photos of prophets, Book of Mormon/Bible stories, Church history, temples, and other themes. This has been a great teaching tool and James loves his new book. He can tell me what most of the pictures are about or name the people in the pictures. It's been great for family home evening as well as a good 'quiet' book for church.

A couple of weeks ago, James kept asking me where his scriptures were because we didn't want him playing with our nice leather bound sets. I told him I would get him his very own scriptures. We went to Deseret Book and bought a hard back copy of the Book of Mormon at distribution pricing (ask for distribution pricing and they give it to you) which was $3.00 and then we had his name inscribed on the front for $4.00. He was so excited to have his own Book of Mormon with his name on it. He carried it around and wanted to take it to church. He loves the pictures inside and pretends to read. I figure, $7 is a small price to pay to get James excited about the scriptures.

Happy Birthday, James (over 2 months ago!)

Our darling little baby James turned 3 this past June 28th. I can't believe he is getting so big and grown up. He is so much fun and he always keeps me laughing with his crazy little comments. He is all boy and loves anything that's loud and obnoxious and has four wheels. He love, love, LOVES trucks, hence the construction theme birthday cake I put together for him. It was really fun making the cake and coming up with interesting and edible look alikes of the real items. James was pretty excited to dig in.

He loves to read and we make weekly trips to the library. He usually has his books memorized by the time we return them.

He also loves The Wiggles and knows all of their songs. It's pretty amazing because it's the only tv he'll watch and he's been watching them for a year and half now. I would have thought he would be sick of them by now but he's not. He loves music and particularly the Wiggles music. I have to admit that I thought they were pretty lame when James first started watching but now I find myself singing along. I'm glad that he prefers to watch something musical because at least he's learning about rhymes, rhythm and music as opposed to watching something mindless like Sponge Bob (for the record, I HATE Sponge Bob).
James is also a good big brother, although he can get pretty rough with Ruby and I don't dare leave him alone with her for very long. He likes playing with her and has recently started picking her up and putting her in his fire truck bed. He sticks a rain hate on her and says she's helping him put our fires. So cute.

Explanation

A little explanation regarding my last post. One of my host families tried to borrow money from their exchange student to pay their rent. The dad then asked me if it was written in the rules. Ok, even IF it wasn't, doesn't it just go without saying? To make an extremely long story short, I had to remove the student from the home and she ended up sleeping on our couch for four nights until I could move her to her new host family. By the way, the student ended up at a mansion on five acres in Eagle, Idaho. She was happy, to say the least. So glad it's over and I was able to find a new family for her so quickly. The Lord definitely heard my many, many prayers that day.

A Little Advice

If you ever host an exchange student, please, please, please don't ever try to borrow money from them.

James Says

Sunday before church James came out of his room wearing my headlight and said, "There's a hamster loose at the church and he's trying to kill us." Oookay.

Bermuda, Here we Come!

I just wrapped up a busy placement season for my high school foreign exchange students. I've placed fourteen students in the Boise area all from various countries--Spain, South Korea, Italy, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Australia, and China! It has been so much fun to meet all of the host families and to watch the students arrive and get settled. So far, they are all great kids and no problems as of yet. I am learning a lot about each country and gaining a lot of insight into the commonalities of teenagers no matter what part of the globe they are from. I have some fun activities planned for the upcoming year. This Saturday we're floating the Boise River and the kids are all really excited. This little job has not only helped pay the bills but I also earned a bonus trip to Bermuda at a five star resort with all expenses paid! We are so excited to go in November! With all of the challenges we've met with this year, we feel like we deserve a nice vacation.

Summer Reading

I picked up this book at the local Deseret Industries for only two bucks and with no preconceived notions of what is was about. I remembered watching an interview with Cormac McCarthy on Oprah and it was an intriguing interview. I decided to buy it thinking, "Well, I can start it and if it's lame then I'm only out two bucks." I started reading and I could not put it down. Amazing! Loved it! The writing is excellent and McCarthy's poetic language flows like water. The book incorporates the elements of suspense, fear, sympathy, and above all love. At a superficial level, this book is a great thriller, not knowing what is going to happen next. However, the real focus of the story is the unconditional love a father has for his child, even going to the extreme to protect and care for his son. I have not enjoyed a work of fiction this much in a very long time. I thoroughly drank it in and couldn't get enough. It's one of those books that you hate to see it end.

This week I have been reading The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Sierstad. I have enjoyed reading this book although at times I have been shocked, disgusted and outraged. I can honestly say that life in Afghanistan has never interested me despite our recent history with that country. However, I was immediately drawn in to this book from the first page. Set against the backdrop of a stark and war torn country, the book is about a real family living in Kabul. The family illustrates well the long-lasting effects of extremist Islamic tradition and culture. Although Afghanistan is no longer plagued by the dictatorship of the Taliban, it's influence is still felt and is long-lasting. While reading this book, I have never felt so grateful to have been born in the United States and, even more importantly, to have been born a woman in the U.S. Although women in the U.S. still suffer to some degree from discrimination and sexism, it is incomparable to the way women are treated in Afghanistan. I'm thankful that I was not bartered away as an 11 year old bride, that I am not a slave to the men in my family, that I can wear what I want, go where I want and do whatever I want with whomever I choose. I have a voice and I have choices and I am thankful for that freedom.

Girl cousins

My two sisters, sister-in-law, and myself all had baby girls within six months. All delivered by the same doctor, Dr. West (he is the best ever!) He gives out these little shirts at the six week follow-up.

(Left to right: Lily, Felicity, Evie, and Ruby) They look like trouble, don't they?

More pics

We spent Friday evening at the ward campout. James was lovin' the hot springs in his Shrek underwear. He's our little nature boy.

We picked up this little pedal car at a thrift store for James. He loves it and drives it all over the neighborhood. It creates a stir everywhere we go.

This is my favorite picture of Ruby.