Bloglines

Dear fellow blog-readers,

I've mentioned this to a few friends recently and I thought I'd dedicate a post to this AWESOME little tool I have come to love. I just click on my "bloglines" bookmark and I can see all the blogs I love to read. THE BEST PART is that it tells me who has posted a new post and how many! I click on it - and I can see them right there! Or, I can click on the post and go to a new window (with the blog I chose) and I can hear the writer's music and/or make comments. I love bloglines and it took quite a while for my sister to convince me to use it... now I don't know how I ever managed to click on EVERY blog to see if it had been updated!

FYI, bloglines rocks. Check it out: http://www.bloglines.com/

PS it does NOT show me private blogs. So, I just have to check those occassionally!

Recital Time

As you know, I teach many clarinet and piano lessons each week. I really do enjoy watching these students progress. Some have been taking lessons for 2 1/2 years now, others just started this year. We had a recital this week and it was a great celebration of all they have learned. I had Hunter play on it - since his piano teacher is not doing a recital. Plus, I'm still very much involved in his piano playing - helping him practice every day. It's nice to report to a different person (not me!). So, here is Hunter's performance, and then the finale - my friend, Michelle, and I played a little duet together. It was great fun to perform.

Fun in the snow...

Reminds me of "The Christmas Story"

Our new AMAZING german sled (thanks La-la and Greg!)

Hunter was daring and did the jumps...

FYI - this jump didn't end well!

Hunter

Hunter's Sunday School teacher had to share with me all the funny things he said in class today - and I thought I'd share my giggles with you too...

He said a prayer and said the normal "bless us to have a good day," etc - then he says, "and help us remember that today is church Sunday, not an ice cream sundae Sunday."

and,
during class they were discussing fasting and asking if anyone had fasted before. Hunter says, "my mommy and daddy have fasted. But, one time my mommy was so hungry she said, 'that's it, I'm done' and she ate 10 hot dogs THIS long (with a 2 foot arm display)!"

FYI - I'm sure I've ended a fast saying I'm hungry, but I don't remember eating 10 hot dogs!!!

Together again...

Just wanted to post that Lori is reunited with her husband and son, Nathan, on U.S. soil (Miami). I don't know details about how long it will take for them to return to UT, but I know that miracles happened for this family and many others over the weekend. YEAH!! I love this picture!

Christmas Part #1

Well, this really should be post #1 and #4... since we were with Grandma & Grandpa at the start and the end of our trip! I think all my photos for this post are from the first few days - it's sad they went so fast! BTW, we had the opportunity to spend Christmas with Shayne's parents who are currently serving a full-time LDS mission in North Carolina (Employment Service Specialists). We loved being with them and miss them terribly!

"Lazy 5 Ranch" - the owner said he had 5 lazy kids and that's how the name came about! It's ACRES and ACRES of open land to see and even feed animals. Nothing like a zoo as you can from the pics!
In the next 5 seconds, this bird nipped at Grandpa's hat.... he wanted that food!

That was ONE BIG MAMA TONGUE!

He was itching to get in the wagon with us...

Who knew that a Kangaroo was sooooo soft?!? We got to pet him through the fence here... he (she?) was very gentle.

Christmas morning.

This is my favorite sequence of pictures - I mentioned in previous post that one gift was a card that had a picture of their friends and the words, "It's a sleepover!" I hadn't told them that I had extended our trip to include a visit to their friends' house and 4 nights of sleepover fun!

"What the....?"

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Grandma's laugh is CONTAGIOUS!

So, Santa left some tatoos in the stocking. I don't think he intended them to be used all at once. (PS I think a grandparent help him decorate his back too... they lasted for WEEKS!)

Danny in his "spot" on the table watching new Baby Einstein videos.

What's not to love about this face?

Cole-ism for the new year

As we drove from Johnson City, TN to North Carolina, we drove through the Smoky Mountains. Cole woke up from his nap as we were descending from the higher elevation and started to complain about his ears having "something" stuck inside them. He kept trying to poke his finger in his ear and asked me to help him get "it" out. I explained that his ears were adjusting from coming down the mountain and that nothing was in there. I also said that I was chewing gum to help my ears feel better. I offered him a piece of gum and he refused it. (I've trained my kids to always say no to gum!). After a few short minutes, he decided to take me up on my offer.

"Ok mommy, I'll try the gum."

I passed a half piece back and he proceeded to unwrap it and fold it in half.... (I'm watching through the rear-view mirror)... and tries to put it in his ear!

"Cole, not in your ear, you have CHEW it!"

"OOOOhhhhhhhh"

It doesn't seem nearly as funny as it was at the moment! I laughed the rest of my drive there!

My sweet friend

You might have seen their picture in the paper, or perhaps you saw them on the news, or you might have heard about them on the radio. Meet my dear friend, Lori, and her family. To make a very long story shorter, Lori and Brent have been in the process of adopting two children from Haiti for over 2 years. It has been a very long, complicated, and at so many times, a heartbreaking process. Yet, the miracles never cease and you'll find yourself inspired as you read Lori's blog for yourself. I can't even begin to describe the strength and resilience of this couple. Right now, they are raising money to pay for a plane, to bring the children home. And I'm not talking about the 2 kids in their arms, I'm talking about all the children at that same orphanage who were in the same process of being adopted by loving parents here in the US. And this isn't a project that will take a month to happen, this has to happen today. She's made a request to pass on the word that even $10 will help. If you look at her blog, there is a link on the right to make a donation. If you can, here's a way to help.