Grimace

Heidi has started wrinkling up her nose and showing off her teeth in a funny grimace that makes us all laugh. She is quite impressed with herself, being able to crack up the whole family. We couldn't quite capture it, but here's the end of one of her face-making episodes at the dinner table.

HAPPY #4, LIAM!

Today is the 4th birthday of one of the cutest boys EVER...my nephew Liam Post. Happy Birthday, Liam! We miss you!

Silly Boy

This might be Liam last year on his birthday...this is disco Liam and his buddy, Uncle Sam (my 2nd younger brother--Liam's Dad Will is my 1st younger brother).

Getting It Done (2 weeks ago)

This is how faith-based charities are supposed to work--efficiently, together, swiftly, and WITHOUT money or direction from the (or any) federal government.

More than 70 tons of medical supplies, hygiene kits, clothing and shoes
will be flown to Indonesia to aid tsunami disaster victims in a partnership
effort by Islamic Relief Worldwide and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. A chartered MD-11 cargo plane is being loaded today(12/31) in Salt Lake City for a New Year’s Day flight to Medan on the island of Sumatra in northern
Indonesia. Islamic Relief Worldwide is paying the shipping costs.

Thawing

I am just now getting warm from taking the Young Women (and my girls) sledding this morning at 10am. At 11am, we had a blizzard, so we packed it in and had cocoa and some basketball at the church (THEY played--I just watched all day, but I still got cold). Heidi is hoarse so I can't even hear her when she cries, poor baby.

I haven't said anything about the tsunami because--well, what is there to say? I can't even get my brain around the fact that the equivalent of a major city has been washed from the face of the earth. But 3 stories really touched me this week--they made my stomach turn and my heart break, and made me THANKFUL for the squirmy, snotty baby coughing next to me every night lately.

1. The little Indonesian man who appeared from the rubble sobbing when the CNN helicopter touched down. He proceeded to walk up to a crew member and just hugged him and wept on his shoulder--"I've lost everything! Everything! My family is gone!"

2. Anderson Cooper told of a woman who comes crying back to the beach everyday to the spot where her daughter washed away from her, hoping that somehow she'll find her there or
something.

3. The Swedish woman who lost her husband, son, and mother, who said, "I will never forgive myself for letting go of my baby. All my life I will see his eyes as he floated away from me." Ugh! That wreched my gut. I know we should be grateful for our lives, but I would seriously rather have died than to live with that image in my head every day.

I am so grateful for my babies even though they make me so tired. I am so grateful that a natural disaster is so unlikely here along the rocky mountains--what a peaceful, beautiful place we have to live out our lives--the "everlasting hills."

I need to go medicate and bed down my still-sick girls. More later.

How Cute is My Dad?

My Dad and Stepmom sent out these cards for Christmas (this is only part of the card) and I can't get over how great they look. For some reason it just struck me that he is, in fact, "getting old." I got this picture and couldn't stop looking at it. He looks like a really cute little grandpa--which he is. But it's just so weird because when I visit him, my eyes still see my 30- year-old "daddy," even with about 14 years of only seeing him a few times. It took something like a photo catching me off guard to notice he's aged. But gracefully.

Correction

About the weather--I guess 18 was the expected high, because now it's afternoon and it's only "5 degrees, Feels like-11" thanks to the 15 mph wind. Yeah, the swimming trip is cancelled.

Practically Spring

Livingston Weather: Well, we've warmed up to a toasty 18 degrees today--yay us! I think I will take the girls for a swim! Ha.

Busted

I promised myself I'd be in bed at midnight, but this story must be told. I made cinnamon rolls tonight and the last batch bell rang. When i checked them, they still seemed a little pale, so I turned off the oven and propped its door open and left them to brown and rushed to take a bath a do my reading for the night.

I came back to the kitchen to wrap up all the cinnamon rolls and take my vitamins, when I sadly realized that the last pan had been overdone and dried up a bit. I looked at them and determined they were still edible, but the crusts needed some moistening. So I reached under the sink for my spray bottle of water and before I looked, I had sprayed 8 rolls with 409. Am I tired enough for ya?! Sad but true.

So I am off to bed, but not before I tell you about Loobylu and her Month of Softies. She's an Australian illustrator whose drawings and stuff are so darling. Shall we join the softies club? I think it's a fun way to get ready for Christmas all year! Go have a look. I'm off to bed before I hurt myself or someone I love.

Right Here, Right Now

The following phtos were taken this morning between 9:57 and 9:59 am. They are just things around my house, a glimpse of our little brown heaven on earth. (heh, heh)...

Here are the contents of my kitchen table--I was doing Personal Progress while I waited for the bread maker to finish last night around midnight. I was so tired, I stopped in my tracks---little did I know I'd be up another few hours in my room!