Christmas 2007

Ah...Another Christmas come and gone. We had a wonderful one, if not a little stressful (mostly of the self-inflicted, take on too much variety). We were able to spend a few days with Jeff's parents and all of his siblings. It was nice to visit, sled, eat, exchange gifts, play games, etc. I come from a small family (at least my immediate family is) and it's fun to be part of a large family. To quote Hannah Montana (or is it Miley Cirus?) it's "the best of both worlds." Jeff's dad, with help from Jeff (a little), his brothers, and various other friends and family has built the most magnificent cabin. We got to spend some time there hanging out and playing out in the snow. The only down side was when I face planted coming down the slopes on a sled. My first thought was, "Wow, this is really soft!" Then I lifted my face out of the snow. Big mistake. The only thought for the next few minutes was "cold, cold, cold, cold, cold!!!" We did the traditional nativity play-grandkids playing all the parts. Instead of the annual talent show, and much to the joy of the 3-4 of us that perform, we did some group singing instead accompanied by piano, flute and violin. Very fun.

Due to threatening snow and being a bit of a party pooper of late, we left early Monday morning to be home for Christmas Eve. The kids were bouncing off walls and it was difficult to get them to focus for more than 30 seconds at a time, but finally the house was clean, their gifts wrapped and it was now time for dinner and festivities!! (Sorry about the run-on-not interested in editing today.) Last year we started a "Mary and Joseph Dinner" which we continued this year, made cookies for Santa, opened Christmas p.j.'s read a story and finally went to sleep.

Lucky for us, we haven't quite it that "I'm so excited I can't sleep!" stage yet and only had to get up at the normal 7:30. Christmas morning was a blur of brightly colored paper flying in all directions and squeals of joy. Lyndsi informed me that everything she got was on her list and so she must have been a good girl. (Too cute!) She is very into Santa and the importance of being on the "nice" list. Favorites of Christmas morning:

Jeff- handheld GPS (to go geocaching)-which is in progress of creating a monster :)

Angie- Bosch mixer-bread has become easy overnight!

Lyndsi- Baby Alive (the little baby-not the big one)

McKay- The Black Pearl (2 feet long, and has all kinds of doors and compartments to keep a boy busy)

Sophie- baby doll with hair she can brush.

Later Christmas day we went to the big Marchant party. Everyone was concerned about the amount (or lack) of food at previous family events, and we all over compensated, making this the first family gathering since grandma died that there has been an extreme over abundance of food. It was wonderful!!!

The next day was glorious. I love basking in the afterglow of Christmas. It's like sitting in the sunspot on your couch where it's nice and toasty when the rest of the house is a little cool. I felt totally relaxed and had nothing nagging at the corners of my brain wanting attention. Even the kids disappeared and played quietly all day long!!! Mom and dad came over later that night to exchange gifts. Jeff was so excited when he opened his gift and it was a ohio state hoodie. The kids and parents were all spoiled. Hopefully mom and dad and Greg liked their gifts as well.

Another wonderful Christmas is over. It is now time for SPRING!!! :)

Adventures in Sledding

A few weeks ago, Jeff and I decided to take the kids sledding in preparation for a trip to the cabin. Once we got them all bundled up and let them go down with a grownup once or twice, they loved it. Lyndsi went down several times by herself and even Sophie loved going down the hill. We went to my old elementary school where there is a hill but not so very steep, so Grandpa and Jeff ended up doing a lot of pushing. I didn't think the kids would last too long, but we ended up sledding for around an hour. Surprisingly, Sophie was the last to give in. (It's nice to finally have a child who is a little more adventuresome-not that I don't appreciate the older kids' cautiousness)

The next weekend at the cabin they didn't have as much fun, I think. Although, we did have to make our trail instead of going down ready-made ones. Maybe next time it'll be loads more fun. Unfortunately, I was having too much fun going down the hill to snap any pics, so if any of you got some pictures of our sledding adventure, could you pass them along? Thanks!

Here are a few favorite pics:

Disneyland Part 1

My friend told me the other night I hadn't blogged in awhile. I thought I'd been doing pretty well, especially since I had just posted the question thing when she tagged me. So, now, lucky you guys, you get 2 posts in 1 day!

I guess it's about time I post a little about Disneyland. We went with our friends, Todd and Jen Hess and their kids. We drove to their house (in Enterprise) the first day to break the trip up a little and so the kids would have some time to get to know each other before we actually left. They got along right off the bat. Definitely a promising start. The next day after hours and hours in the car and only 2 potty stops, we finally made it.

Our kids weren't too sure about the ride thing once we got to Disneyland. Of course, Mom made McKay go on Matterhorn for his very first ride. When they got off, it was reported that McKay said something to the effect of "Daddy, that was so cool! Don't ever take me on that ride again!" Totally McKay. They didn't really want to go on many rides the first day, but were instead very interested in meeting the characters. When we stopped by the Princess Faire the first time we met Princess Aurora, Cinderella and Snow White. Can I tell you I love these ladies? They made my little girl feel so special and didn't just rush her through. It was very exciting.

Festive Traditions

I cannot believe that in one week from today we will have opened all of our presents and will already be playing with our new things!! I feel so behind. In fact, last night I dreamed that we went to our Christmas-day party and forgot one of the gifts-didn't even buy it! I woke up just sick. Ick. So, Matt, if we forget your present next week, sooo sorry!

The thing I do love about Christmas though, is all the traditions. This year has been full of them. Last weekend we got to see Santa at our ward Christmas party. He told Lyndsi that she was very much on his "nice" list. Ever since then she has been so excited. Out of the blue on more than one occasion, she'll sigh and say "Oh mom! I can't believe I made it onto Santa's nice list!" It is so cute. I don't ever remember being so concerned if I was going to be on the nice or naughty list.

We also went to the Festival of Trees with my mom and dad while Jeff was out of town. The kids had a ball. They had a little kids area where you could buy tickets and get your face painted, get a manicure, do crafts, etc. McKay even got to call one of Santa's elves! They loved looking at all the beautiful trees. McKay's favorite was the Star Wars tree with Darth Vader on top (a new fav since Disneyland) and Lyndsi's was anything girly. Grandma bought McKay some swords made out of water noodles. When we caught up with my aunt, cousin and some of his friends (all in their early 20s), McKay insisted that they fight him. They did and I can tell you that little boy of mine gave those big guys a run for their money! But, it was sweet that they were willing to play with my little 3-yr-old.

We've had a lot of snow it seems this month (with more on the way in time for Christmas!). I love to take pictures of nature, and these were some that I loved. This is our tree in our backyard. This storm took a lot of branches down in the neighborhood, but our trees are tough and still in good shape.

Tagged Again!

I'm tagged again. At least this a little different than the last one I did. It was actually kinda cute.

1. What is his name? Jeffrey

2. How long have you been married? For the best 7 1/2 years of my life!!

(Melissa-thanks for making #1 and 2 easy for me!)

3. How long did you date? 3 months then engaged for 3 months.

4. Who eats more? Mostly Jeff unless I'm really hungry.

5. Who said I love you first? Jeff.

6. Who sings better? Um..Me. Sorry Jeff.

7. Who is taller? Jeff by about 4 inches

8. Whose temper is worse? I think it's a toss up.

9. Who does the laundry? We both do, but Jeff's done it mostly since we had Sophie.

10. Who does the dishes? Mostly Jeff lately.

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jeff.

12. Who does the cooking? Me, but I'd gladly hand it over to Jeff if we weren't all starving by the time he got home from work.

13. Who is more stubborn? umm...i think that one is a tie. We're both pretty stubborn.

14. Who proposed? Jeff did, but first he tried to trick me by making me think he was going to do it other times.

15. Who is more likely to admit when they are wrong? Jeff's better at admitting it.

16. Whose parents do you see the most? My parents. (hey! They only live a few minutes away.)

17. Who pays the bills? Jeff.

18. Who wears the pants in the family? I think we're pretty give and take on that one. At least we try to be!

19. Why do you love your husband? He is funny and can talk as much as me. He is thoughtful and goofy. I'd keep going, but I have a violin lesson in a few minutes and have to get some things done first (like clean the orange juice big brother dumped on little sister's head-joy).

Tagging-everyone! Yay!! (Just think, Mars, now you have something to blog about!)

Christmas thoughts

I was looking online for something cute, clever or though-provoking to put in my Christmas cards. These didn't make the cut, but still thought they were worth sharing.

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukka' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukka!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'" - Dave Barry "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide"

What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? Claustrophobic. – Unknown

Merry Christmas!

Reflections while shoveling

I think most of my readers (doesn't that sound so official and big? if only!) know my dear hubby is out of the country this week on business. Of course, since he is going to a tropical island, I am blessed with the first big snowfall of the year.

As I'm gazing out my window at the beautiful blanket of white snow, it hits me. I have to shovel that or there is no way I'm getting in or out of my house!!! So I start piling on the gear- coat, hat, gloves, boots-and grab the shovel and start working. (Side note to whoever invents the exercise equipment- I think you should invent a snow shoveler machine.) While my shovel is making that oh-so-not-lovely screech against the cement, I'm starting to turn a little green with envy as I watch my neighbor casually stroll along his driveway with his snow blower. Oohh...So not fair. Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Out of nowhere, my visiting teachers pop in my head regiving me November's VT message- blessings that come from trials. I kinda laughed and thought, "Well, if it hadn't snowed so hard today, I wouldn't have my cute new boots. " And then I thought, "I'm so glad I got such a steal on this wonderfully warm coat this morning! My other coat wouldn't have been so easy and comfy to work in." Then I looked up. The sky was beautiful. The clouds were starting to break in the west and what sunlight was peaking through turned everything pink and silver. Only in the winter after a fresh snowfall could you see something so amazing. Just like that, thoughts kept rolling into my head of all I had to be grateful for just because I had to do a little work.

(P.S. Pictures are from two years ago-not today.)

Updates

I've updated the both the photo gallery and the "in the kitchen" sections. Really, you should try those cookies.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Things I'm thankful for:

1. Family.
2. Friends. Both teach me things when they don't even know I'm looking.
3. Ice cream. McKay reminds me constantly to be grateful for the little things that bring me pleasure.
4. The Church and having opportunities to serve others.
5. Dry, desert air. Love it.
6. My own bathroom.
7. Cell phones.
8. My bed and my comforter.
9. Books. I devour them. (Just ask my family)
10. Soft breezes.

Of course, there are so many more things to be thankful for, but these are some I've thought about lately. What are you thankful for?

Enjoy all your family and food tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!

Now that it's almost Thanksgiving...

Happy halloween!!! To give you an example of how slow I am this year, poor Thanksgiving is getting shoved aside this year again. Not by Christmas, though, but by halloween. Yes, my halloween decorations are still up. Oh well, at least my seasonal block has been turned to Autumn.

Here are some pictures from our Halloween trunk-or-treating. We all dressed up and had a great time and are still enjoying the spoils and loot.

Seattle

Yeah, I know. I'm a little behind on this blog. Seattle was a few weeks ago, but it was fun. I'm really glad we went.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law picked up and took us to the best place in town for seafood, Ray's Boat House. It was really good. Dustin and Jeff convinced me to try the Ahi Tuna salad. It was only cooked on the outside (I'm not much for raw anything), but once I got past the texture it was yummy. The view was incredible from there and we got to watch the sun go down while we ate.

Jeff had a lot of training on Friday and Dustin had school, so it was just Sally and I. We decided to drive out to Snoqualmie Falls. The drive was beautiful. I'm so glad I saw Seattle for the first time in the fall. Amazing. The closer we got to the Falls, the more mist we were seeing. We walked to the overlook and saw nothing but a white wall of mist. What can you but laugh? We browsed the gift shop for a minute and then overheard someone saying the mist was starting to clear so we were able to hike to a better view point and see them. For you Bella and Edward fans, it was fun to see a little of their world (ok-so Forks is about 4 hours away, but still...).

We also walked around the Seattle Public Library, University of Washington, and ate at the most popular Thai place in Seattle. Let me tell you, if you ever eat at ThaiToms, don't got higher than a 1 on the spicy scale if you aren't into Asian spices. Whatever you do, don't sprinkle lemon juice on it to cool it down. Just ask Sally. The food was really good, though. I also have recently discovered frappaccinos at Starbucks. (For those who don't know, they don't have coffee in them. They're more like a milk shake, but different.) While we were waiting for our order, Jeff and I wandered up to Starbucks, a necessary stop in this coffee-crazed town.

Saturday we did the Pike's Place Market and did some shopping, saw some fish being thrown around and saw the biggest produce I've seen. We ate chowder and sourdough rolls. In the spirit of Halloween, we took the underground tour of Seattle. I'd say it's something to do once, but not worth going back to. Dustin and Sally took us out to this park to watch the boats. They made the park out of an old gas place so there are all these big pipes you can climb on. There is also a great view of the skyline. Before we flew home, we had some fish and chips for dinner. (Seafood is so much better when it's fresh. )

It was kind of a whirlwind trip, but it was so much fun. I loved having a little break from being mom and could just be Angie.

Pop!

In true 80s synthasized traditon, a little video for you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0A7dtdc-nU Enjoy!! (Yes, that is Hugh Grant and yes, that is his voice.)

Funny Little Things

I'm not so great about writing down the cute and funny things my kids say, but I've tried much harder this year to get it down. I found it's a great pick-me-upper and thought I'd share a few of my favorites:

McKay was playing with some hotwheel cars during sacrament meeting. He held them up and loudly asked me, "Can I drive them on your face or mine?"


(Last Christmas time)
Lyndsi and I were watching the snow fall out our backdoor. I kept switching on and off the porch light to show her that you could see the snow with the light on but not with the light off. She played with the switch for a minute and asked, "Why do we have a switch to turn the snow on and off?" If only it were that easy!

My favorite:
Sophie was maybe 5 months old when this happened. She was laying on the floor in the hallway while I was doing Lyndsi's hair. All of a sudden I heard this big scream of pain coming from my little baby. I turned around and asked McKay, rather concerned, what happened to the baby. He innocently replied, "I didn't step on Sophie's head." The little stink. He knows how to get himself out of trouble!

My other favorite:
We went to a little luncheon at my cousins house following their baby's blessing. Ranae walked down the hall to check on McKay and her own little boy and found a piece of ham stuck to the door. She grabbed it and laughed as she told me about it, assuming (of course) that it was McKay. Several minutes later, McKay wanders back from the general direction of the ham door and asks, "Hey! Who took my ham?"

He is a crack-up.

Fall Festivities

I tried to be a little more prepared for Halloween this year. My kids are getting old enough to know there is more fun than just the candy (albeit that is the most fun). Jeff was coerced into helping me plan some fun things to do throughout the month to celebrate this spooky and beautiful time of year.

South Jordan City Chamber of Commerce sponsored a festival at the new District center. They had a fashion show for the kids. McKay wanted to be in it, but didn't mention it until it was over. The kids got candy and stickers and little prizes from lots of different businesses. We were all excited to take the hay ride until we got close. McKay and Lyndsi both backed out. Sigh. I do love a good hay ride! Jeff sprung for hot dogs and Dr. Pepper for everyone. (Hmm.. McKay and caffeine. Maybe not a great idea. Oh well.) Jeff was excited because they had all the trimmins. (For more on "Hot dog etiquette" check out his blog.)

The next weekend we had our "Fall Frolic." After a week of beautiful, warm weather, it rained and was miserably cold. We had to "frolic" inside. (Side note here- Frolic is not a word I generally use unless I'm trying to make people laugh.) We did get to go outside long enough for a bunch of kids 6 and under to bash a pinata (homemade) in. McKay loved it. I think I see the beginning of my retirement!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

I woke up unusually early this morning and decided to make some muffins. Of course my dog saw me and wanted to go out. As I opened the back door, I got a blast of cold air and looked up to see the world covered in a soft blanket of snow!

When Lyndsi walked in still sleepy-eyed, I told her to go look out the window. Her eyes instantly brightened and she was nonstop chatter about Christmas now might come before Halloween. Thankfully, I still have a couple of holidays til Christmas despite the snow. Then McKay wakes up and informs me he is going to eat breakfast in his "P" jammies. (He has to get dressed first normally or he'll through a fit and refuse to eat.) I ok-ed this, but told him he had to look out the living room window first. His eyes also got big and as he jumped up and down on the couch he exclaimed, "I knowed it could snow!!" It was too cute. With early church, it's almost needless to say McKay threw snowballs at us all the way to church.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of snow in any month other than December, but ya gotta admit there is something special about the first snow fall of the year.

The results are in...

I got my results last night from my medical transcription final. I passed with honors! I was seriously so scarred to read the email and then so relieved I almost cried. I am so excited and now will get to work from home. I've heard there are a lot of good, flexible companies out there. Just wanted to share!

Back in the saddle again

After a long week of testing and canning fruit, I feel like I am starting to return to a little bit of normalicy. My test wasn't too bad, but by the time I submitted it, my brain was complete mush. It took me another 24 hours to get my head cleared.

Conference was wonderful, wasn't it? I especially enjoyed Sis. Beck's talk on what kind of mother to be. I am so excited for Pres. Erying. What a huge responsibility for him, but he will do an amazing job. I am always so impressed at the great love I feel exuding from the brethren. It makes living the gospel just a little bit easier.

Last night we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon (check out the gallery, by the way). The fall colors were beautiful, but when they had snow covered pines as a backdrop...Wow. I love the fresh, fall mountain air. It makes me want to breath it in as deeply as possible. We drove up by Snow Bird where Lyndsi insisted we stop the van and have a snowball fight. Her aim is getting pretty good. We weren't able to stay long, but it was definitely worth the trip.

I am so looking forward to the rest of the year. I love the business and celebration the next few months bring. I am determined to make the most of it and stress myself out as little as possible. More to come on that soon!

By the way, I've updated both the gallery and "In the Kitchen!"

Women's Conference

I actually have a few quite minutes to myself. No kids, hubby, or test beckoning me away. I thought I would take a minute to catch up a little. I was sure that I had posted about being involved with the Relief Society's choir for the broadcast. I've looked my blog over 3 times and nothing! Oh well. I'm pretty sure I had told most of you about it. It really was an amazing experience. Sis. Webb did an incredible job both bringing in the Spirit and teaching the hymns. I look at my little green hymn book very differently now. Some of you said that you couldn't see me, and I haven't seen the broadcast yet to be able to point myself out. I did find this picture (more at http://www.utahdavies.com/) so you can now say that you've seen me in the choir! You may have to click on the pic for a better view. (I'm about level with Sis. Webb's head on the right.) Something interesting you many not have noticed about this choir is that not one person is wearing earrings. Sis. Webb has spent quite a bit of time with people from the Islands. Not wearing earrings (even the ones we were originally allowed to wear) was kind of a "shout out" to our sisters in the poor countries around the world and our way of making sure they knew that they didn't need fancy things to be part of our fold. Also at the end of one of the congregational songs, Sis. Webb kind of nods her head back in greeting for a special "we're thinking about you" to a woman in Fiji whose son had come to talk to us at one of our rehearsals.

Tomorrow is the day

I take my final for my medical transcription tomorrow. Yay and ick. I have 48 hours to complete it once I sign in to the test site. The first part should be a breeze. It's objective with multiple choice. The second part is 8 different reports to transcribe. This is were it can be tricky. There are so many little things that you can lose points for. I've also heard there are usually at least a couple of ESL doctors. Not my idea of a real good time. I am really looking forward to Friday night this week! (Besides the fact that Numb3rs will be on. :) ) Hopefully soon, I can respond to emails and maybe update my blog some!

I hope everyone enjoyed the RS broadcast! Thanks for all your nice comments.

Seattle

Jeff came home tonight and handed me the itinerary for his next business trip which takes him to Seattle for CPE (required continuing education). My sister-in-law just moved there, so it was kind of cool when he found out that's where he was going. Anyway. He came home and handed me the itinerary to review. Highlighted in yellow was a "2." Looking up to the column title it said, "passengers." Hmmm. 2 + Passengers= I'M GOING TO SEATTLE!!!! Yay. I am so excited. I get vacation and time with Sally and Dustin. Wahoo!!

It's done!!

After 1 year and 9 months, I am proud to announce that today at 6:00 p.m., I finally finished my transcription course. There were a lot of ups and downs, but I made it. Thanks to Jeff and the kids for putting up with a dirty house while mom went to "work." I have learned a lot, still have so much more to learn, but in the mean time, I guess I'd better start studying for my final!!

Tag from Marlene

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1- Starting my Senior year of HS
2- Finding out I did make Madrigals after all, much to my violin teachers dismay.
3- Getting ready for homecoming
4- Learning the music to 7 Brides for 7 Brothers (school musical)

5 things on my to-do list today:
1- Laundry
2- Transcription homework
3- Take a nap (Sophie kept me up until about 1 a.m.)
4- Teach violin or reschedule for Thursday
5- Wipe down the swimming pool and put it away.

5 songs I know lyrics to:

1- Any High School Musical song
2- Hark All Ye Nations
3- Theme song to Fresh Prince of Bell Air (can't do it without the show on though)
4- Jingle Bells
5-

5 things I would do if I had a million dollars:
1- Pay tithing.
2- Pay off the mortgage
3- Give some my parents.
4- Set-up college/mission funds for the kids.
5- Take the rest, invest, and live off the interest. (I do think I'd do a little shopping, like get a new bedroom set for my room)

5 things I will never wear again:
1- Overalls
2- A big lacy, doiley-like collar
3- Favorite prom dress
4- Pants that are skinny at the ankles (remember when we rolled them that way on purpose?)
5 -High top sneakers or sandals

5 favorite toys:
1- my scrapbooking stuff
2- my cookbooks
3- my camera
4- my computer
5- my books

The 5 people I'm tagging:
1- Jeff
2- Amy
3-
4-
5-

(sorry, these are the only people I know with blogs that haven't been tagged already!)

So Much

I have so much I want to share: things we've done, hobbies, etc. Right now, though, I am just inches away from finishing my medical transcription course. Seriously. I should be done with the transcribing by Wednesday. Thursday at the latest. Yay me!! Then, all that is left is studying and getting up the nerve to take the test. If you don't see much new for a while (or anything), that's why.

In the meantime...what is your absolute, most favorite thing (or things) about fall??

Flylady

A few years ago my born-organized (that's a compliment) cousin, Marlene, introduced me to Flylady. If you don't know what Flylady is and does, it's a group of women who's only purpose is to help other women to learn to be more organized and less stressed. (Ok. So it's a little more than that, but you'll have to check her out yourself www.flylady.net.) Anyway, I've been trying to do her program ever since. So far, I'm not doing the best, but I don't want to quit. One thing she tells people is to not worry, "you're not behind, just jump in where you are!" I love that! Definitely takes the pressure off doesn't it? The other tip that she has that I use regularly is to use a timer. I set it for 15 minutes and tackle whatever project needs doing. You can do anything for 15 minutes!

I just printed off her Holiday Control Journal last night. (I know it's September, but if I don't start soon, I'll look like "Frazzled Franny" up there!) I love it! It's mainly for Christmas, but I plan on adding a few pages to the CJ to help me through October and November, too.
I've got a fun family party in the works for Oct. Plus, my friend roped me into being Lyndsi's Room Mother, so that adds a Halloween party for 20 something 5 & 6-year-olds. See where having a little extra organization could help me?? Yeah, me too.

I did the bedtime routine last night and the morning one today. Now it's 9:30 and I'm sitting relatively stress-free, blogging. I love it!! Happy Flying!!

1st Birthday

I can't believe Sophie is already 1! We celebrated a day early with Grandma Kristine and Grandpa DeWayne since they are always busy on Wed. nights. Sophie enjoyed a splash in the wading pool while Lyndsi and McKay practiced their swimming skills in the bigger pool. Dad picked some pizza up for dinner and we all ate outside with Grandma, Grandpa, and Greg. I made Sophie's birthday cake in the shape of flip-flops. She loved the pink icing on top. In fact, she cried when Daddy took it away so he could cut her a piece. She wasn't really into the whole present thing while we opened them, but she did like the toys. Didn't really care for the clothes, though. McKay especially loved the little Leap Frog activity table and kept telling me that he was "helping" Sophie. Yeah. We all know what it means when a guy is "helping" someone learn a game! He just wants to play it. I just didn't realize it started as young as 3.

Since Sophie's now 1, I couldn't help but think back to last year when I was in the hospital and she was a tiny new baby. (See the photos in my gallery.) It was sad to see her have to be on oxygen and have the little humidifier box over her head with IVs in her little teeny hands. I know her problems were not nearly severe as other kids, but to us it was hard. I'm sure we already have, but thank you again who prayed and fasted on Sophie's behalf. That fast Sunday while Jeff was at church and I was back up at Alta View, we were given the OK to take her home. It was wonderful. Looking back on the pictures the other day, I felt this enormous wave of gratitude and wanted to thank you again for your faith.