Baptism!

Posted on 4/13/2010 08:55:00 PM
Noah had a fantastic day on Saturday! He was baptized by his Dad! He was so cute!

The someone from the stake primary presidency did a spotlight on Noah. She came to our home and interviewed him a few weeks ago. One of the things that she asked him was what was his favorite thing of all of God's creations. He said, "me."

When it came down to the big dipper, it looked as though he had to be forced into the water!

He loved having his cousins there! (He missed the Florida families though.)

It was a fantastic day - that we will all remember! He was especially glad that his Dad could do the baptism and confirmation. He was worried that Rob wouldn't be well enough to do it. He was convinced that he would need surgery for his cancer.

Elaine has a friend whom is getting her cake-making portfolio together. She made this awesome cake for Noah's baptism day! Isn't it great??? Happy Day!

Family Reunion 2010

Posted on 3/10/2010 11:41:00 AM In:
This weekend I was blessed to have my entire family in Salt Lake. I asked everyone to come to town to have a weekend reunion and get our pictures taken. We have not had a family portrait taken with all of us since 1991. Lars and Dad took all the photos and did a great job.

It was a fabulous weekend! Megan & Lars prepared an amazing dinner. We had a lovely time catching up with one another. After the kids went to bed, we played Michigan Rummy. Whilst growing up, this was a pastime for my Dad’s family and all the grownups – after the kids had retired for the evening. I remember being able to play a few times when I was young. However, this weekend I couldn’t remember how to play. Nate patiently explained the rules (many times) to me, Rebecca, Zach, and Matt. It was a lot of fun. As you know, my family is obsessed with games – we LOVE to play anything. I asked Nate if he would come and teach it to my kids – I think that they would enjoy playing this game.

I know that you are dying to see pictures of my family, so without any further ado….





One of These Things...

Posted on 2/18/2010 02:58:00 PM In: ,
Two years and five days

Jacob's patience and good brushing has paid off!

Fabulous & Fanatastic

Posted on 2/09/2010 12:22:00 PM In:
I am SOOO happy!

A little background: Last year, I contacted my HR department to see whether our life insurance policies were portable. They told me that they were not. I felt stuck. I felt like no matter what happens, I will be held captive by working for the man.

Yesterday, I thought that I should ring them again to just confirm. Things changes, right? After asking several questions, I found that the group plan can be converted into an individual plan. I cannot believe what a freeing feeling this is! I have felt stuck for a while now. My 'plans' for my life are much different than what I originally thought they 'should' be. However, I feel so much better knowing that we do have options. I don't know that I will do anything with that knowledge yet, but knowing that I can is FANTASTIC!

Free Willy

Posted on 1/10/2010 09:54:00 AM In: ,
As we were looking through the options of instant movies we could add to our queue for Netflix, Noah related to me a story after seeing the movie selection "Free Willy".

He said, "There is a girl in our class that is always telling us about movies. The other day, she said, 'Have you seen "Free Willy"? It is so good!'"

Noah went on to say, "I told her, 'Gross! "Free Willy?" My brother goes free willy all the time!"

I couldn't stop laughing! He is so funny!

Cole & Cancer

Posted on 12/15/2009 11:02:00 AM In: ,
Sunday, Rob, Jacob, Gabrielle, and I had the opportunity to drive to the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake to hear the "Music & the Spoken Word" broadcast as well as a mini concert.

The two guests were: Natalie Cole and David McCullough (of the book 1442 fame). After the concert (which was lovely, by the way), we were talking about it.

Jacob said, "Wait! Isn't her Dad famous?" referring to Natalie Cole.

We said, "Yes."

"Oh, yeah. There was a poem written about him. 'Old Nat Cole'..."

I had a hard time not laughing too much. It was so cute. I explained it to him better. I can see that we are not teaching our children all that we can about music. Hmmm.

Later that day at dinner, we told the kids that Rob was going to get his PET scan the next day. Jacob was funny. He said, "Oh great, another cry session at Grandma's."

Very apropos. (Only this time, it was at our home.)

Oh, in case you haven't heard: Rob's PET scan? It is kind of crappy. He has new growth on both sides (left and right lungs) and the spots that were there in September are getting bigger. We are meeting his oncologist on Thursday to see what is next. I will be updating the blog (hairlessinsaltlake.blogspot.com) either on Thursday evening or Friday morning.

When I think about it, I want to throw up. This is lame. All I can say.

On a much happier note, our Cancun trip was beyond fabulous. There are not words to describe how beautiful the ocean and sand are there. We had so much fun. It was a much-needed holiday together. If I can pull myself together, I will put together a slide show and upload it.

Scriptures & Pork Chops

Posted on 11/11/2009 12:11:00 PM In: ,
Monday, we were reading scriptures together as a family. I love that Noah is old enough to read the words with us. We generally read two verses each and explain what they mean and then the next person goes, finishing the chapter.


In 2 Nephi, Noah had two verses that happened to have the word "hell" in it at least three times. He would read and then when the word "hell" came up, he would mumble in a barely audible voice. We had to explain to him that when reading the scriptures, you are not swearing. It is OK to say all the words. I quickly explained that hell is not a swear word, but a location. Much like saying, "Salt Lake." I would hardly call that a swear word. Rich, Sharon, Angie, and Chad might disagree with me, though.


Tuesday, we read some more scriptures. (Noah seems to get all the good verses.) This time, the word "damned" was sort-of-read by Noah. Again, we had to explain the whole swearing thing.


Monday, I made Tuscany-style pork chops. (Yes, I thought that it would be a great idea to incorporate protein in our diet - a mistake, I might add. I was dry heaving while handling the meat - with tongs!)


It was a lovely recipe. Onions, garlic (my two most favorite ingredients in the whole-wide-world), sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, Great Northern white beans, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, flat-leaf parsley, and of course, pork chops.


You would have thought my family had died and gone to heaven. Noah came into the kitchen, stood by the stove, and sniffed. He then proclaimed, "It is a symphony of smells!"


Jacob love, love, loved it. He couldn't get enough. Gabrielle gagged. Noah loved everything except the tomatoes.