We've always got to be the first...

So, Peter is the first official case of RSV at the local hospital. It's been one heck of a week! I'll tell you more about it later. The story isn't over yet but don't worry - Peter's going to be just fine. Hopefully he can come home tomorrow. Mike's spending the night there right now. But really don't worry!

Tagged by Kathy

I was tagged - so here goes with my extremely interesting answers:

8 TV shows that I love: (I only faithfully watch the office but if the others are on, I'll usually stick around)
1- The Office
2- What Not to Wear
3- 30 rock - I'm just starting to like and watch
4- Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern(on the travel channel)
5- Flight of the Conchords - on DVD now
6- Long Way Round and Long Way Down - from the BBC - we watch on DVD
7-Rick Steves' Europe
8- Arrested Development - on DVD

8 Restaurants I Love:(in no particular order)
1- The Macaroni Grill
2- The Bombay House - though Mike NEVER wants to eat there...
3- Cafe Rio
4- For fast food I like Noodles and Company
5- The Grill Room @ Sundance
6- Chadders in American Fork
7- Berry Hill
8- Brett Stubbs - not a restaurant but better than any place I've ever eaten

8 things that happened today:
1-Woke up early to help clean-up baby vomit but thankfully went BACK to sleep
2 -stayed home from church with sick baby
3- drank a slimfast
4- read a little from The Omnivore's Dilemma
5- uploaded some Christmas albums on the computer
6- looked at some blogs and realized I'd been tagged
7- that's it - it's not that late in the day...
8-

8 things I am looking forward to:
1- christmas
2- thanksgiving too
3- lunch
4- finishing Long Way Down
5- snow
6- the ultrasound
7-owning a house again
8- being rich(i'm still holding on to that hope...)

8 things on my wish list:
1- a house
2- lots of money
3- the camper to come soon - we bought Chelsea's...
4- to have a magical Christmas
5- to be pregnant with a girl
6- a trip to Italy - sadly, mostly for the food.
7- to be thin again someday - that doesn't really jive with the last one though...
8- a great date night.

I hereby tag Marisa, Chelsea, Meghie, Kristi & Jamie

Our first snowman

This morning it snowed and the boys were so excited to get out into it. After a while Andrew gave up and came inside. I hadn't seen Elijah for a while and started to suspect he had snuck upstairs to watch tv. He hadn't so when I went to look out back to my pleasant surprise I found him steadily working by himself on this:
All year he had been talking about making one but I thought the magic would wear off really quickly. I guess I was wrong!

We found some sticks in the parking lot - we're in a townhouse and we can't start ripping the landscaping apart. And of course a carrot for the nose.
We used grapes for the mouth and rocks for the eyes. All in all I'd say it's pretty cute! Hooray for the season!!!I guess those of you who live in snow don't think it's a big deal but we southerners were in a winter wonderland!

When you're sixty-four

Today my dear old Dad is sixty four. That comment made him sound really ancient and endearing but he's mainly only the latter.

Since you probably hear the music playing - enjoy it. The Beatles song is very specific to one birthday and it's the one my dad is celebrating today. And the other two are so inseparably connected with my Dad that you must listen to them as you read this post. Today on his birthday I wanted to write a post about how much I love him and wish him his happiest birthday yet.

I've been writing this post in my brain for months on nights when I couldn't fall asleep. I wanted to write something that lets everyone know about how great my Dad is and what a powerful force he has been in my life. I don't know if I can even come close to doing that very completely here but hopefully I can touch the top of it a little.

Just recently my parents came to visit for the ordination of their oldest grandson as an Elder. It had been a while since I had sat with my parents in church and my heart swelled with pride to hear my Dad's beautiful singing voice during the hymns. My Dad really does have a beautiful voice. Growing up on Sunday mornings my Dad would either be returning from or about to go to his early morning church meetings and would sit at the piano and play some songs and sing them. It was early and I was almost always really tired so I didn't appreciate those moments as much then but I treasure those memories now. He would sing on other days to - often singing the song, "Tenderly" which is such a romantic beautiful song. He would also use the tune of "Mona Lisa" to sing about pretty much everything from spaghetti and meatballs to whatever friend was visiting for the night. I love your voice, Dad.

My Dad is also a charitable man. He has taught me to give someone in need the shirt off your own back and to always be there for people. My Dad has an elderly man that he visits with and receives calls from on a regular basis. And that would be a kind thing in and of itself but this old man is hard to be around. His own family doesn't want to see him anymore and most people avoid talking with him. But not my dad. I have often been visiting at his home when he receives a call from this man and will talk with him for quite a while in both spanish and english and about who knows what. And he usually takes him a plate from our holiday meals and visits with him. And he isn't the fist aged man he's visited and helped. And I've seen him touch the lives of countless others. I hope to follow his example.

Another little thing you might not know about my Dad is that he has impeccable handwriting. It's beautiful and neat. I love to see it. When I was in middle school or so my Dad was looking at a paper I had written and was so appalled at how terrible my handwriting was that he had me sit down and write out my whole alphabet and all my numbers over and over again. That sounds mean but it wasn't for pages and pages - just one page. And from then on I think my handwriting greatly improved. I actually think about that little thing he did for me every time I write a letter or a card.

I think most dads don't realize the power they have in their children's lives for good but they do have so much. At girl's camp when I was growing up they would ask our parents to write us letters that they could hand out each week. I don't know if my Dad thought it was too big of a deal but his letters meant a lot to me. One in particular he told me one of the talents he thought I possessed. It was such a powerful thing to me that I still have that letter and consider it to be one of the most significant things ever said to me.

When I was in middle school I had an undying love for Kevin Costner. I loved the movie Dances with Wolves! And so when the new Robin Hood movie with him in it came out I was dying to see it. One evening I was particularly excited about it and went in to my parent's bedroom and told them I couldn't wait to see it. My dad said, "You want to go now?" And off we went with my little brother Weston and had a great time! That night I felt like my Dad really cared about what was dearest to my heart and it meant a lot to me.

My Dad is hard working, creative, clever, funny, and quite the spiffy dresser if you ask me. I am grateful that the Lord let me be a part of his family. He has enabled myself and my family to be blessed on more than one occasion by following his heart and I am grateful for his ability to hear and follow those promptings. He has been a force for good in the lives of many people besides myself, as my mom has as well, and I look forward to the day when the two of them can serve together as missionaries as a super-force for good.

So happy birthday, Dad. Pip, pip, cheerio!