Santas Letters

This year the kids wrote the best letters to Santa. Here is Phoenix's.I'll translate... My Wish List 2008 / December 23 / Bike Ramp / Lego Indiana Jones Lego Set / Star Wars Boba Fett Set / Webkinz Reindeer / Camera / Rock Smoother / Lego Hospital / Lots of Star Wars

As you can see, Phoenix is crazy about Legos right now. If you're wondering about the Rock Smoother, he wants some kind of device that will take rough rocks that he finds and make them nice and smooth.

Here's Heidi's...

December 23, 2008 / Dear Santa, I would like for Christmas... lots of fairy books, a hippo webkin, stretchy pants, Slider Sorry (the board game), for it to snow, and other things you want to give me. Love, Heidi
Its such a cute letter and the decorations are adorable. Bummer about the snow thing. I think it was 70 degrees on Christmas.

On Adam

Today, I had to take Adam for a sweat chloride test to test for Cystic Fibrosis. It is such a scary thought. Our doctor doesn't think he has it, but we need to rule it out. Of course, all this stems from Adam's 7 bouts of pneumonia since February. Why does he keep getting pneumonia all the time? Who knows? We are squeezing in a bunch of tests before the end of the year to hopefully get the insurance company to cover some of them. We are super close to our high insurance deductible.

This test was stressful and I was not looking forward to it. I had trouble sleeping last night. I had to wake up early to get Adam to the test on time. No salty foods for breakfast. Bring a bunch of winter clothes because we have to make Adam sweat. They put a sweat collection device on his arm and then we bundle him up and sit next to a heater for 40 minutes. If Adam doesn't sweat enough, we have to re-do the test.
I really thought I'd be fighting with him the whole time to keep his clothes on. He has no trouble insisting on doing something different than I want him to do. I didn't even bring a hat because I thought it would be a lost cause. Adam really surprised me. He sat so still on my lap and never tried to undress. Towards the end of the test when he was getting really hot, he would whimper and cry a little but then calm down. They were able to collect enough sweat from his hot, little arm and he was done. He was so happy to take off his jacket and sweater and he babbled to the technician about Christmas and cars.

I hope this test comes back negative. We'll know tomorrow.

Phoenix builds an Electric Circuit

We got Phoenix a set of Snap Circuits for Christmas. It's a cool toy that lets you build circuits (no wires) by snapping together special parts. Here is a motor he just built.

Christmas Eve at our house

We had a big Christmas feast at our own home last night. It was just us and the kids, so I cooked tons of food and way too much dessert. Here was the cute Santa cake I found at HEB. And here is a slice missing. Merry Christmas
Phoenix was getting a little tired by the end of the evening.
Adam in his new Cars pajamas. He was so excited.
Sweet Heidi.
Here's our tree and decorations.
Our advent wreath.
Everyone ready to eat!

Jingle Bell Whoosits-Whatsits

Heidi's gymnastics class had a Jinglebell Something-or-other (whatever it was called). We got to sit for 2 whole hours and watch Heidi demonstrate about 2 minutes of gymnastics skills. It was a long time but she was great! Plus the YMCA child watch was open for about half the time so only half the time was Adam climbing all over us.
Heidi, the next Nadia Comaneci.



Here's Heidi doing the back bend. This is something she has only recently been able to do.

Good job Heidi.





Heidi on Balance Beam. Check out the antlers.








Heidi's Award Ceremony (she is still in hot pursuit of trophys and scored with a gymnastics trophy). I filmed it on my still camera and I forgot and turned it from landscape to portrait, so just turned your head and enjoy.

Here is Heidi on the trampoline. I think its called the Donkey. It sure looks like it.

Adam Wii Skiing

We are having a great time with the new Wii Balance Board and playing Wii fit (Thanks Mom & Dad). Even Adam got to to play. Here is a video of him playing the skiiing game. You can't see the TV too well, so I'll tell you what is going on. You have to lean left or right to ski in those directions.

Christmas Photos & Pneumonia

We took some Christmas photos on Saturday, thanks to Cortis's parents. So I'll get to make so Christmas cards...
...just as soon as the doctors appointments calm down. Yes, this smiling, happy Adam came down with pneumonia and "reactive airway disease" not 2 days later. We have appointments for blood tests, allergy tests, cystic fibrosis tests (just to be sure) and probably some other ones I'm not listing. Oh, and we have really lousy health insurance. Great.

Reflections Contest Winners in the house

The kids school has an art contest every year. It is put on by the PTA and is called "Reflections." This years theme was "Wow" and kids were supposed to create some kind of art reflecting that theme. This year both Phoenix and Heidi created something to enter and both of them won awards.

Phoenix entered this painting in the Visual Arts division. It is called "Flying" and it shows Phoenix and his Dad flying remote control airplanes. The cool thing is that he painted the real remote control planes that they own. He won the Award of Merit. Which meant he got a cool medal to wear.
Heidi also painted an entry. It is called "Mother Dove." She loves all things from the Disney Fairies Universe and Mother Dove is a character from there. She also won an Award of Merit. It was pretty cool. There were only 6 out of 33 paintings that won the Award of Merit so the kids were pretty excited.

Here they are receiving their medals.

Heidi also entered a film she made in the Film Production category. She was the only one to make a film. She won an Award of Excellence and will go on to the next round of judging. (Her main goal was to get a trophy so she is pretty happy)
Also, below is a photo of Phoenix next to his artwork.



Here is Heidi's movie. Its called "The Trouble with Tink." She made it all herself. The rules said she couldn't have any adult help. We showed her how to use the camera and how to use the iMovie software and then let her go.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving. Here's our family and our friends, the Clowards. We joined forces to create and eat a magnificent Thanksgiving feast.

Obamaman at Jason's Deli

We were at Jason's Deli today for lunch and I saw this guy's T-shirt.  Great shirt!  Is that Obamaman or Superobama?

Phoenix was Knight of the Week in his class (student of the week in other schools who's mascots are not the Naumann Knights).  One of the perks is getting taken out to lunch.  Instead of McDonalds (which I thought was a shoo in), he chose Jason's Deli.  I don't know why but lately, Phoenix has to have some strange face for photos.  This one's pretty good though.
Here's Adam too.

Heidi's Baptism

How cute is Heidi? She looks like an angel.

Heidi's baptism was so beautiful. I felt the spirit so strongly when she was being baptized.

We had a crazy busy week. The baptism had been scheduled by the Cedar Park Ward way back in January for November 9. This, of course, is the same weekend as Heidi's birthday. We celebrated her birthday with a sleepover party. My parents and Cortis's parents came for the weekend, along with Cortis's brother, Ty, and his family. Heidi shares a birthday with Cortis's Dad. My parents both had birthdays within a handful of days of Heidi's. So we had a big family birthday party on Saturday (bless Costco for their excellent cakes). The baptism was on Sunday.

A few weeks ago, our ward was split and we are now in a brand new ward, the Cypress Creek Ward. This made having a baptism so soon kind of stressful for everyone. So much to do and Cortis and I certainly don't know what needs to be done. "Who will fill the font?" I don't know. "Who will make the program?" I don't know. "Who has the baptismal clothes?" I don't know. Fortunately, my friend Jeni rode to the rescue. She had been in charge of the 8 year old baptisms in the old ward. She calls me up out of the blue and asks if anyone is taking care of the baptism. See, she knows stuff. She knows who's supposed to take care of what, where to get programs (right, I've seen programs at baptisms before), she knows it all. Thank you, thank you, Jeni!

Surprisingly, Heidi got nervous right before she got baptized. She was so cute during the first part of the program. She told my mom, "Good job" after Mom said the opening prayer. She made a few comments during my baptismal talk. We make our way to the bathroom. I open the door to the font and she stops, "I can't go out there." I shut the door. There is some hurried whispering. We say a little prayer for courage and out she goes.

This is where it got a little harder. Her blood sugar started to get a bit low. And then a bit lower. By the time it was time for her to be confirmed, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. But, visibly nervous, she sat in front of everyone and let her Dad give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. Then her blood sugar went even lower and she was leaning against me, limp. She wouldn't eat the apple slice my mom had found, but then later, her Aunt Karmen found a piece of candy. Five minutes later, blood sugar up again, she was acting like her old self.

Note to self: Bring some juice for Heidi's wedding.

Heidi is 8!

Heidi turned 8 last week.

She was born 8 days late, due on Halloween. We stayed up half the night waiting for the 2000 election returns to come in. I finally gave up and went to bed. Cortis stayed up longer. My water broke at 7:30 the next morning. I went into labor at around 1pm. She was born at 8:56pm (I think?). I was buzzed and so excited, I could hardly sleep. Cortis was so exhausted from staying up and still not finding out who was president that he crashed as soon as we reached our room. My parents sat in the waiting room all day where the only news was "Election 2000: Too Close to Call."

Cortis asleep with Heidi.

Heidi's Blessing

Heidi at 6 months old

Heidi with her cousin Lauren at her sleepover. Yes, Heidi got started on me last November. I was firm for the first 6 months. No sleepover! But she wore me down. She invited 4 friends, only 2 of them managed to stay the whole night. And Heidi ended up sleeping in her own bed!

Heidi's birthday cake. She is a big fan of Tinkerbell and the Disney Fairies. So everything was Tinkerbell themed.

My Father's Hands

My father has amazing hands.  He can build almost anything.  He can fix practically everything.  He held me when I was first born.  At the beach, he would tuck me under his arm and run through the surf to swim "past the breakers."  He built a bookcase hutch with me sitting nearby and the whole time I thought it was for my mom, but it was really for me.  He built my childhood bunk-bed.  He taught me how to drive a stick-shift.  He showed me how to set up a tent.  He taught me how to wash the dishes.  He pulled out my baby teeth.  He put band-aids on my knees.

In February, his hands were hurt in a power tool accident.  The doctors warned his fingers might have to be amputated.  He is a dentist and self-employed and didn't know if he could work again.  Only three weeks later, he was back in the office doing "easy" cleanings.  

Now, 9 months later, we got to see his hands for the first time since the accident.  Some of his joints are fused and he lost some of his fingernails, but he can use them.  He is still a dentist.  He is still a carpenter.  He still has my father's hands.

Two Good Men

I was impressed listening to the speeches last night. John McCain's excellent speech calling for unity in our country and Barach Obama's where he promised to be everyone's president (not just the Democratic Party's). I thought the respect they showed each other was particularly uplifting, considering the divisive nature of the campaigns.
From John McCain (not the full text)
"A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him. To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.
In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.
Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.
These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans ... I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited."

And from Barack Obama (not the full text)
"A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain.

Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead."

Save Benjis named in 100 best iPhone apps

Feel the love! Cortis's Save Benjis iPhone app was just recognized by iLounge's ...

• 100 Best iPhone and iPod touch Apps and Games: With more than 5,500 applications currently available on the App Store, it’s hard to know which apps are right for you. We’ve done the leg work for you in our dedicated roundup of the 100 Best Apps and Games, which highlights the best apps we’ve seen for Apple’s new mobile platform, from racing games and RSS readers to puzzlers and photography apps. A listing of Ten App Developers to watch is inside, as well.

iLounge was the company that awarded Save Benjis their "Quest for the Best iPhone Application" award this summer.

Save Benjis

Halloween!

Hurray for Halloween! Every year our cul-de-sac has a Halloween Party. We eat the traditional White Elm Cove Black Beans and Rice (mmm, black beans and rice), burgers, chips and whatever else anyone happens to bring. We invite our friends and sit out in one of the driveways while the kids run in circles around the cul-de-sac for hours. Is there any better way to have a party? No one has to clean their house, before or after, and it doesn't really matter how many people show up.
I went as a soccer mom (not pictured, it was great I had the whole outfit on already), Cortis as a "Space Nomad" (as described by my Simplicity Pattern), Heidi was Tinkerbell, Phoenix was Boba Fett, and Adam was "Star Wars Guy."
Are you a Jedi, Adam? "No, Star Wars Guy!" Well, we indoctrinate them young. May the Force be with you!
Phoenix as Boba Fett. For the last 2 weeks, Phoenix has made almost everyone guess this relatively obscure Star Wars character he was planning on dressing as. About half the time, people were like "Who?"
Heidi's new favorite everything, Tinkerbell! I made the costume (we borrowed the wings). It was cute, when she is dressed up she runs everywhere (apparently running is more like flying than walking).
Here are the awesome pumpkins I carved. Yes, me! We bought one of those carving book kits and did it all one night. Pretty spooky!

Transportation Parade

The kids school has a great event every year called the transportations parade. The first year I thought it was a parent test. Are you a good enough parent to make your kindergartener a vehicle for the transportation parade? The kindergarteners parade in homemade vehicles. First grade parents have it a bit easier, they just have to dress their child as a community helper (basically, dress like someone's job. No superheroes please!). All the other grades just get to watch the parade.

Phoenix this year, as a first grader, went as a pilot. He has a bomber jacket for his winter coat so it was a piece of cake to dress him as a pilot.









Last year, I built an airplane for Phoenix. I'd been thinking of how to make it all year long. Phoenix loves planes more than anything so he needed a plane for the parade. He is wearing his Grandpa's Air Force hat.







Last year, when Heidi was in first grade. She went as a community helper; a cook!








When Heidi was in Kindergarten, her vehicle was a bus. Her favorite color is blue. So it was a blue school bus.







After the parade, the kids get to look at all sorts of transportation vehicles that people bring: Fire trucks, amulances, boats, race cars, classic cars, motorcycles, shipping trucks and anything else someone can bring.

This is a photo of Phoenix's first grade class.

Maker Faire

It was a busy day for us last weekend. We had a baseball game in the morning, the school's fall fest in the afternoon and then we just had to go see the Maker Faire. It was so cool. All these different people making stuff and showing it at the fair.

There was a lifesize Mousetrap Game (which was awesome to see in action but the "show" they put on beforehand was just painful to watch). Here is Adam climbing around the Mousetrap Fence. My camera's batteries were running out while we were there so I don't have very many pictures.

We all loved Robowars! All those robots trying to destroy each other. Awesome! Adam hated it. He covered his eyes and his ears and pretty much cried the whole time.

I was able to giant hula hoop pretty well.

Even Phoenix could giant hula hoop too.

There was a guy who had made a replica R2D2. It was so cool. He had it on a remote control and it would drive around and make R2D2 noises. What's not to love?

Fall Fest at School

The kids school has a great Fall Festival every year. With purchase of a wrist band they get to jump on all the bounce houses (4 or 5), have cotton candy, popcorn, snow cones, and play a bunch of other activities.
Heidi on the Equalizer.

Face Painting: It's a dog. Adam held still for it. Of course, it was rubbed off his face within an hour.
What do you think? Gumby with an electric guitar? You'd be wrong. Apparently, it was supposed to be an army guy with a gun. Phoenix's response, "He's not supposed to be green."
Heidi came home from the Fall Fest with a party for our family. She won a cake at the Cake Walk (she has been trying to win for 3 years, but it is surprisingly difficult).
She won a Sprite at the ring toss. Here she is ready to throw.
Of course, who had to carry all this stuff around for the rest of the festival. Not the kids!
Check out Phoenix on the rock wall.

Phoenix was slightly less successful at the ring toss, but really, do we need that much soda?