Emily...

Emily is back at the ER this morning. She is getting some tests done. We don't have any answers yet as to what the problem is. She is back at the U of U. She is in good hands, but all the prayers you can spare are appreciated.

Emily

Today had been a day and a half...

Branch called early telling me that he was going to take Emily over to the hospital. Jacob was going to watch their daughter so I went to help with Em. I honestly didn't think that she would be that bad. I was wrong. I am glad that Jacob made Branch leave before I got there. My dad and I met them at the U of U hospital. Emily was totally unresponsive. She even slid out of the wheel chair. They got her right in and she got an IV, a catheter, too many blood tests and a breathing tube. They have done CAT scans, MRI's, EEG's and about everything in between. They think that she has viral meningitis and that she has been having constant mini seizures. She has some swelling and a white platelet (???) count of over 200. She is being kept out so that she can do a better job of getting well. We don't know if there will be any damage to her brain when she wakes up. The good news is that she is doing more breathing on her own, though they will still keep the breathing tube in her probably until she is better and they can wake her up. Today is a good day for an extra prayer or two headed to heaven in her behalf. She is going to need them.

Thank you.

My favorite Christmas song

This weeks question was to name my favorite Christmas song. I have a lot of favorites, I heard one last year and can't remember the name of it. I haven't heard it so far this year. My all time favorite would have to be "Little Drummer Boy." I don't know if I can explain exactly why, but I have always really liked that one.

I also like Mannheim steamroller's "Deck the Halls."

It is so lively. I think that that one is so fun for me because it is connected with so many wonderful college Christmas memories. Christy, do you remember that one?
I love the Forgotten Carols by Michael McLean.

I also love Cherie Call's Christmas CD Gifts.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of my favorites, just a few that stand out to me.
Merry Christmas!

The Moon Shines Down

The Moon Shines Down By Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Linda Bleck

My first impressions of this book were how beautiful it is. I love the bold colors and the bright yellow moon that appears each of the pages. I wasn't the first to read it though. I live in a house full of book lovers and as soon as I had opened it, glanced through it and then set it down, it was swept up by Aspen (8) who gathered Cedar (5) and Olive (4) around and started reading it to them. She was halfway through before I had finished going through the mail. So my first experience with this book was as a listener. Aspen struggled a little at first with the rhythm of the book, as did I the first time I read it. The second reading was smooth though. The story starts with a little Dutch boy sleeping "In his flat Dutch Land of cheese and creams." You then travel with the cute little koala bear around the world visiting Switzerland (beautiful Alps pictures.) The "Far, Far East," Mexico, France, Australia, England, Africa, "my neighborhood" at Christmas and the Ocean Deep. It ends with the koala asleep in his tree dreaming of all of the places that he has just "visited."

The book is a story "prayer" with a slight Christmas theme to it. I like the book. It is long enough and has enough depth to be instructive if I wanted to take it and turn it into a geography lesson, yet it's short enough and captivating enough to be a part of the bedtime routine. The story of how the book came about, found in a forgotten trunk of the late Margaret Wise Brown (of Goodnight Moon fame) is fun also. My personal thanks and applause go out to the illustrator, Linda Bleck (of The Pepper Dog fame.) I love the illustrations. I am in no way an artist and I can't comment on her technique or any other aspects of her work, but I know that she has made this book beautiful. Each page is bright and engaging, something that must be a bit hard since the story takes place at night.

If you want to find out more about this book, you can follow this link:

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=140031299X

This is my first "book review" as a book review blogger. You can find out more about it here.

Olive

Three cheers for OLIVE! Today is her day!Count them, 1, 2, 3, she's four years old today!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

This year for Christmas I wouldn't like for you to give me anything. I was hoping instead you would accept something from me. You see, I have something I've been trying to get rid of for a while. It's cumbersome and I just don't like it! I have tried to get rid of it on my own, but it seems to like to stick around. In fact, it's multiplying. So, I thought that maybe you could take it and use it however you like. It compliments you so much more than it does me. So, Santa, could you please take 20 lbs from me? I promise I will never ask for it back. It would be yours to keep forever! You can stop by anytime you want, before Christmas even, I know how busy you are on Christmas Day.

Sincerely,
Sarah

Cedar

Sometimes my children stop me in my tracks and make my heart overflow. That happened today. Cute little Cedar who woke up with a bit of a fever and a sore throat (Uh oh, strep??) was laying on the couch watching instead of participating in the morning mayhem of getting ready. I was trying to get everyone else ready and put on clothes so that I didn't have to sign Olive in in my pj's, although I am not above that... Anyway, I had just come out of my room wearing yesterdays jeans and a green shirt when Cedar looked up and said, "Mommy, you look really cute in that shirt." He didn't notice that I still had bed head, that my jeans are from yesterday or that I'm probably a bit stinky from lack of a shower. Just a sweet little guy making his mom's morning.

Snow!

This morning we woke up to a one hour delay on school because of snow! The kids were so excited, they once again put on their snow gear over their PJ so as not to miss out on the fun before it melted. Here are their cute snowy dawn pictures.