Were it not for the fact that my weight is unhealthy, I wonder why I even try. My body seems to want to stay where I am, but I don't.
So once again I am working to lose weight. My starting weight this summer, as measured on June 8th was 279.4. The first week was bad...gained 3 pounds. This really pissed my off and I started a walking regimen that would get me walking for 30 minutes, five times a day. The first week on this regimen I lost 6 pounds.
The nice thing about where we live is that it is right by a park that has multiple walking routes. To complete my walks I take a route that when I complete the circuit 4 times is close to 2 miles. The first week, like I said, I lost 6 pounds (but didn't keep to the walking regimen as well as I could have). Last week I was at scout camp and gained a pound (shrug...I was walking all over the place but also ate more than I do at home). This week I am really working to hold to the walking regimen. Monday I walked 4 times (21k steps). Tuesday because of a swim meet I only walked 6k steps. Today I got in all five walking sessions, took 23k+ steps, walked close to 11.5 miles, and burned 1485 kcals (all according to the pedometer I bought.
Who knows maybe this time it will be different. The pedometer seems to keep me motivated. BTW supposedly an active person walks approximately 10,000k steps a day.
A bunch of issues hit at once and now I once again--come monday--will have a windows machine in my house.
When I began coaching track at school the agreement, at least for me, was that the money would go towards buying Jen a new computer. See she has an old iBook from Apple that I bought for her back in 2004 or 2005 (pretty sure it was 2005, but I digress). It has served her well, but with Apple's abandonment of the old hardware architecture for Intel based machines (completely understandable) her system is really outdated, slowing, and the second battery that we got for the computer (a replacement for a recalled battery) is failing--or failed if you don't count the 10 minutes that it holds a charge as functional. So my hope in getting her a new computer was to upgrade her to either a new MacBook or an iMac. Jen declined the new computer...initially.
Since the (initial) declination of my computer offering for allowing me to coach track, my laptop (a little over a year old) and our 2 iMacs started misbehaving. My laptops battery started draining too quickly; the iMac (iLamp) we bought 7 years ago really started to work slowly; and about the same time my laptop started losing its charge, the iMac we have had for 18 months started freezing up when the kids would play intensive video games and then suddenly stopped booting. A check of the newer iMac showed a faulty hard drive (which I hoped was causing the system freezes due to swap issues). After replacing the hard drive the system kept freezing. Further testing showed that the video ram was faulty. Not a problem I should be able to replace the video components of the iMac for not too much. Nope. The video card is integrated into the logic board (mother board) so in order to replace the failed video ram I must replace the entire logic board. Prices for a replacement logic board range from $500 to $800.
So with all that happening, with 4 of our 4 Mac computers showing signs of failure, Jen decides she wants a new computer. But not just any computer--a fast inexpensive one. Oh shi.........was my initial reaction. A new MacBook is about $1000, with a low end iMac at $1200. That in Jen's mind is not inexpensive. She then began rattling off the things she is planning on doing with it and then pulls out this statement: "I think I want a windows machine". Dumbfounded and caught completely off guard, my arguments against windows seemed hollow. They are more dependable. "Really," she said. About that same time I upgraded my OS X to 10.5.7 on my laptop which caused all kinds of freezes and crashes on my laptop (reinstalling 10.5.6 today). The laptop started to overheat and the fans were running heavy. "Really," I said. "Our iMac's have been dependable" (whereupon Ky called up saying that my recently installed hard drive on the newer iMac didn't solve the problem and that it froze again).
So I bit the bullet and compared prices. The system that met Jen's requirements would cost about $800. It includes a 20" LCD widescreen monitor, a 2.3 GHz quadcore processor, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, and a removable and replaceable 256MB RAM video card. The bad news, it runs VISTA.
I tried again to argue for a Mac but the points seemed hollow and were ineffective as I was in the midst of trying to figure out the iMac problems and my laptop problems. Her new system arrives on Monday, and since Jen really doesn't want the kids playing their games on her system (she wants it all to herself, which doesn't include me), the kids' new system arrives shortly thereafter--the same system as Jen's.
They haven't arrived yet but I already feel compromised and corrupted.
Over the past several months Hailey has begun to pray more and more. Since attending the Draper temple her prayer has been the following:
Thank go swimming
Go church
go temple
spot
Christ
amen
It is quite fun to see her progression of prayers. In her earlier prayers she would pray to go swimming and then would immediately stop her prayer to tell us she needed to go swimming. We would agree and ask her to finish her prayer. She would continue her prayer but would again ask God to go swimming, and then quickly stop her prayer to tell the family that we needed to go swimming. One night this happened at least 5-6 times. It was quite humorous.
Needless to say she is funny. She is quite perturbed if she is not the one that prays each time a prayer is needed.
Jen and I are getting life insurance so that....well you know. This morning a nurse stopped by to do our physicals.
No surprise that Jen was in apparent good health. Heart rate of 60, and a blood pressure of 98/60.
I was a little worried about mine, however. Many of you know my weight is not the best and that exercise is something I work on but don't get much of. So needless to say I was happy when my heart rate came in at 68 and my blood pressure was at 102/60. NICE!!!
Now we are just going to have to wait on our blood and urine analysis to determine our rates. Will be interesting to see.
When we moved to Alpine nearly 12 years ago Ky was 6 months old. During that time I have missed only a couple of Priesthood Sessions of LDS General Conference. Each time I went, I went alone and watched the other Fathers bring their sons.
Yesterday was the first session that I was able to take my own son. Ky turned 12 in March and received the Aaronic priesthood. It was fun and comfortable to sit next to Ky and listen. I actually felt "complete" or "whole" as I sat there and listened to conference.
After the session we went to "Hogi Yogi" for their orange sherbet desserts. Other than the dessert the night was fun and enjoyable.
Jen and I have been attending Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University (FPU)" to help us get control of our spending habits. I can honestly say that for most if not all of our married life we have never set up a budget. We seemed to always have enough to cover our needs...enough if you count borrowing from savings.
Since I have become a teacher we need to be much more careful with our money and have had some difficulty with it. This month we went on a "zero sum budget". This means that before the month begins (we go from the 25th to the 25th because of my pay) we set up a budget where we allocate my entire paycheck to the needs of the household. To help us keep on this budget FPU recommends that you spend as much of your budgeted expenditures using cash, rather than a debit or check card. Credit Cards are a no-no.
Last night Jen and I were out buying dog food and items for Ky's birthday party today. Most of the purchases were done with cash, and each time we dug in for cash I just felt like things came to a stop and eyes were on us. Kind of like this commercial for visa.
It was actually very surreal and irritating. Using plastic has become so accepted and "vital" to our speed centric economy that, at least for me, the use of cash seems so archaic. By the way I can attest that it is easier to part with plastic money than paper money. You think about your spending more when you pay with cash rather than just swiping the card.
Ky is 12 today. The first grandson on both sides of the family to receive the aaronic priesthood (this sunday).
Jen and I are incredibly proud of the kid Ky is and the young man that he is becoming. He is a fun kid that tries to make all of life into some sort of game.
This week we had parent/teacher conference where I teach so I was off today. One of the errands that Jen and I had to do was to get a pair of running shoes for me, and a pair of cross-trainers for Jen. We found a good pair of running shoes for me at 26.2 running company, approximately 100 East and 100 North in American Fork.
After putting Heather and Hailey in the car Jen got in the car. As I was about to get in I looked north up 100 East to see two guys running through traffic. As the lead runner crossed the street he lost his phone and shoes, but didn't stop. Odd I thought, what a bunch of dumb kids. I suddenly realized that the second runner was a cop. I began to move towards the lead runner which is when the look on the runners face made me stop and move back.
Just then one of the employees and another customer moved in to stop the fleeing "suspect" (seems like the only word that fits). The employee, the other customer, and police officer took the runner to the ground right in front of Jen and Heather, who were watching the whole thing from the car. I moved my car to the other side of the parking lot so that Heather, Hailey and Jen didn't have front row seats to the arrest of the individual.
In a matter of minutes of me seeing the whole thing the parking lot was full of at least 20 police officers, several of which were in SWAT attire, equipped with their automatic weapons. Seemed a little over kill to me, but then I heard a couple officers talk about a 'shooting' which suddenly made a lot of things seem more reasonable.
KUTV had its helicopter circling overhead as well. Here is a link to the KUTV coverage of the event. It appears to be possibly tied to a shooting in Pleasant Grove where one person was killed.
Needless to say my outing to get a new pair of running shoes turned out to be more of an outing than Jen and I expected. At least I got a 40% discount on my shoes since I am the new throw coach for the Copper Hills track team. (Don't say a single word Emily, not a single word).
FYI, in the picture of the suspect (in orange) lying on his belly in the parking lot, my Sequoia was originally parked in the stall on the left side of the picture.
February is our crazy month. In the space of one week we have 3 birthdays. Heather's birthday is the last of the three.
Happy Birthday HEATHER!!!
For our last three kids we have been able to choose the day of delivery since Jen must deliver by c-section. For Heather they gave us the options of February 12th or 13th. The 13th was a Friday. When the nurse asked us which day, I looked at Jen and said, "Is there even an option?" To which she responded, knowingly, "Its up to you."
As I turned to the nurse and stated "Friday the 13th please." There was noticeable shock and concern on her face. She looked at Jen as if to say, "You're going to allow this?" But reluctantly noted the delivery date in Jen's file.
Heather has been a pleasure since that Friday the 13th. She is a mature, beautiful and sweet little girl. She is constantly mothering her dolls and stuffed animals. She is a wonderful sister to her brothers (a bit of a tease), but is a great big sister.
The 13th truly has turned into a wonderful number by giving us two wonderful little girls. (Hailey is the 13th grandchild on both sides).
To say that I am supremely out of shape when it comes to swimming is an understatement. It has been nearly 18 years since I last swam for any length of time at a high level. Any swimming that I have done since my senior year of High School back in 1991 has been for incredibly short distances (like backyard size pool distances).
Taylor has been swimming on the local swim team for a few weeks now and seems to really enjoy it. He has his goggles, swim cap, suit, and fins and looks very much the swimmer in the water. He has a good movement through the pool. Needless to say Jen and my old swim coach, Dee Loose, convinced me to swim some laps while Taylor is at his team workout. Today was the first day of my 3 day a week swim habit.
I donned my speedo, my swim shirt (no one wants to see me topless), my board shorts (hell no, no one wants to really see me in a speedo), strapped on my goggles and dove in. I had a nice smooth stroke and thought to myself, "This ain't so bad!" And then it got bad. About half-way through a length of the pool I started to tighten and ache. I made it the full 50 yards, rested a minute, and then went again. After the second 50 yards I realized that if I was going to make it for any length of time I needed to use my swim fins. Once I got those on I was moving through the water much better, and was really pushing it from a workout standpoint.
Was I the swimmer that I once was? HELL NO!!! That swimmer is buried somewhere under layers of accumulated fat and may one day make an appearance. Today I was only able to swim 10-12 50's on the 2 minutes. I am a far cry from what I once was. But in time, and with lots and lots of work perhaps one day I will be able to pull off the fins and swim more than 2 lengths of the pool without feeling like my head was going to explode with each beat of my heart!
Perhaps one of my brothers will take pity on my and get me a waterproof mp3 player. Hahahaha.
Taylor and I have made a tradition of watching together the cooking shows that I TIVO on a weekly basis--"America's Test Kitchen" and "Cook's Country: from America's Test Kitchen". This all started when Jen reported to me that she was regularly finding Taylor watching them on his own. It has actually become a fun interaction with Taylor.
Recently we were watching a show in which they were cooking some Prosciutto (italian bacon). As they put the prosciutto in the pan and it began sizzling Taylor said: "That sizzle is the sound of delicious" (Or something along those lines).
At another occasion, as they cut into a nice piece of meat he said: "That pink looks delicious."
So it seems the question of the day that students ask (some blurting it quite loudly) is "What the hell?!" Others express the same question with other adjectives before the hell, but I will edit those out for the sake of my one or two readers.
To say the least it has been quite funny to watch the reactions as students enter my room and see me in the halls. Quite funny indeed. A couple of the other choice statements have been:
You look like a boy-band reject.
or
You look like a Gay movie star.
Yes quite humorous to see students' as well as teachers' reactions.
This morning I put in some special kind of conditioner that my sylist gave me that helps remove the gold from my hair. Here is what it looks like with some styling and product.
You can see the original color, fresh from the stylist, here.
I love chicken wings. This recipe is one that I adapted to fit my needs and in an attempt to replicate the wings from Ruby River (which are my favorite) that include Grape Jam in their recipe.
Mark's Hot Wings
3 lbs of Drummets (the upper portion of the wing, more meat, less fat)
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Grape Jelly
2 tsp Cider Vinegar
1/2 C Louisiana Hot Sauce (I prefer Western Family or Crystals, though Frank's is fine)
0-2 Tbsp Tabasco Sauce (add to your heat preference)
Dashes of Habenero Tabasco Sauce for extra heat if you choose (optional)
Bake the drummets per the instructions on the package. I usually strip off most of the larger fat pads, but keep some of the skin on. I bake them, rather than fry them, to cut down on the amount of oil in the recipe.
While the chicken is baking, in a medium sauce pan melt the butter and then add all of the other ingredients and stir until the jam is disolved. I add a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. If you don't have grape jelly on hand, I have seen other recipes use 1 Tbsp of Brown Sugar.
I have marinated the ckicken in the Louisiana style hot sauce prior to baking to give the meat a little more flavor, but it is up to you.
The only problem with this recipe is that as the sauce cools, the butter solidifies, making a slighly unpleasant texture when eating the wings cold. Note sure how to solve this problem.
Most of the recipes that I have found online start with a small amount of sponge and then build it to a full size loaf using additional water. My recipe is an adaptation on how my Mom and Grandma make their loaves. Rather than building our dough from a small amount of starter, my Mom, Grandma, and myself make our sponge with all the liquid in the final dough, and then add enough flour and salt to make the final dough. The main adaptation that I use over my Mom and Grandma is that I use bread flour rather than All-purpose flour, I cook it for a shorter period of time at a higher temperature, and that I take up to 3 days to make it (depending upon when I start the sponge). Every time I make my sponge I reserve 2 C for future use. This way I always know how much I put in to begin the process, and how much to take out once the new sponge is complete.
Prepare the Sponge
Combine your reserved sponge (2 C) with:
4 C Water, warm
5 C Bread Flour
(My Mom and Grandma use a 1:1 ratio of measured water to flour. The above ratio is more a 1:1 ratio when the ingredients are weighed out. It makes for a slightly stiffer sponge and gives the yeast and bacteria (flavor givers) more to feed on over the time that I give the sponge to ferment).
Mix until relatively smooth (small lumps are fine). Try to incorporate as much air as you can. Let stand and ferment at room temperature until very bubbly (3-4 hours). After about 4 hours cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. This refrigeration retards the growth of the yeast, while giving the good flavor-enhancing bacteria time to work. I have found that this gives my bread a sweeter and more pungent sour taste than if I immediately took the sponge and made bread.
Dough Time
The next day beat down your sponge and remove your starter reserve (2 C). Place the remaining sponge in your mixer and add the following:
2 1/2 Tsp Salt
4 C Bread flour
Using your mixers dough hook kneed the above until it is thoroughly combined (5 minutes). It will still be a moist and sticky dough. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the flour to become fully hydrated.
Next slowly add an additional 1-2 C of bread flour until your dough is slightly tacky to the touch but does not stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl while kneading.
Once you have achieved a slightly tacky dough remove from mixer and let rest for 5 minutes. After the dough has rested I kneed by hand for an additional 3-5 minutes to form a nice stiff dough.
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise until it has doubled in size. Once doubled punch the dough down and kneed into a new ball. At this point you can either let the dough rise a second time (more flavor without the overnight rest), or you can form into loaves.
After the first or second rise form the dough into the desired shape. I usually make 3 1.5lb rectangular loaves (loaf pans). Let the dough rise until it is about an inch above the top of the loaf pan, or if making round loads until it has doubled in size.
Baking
If baking in metal loaf pans:
In an oven safe pan, boil 1-2 Cups of water and once boiling place at the bottom of the oven. Place the loaves on a middle shelf and turn the oven on to 375° F. After the oven has reached 375° use a spray bottle to spray the bottom and sides of the oven with water to generate steam. Do this again after 5 minutes and then again 5 minutes later. Total time baking at 375° will be 40-45 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and place on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes, I prefer an hour.
If baking round loaves:
Cut a # sigh using a sharp oiled knife, being careful not to deflate the dough. In an oven safe pan, boil 1-2 Cups of water and once boiling place at the bottom of the oven. Place the loaves on middle shelf and turn the oven on to 450° F. After the oven has reached 450° use a spray bottle to spray the bottom and sides of the oven with water to generate steam. Do this again after 5 minutes and then again 5 minutes later. Total time baking at 450° will be 30 minutes
After 30 minutes at 450° remove the pan of water and change the oven temperature to 375° and then cook the loaves an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Enjoy with a good, high quality butter.
As an aside. If I have only allowed the dough to rise one time and do not have time to let the loaves rise, bake, and then cool (approximately 4 hours) I will spray the newly formed loaves with oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and then refrigerate overnight. I then complete the rise the next day and then cook as above. I use this modification when I make my loaves in the middle of the week, over 3 days. I make the sponge after work on the 1st day, make the dough, let it rise the 1st time, and form the loaves on the 2nd day. And then on the 3rd day I let the dough rise in the pans and bake the loaves and let them cool. I actually prefer this method over the 2 day method as it gives me a slightly moister, flavorful loaf.
Some 50 years ago my Grandma Kiser made her own sourdough starter, and since then has been happily making some of the best bread and other things sourdough. Being that she lives in Colorado and does not have the naturally occuring bacteria that occurs in San Francisco, her sourdough bread is much milder than that found in San Francisco. Nevertheless, time spent at Grandma's ranch would not be the same without regular doses of her bread and sourdough pancakes.
Grandma Kiser had a stroke this past year towards the end of June/ start of July. One of the first things she did was to make sure that my Mom prepared a large batch of sourdough pancake batter for the local LDS 4th of July breakfast. Below is the recipe that I received from my GMa several years ago. It is a bit different than that of my Mom's, which can be found here.
Prepare your Sponge
The night before, in a plastic or glass bowl, mix your reserved starter with
3 C Water
3 C All-purpose flour
Mix well until only small lumps are left. Incorporate as much air as you can into the mixture. I cover mine loosely with plastic wrap to prevent crusting over.
Pancake Batter
The next morning beat down the spnge and remove your starter reserve (equal amount as to what you put in the previous night) and return reserve to the refrigerator.
To the remaining sponge (about 4 Cups) add:
2 Eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp Oil
Mix this well. Let rest.
In a seperate bowl combine the following:
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Soda
Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the batter and then fold in trying to incorporate as much air as possible. Let rest for at least 15 minutes. The batter is ready when the batter is begins to inflate and is filled with tiny air bubbles.
Cook over a hot griddle (350° - 400° F)
Serve with butter and your favorite syrup. I like mine with 100% pure maple syrup. Jen likes her's with only butter.
My Mom's recipe is slightly different as it uses powdered milk, less suger and salt, and more oil. Both are equally good, but I prefer the recipe above, as do my kids (though they love sourdough bread, they much prefer "regular" pancakes to sourdough pancakes).
My class once again did admirably. This year they raised just shy of $800. Granted this also included my efforts with my candy and soda store, but the class still raised a considerable amount. Towards the end of 1st period (the deadline to have the money in) they were taking the candy that I had to sell and combing the halls selling it to anyone they could find. Several also called their parents asking for additional donations (NOT at my request) when it was apparent that the final result wasn't leaning in our favor.
The recipe below has quickly become one of Jen's and my favorites.
Marsala-Mushroom Sauce
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Slices Prosciutto, diced
1 Shallot, diced
4 Tbsp Butter
8 oz of fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C Marsala Wine
1 1/2 C Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Parsley
In a medium sauce pan brown the prosciutto in the olive oil. Next add the shallots and cook till tender (2-3 minutes). When tender add the 4 Tbsp of butter and mushrooms. Cook mushrooms till tender, 3-4 minutes.
Once the mushrooms are tender add the marsala wine to the pan and deglaze. Reduce the marsala wine for 3-4 minutes or until syrupy. While the wine is reducing, mix the cornstarch and chicken stock together till the cornstarch is dissolved.
Once the marsala wine is reduced, add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once the liquid boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes stir in the 2Tbsp of Heavy Cream and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with parsley as a garnish.
Grilled Chicken
Season 4 Chicken Breasts with your favorite italian seasonings. I usually use: salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Grill till done.
Serving
Plate your chicken and garlic mashed potatoes and then spoon the sauce over both.
The sauce is equally good over chicken and steak (tenderloin or sirloin). You can substitute an equal amount of canned mushrooms if you wish, though I haven't tried it. The recipe that I adapted this from used canned mushrooms.
The last time I made this I forgot to buy the heavy cream. As a substitute I mixed 2 Tbsp sour cream with a 1 Tbsp of milk. I added it to the sauce and couldn't taste a huge difference.
I had been wanting to watch this movie in theaters, but never took the opportunity. I rented it on Thursday from RedBox but didn't get around to watching it until Saturday night with Jen. Both Jen and I loved "Batman Begins" and therefore were looking forward to watching "The Dark Knight".
First off the film was wonderfully shot. I am a fan of real-world cinematography and to see it shot using New York as Gotham was really cool. It added a feeling of realism to the movie, which perhaps as you see below may have been a problem.
Heath Ledger as the "Joker" was very believable. I was quite disturbed and uncomfortable every time he was on the screen. His portrayal was quite sadistic and dark.
Overall, however, I was taken back by the depravity of the movie. The villainy was realistic and frightening. In many ways it detracted from Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, and as a result I found the Batman to be a more hollow character this time around as opposed to the character in "Batman Begins". The voice modification that they gave Batman was actually quite grating each time I heard it.
Overall the movie was good, boderline great. But Batman's voice as well as the sheer realism of the villains was quite disturbing and detracted from my overall enjoyment of the movie. I am still, several days later, questioning the rating of "PG-13" for this movie.
So once again Copper Hills is doing its annual sub-for-santa/holiday charity drive. The primary goal is to raise funds for sub-for-santa and other charitable giving to residents of the Copper Hills community. Last year Copper Hills raised over $20k for the cause (nearly $5k more than was their goal).
As last year they are having a homeroom competition to see which homeroom can raise the most amount of money per capita. Last year, despite raising the most "money" in total, I came a bit short in the per capita numbers (see here) and came in second place.
This year I am once again hoping for a good showing (read 1st place). If anyone that reads this blog would like to contribute let me know. I would appreciate it.
As a side note, last year as a result of raising over $20k my head was shaven. I am not sure what I will agree to this year. Stay tuned.
I put in a request last year for a Mac computer after seeing several people receive them. I had always assumed that this was a "windows" only school, and that Mac's were reserved for the arts and tech classes. So I put one in not really expecting anything. When nothing came lat year I wasn't too disappointed.
I put in another tech request this year in hopes of getting one this year. Last Friday I went to talk with the VP in charge of tech requests to beg and plead a little bit. Before I could even say anything he told me he had a new computer for me--a mac.
He led me to the storage room and let me carry my new computer back to my room. I pulled it out and quickly set it up. Straight out of the box it recognized my wireless network (that I set up for when I brought my computer) and I was up and running in no time.
So now I have a shiny new 20" iMac computer. The only concern I have is that it has been a long time since I typed on a straight keyboard. Right now my forearms are a little sore, so I will have to figure out how to get my Microsoft Natural keyboard working on this computer. The only problem with that is that I will lose the additional USB ports on the keyboard. That is going to be a problem as there are only 3 USB ports on the back of the iMac. With the printer, keyboard and mouse all plugged into the back I won't have room for my key drive. Looks like I may need to go get a USB hub.
Update:The remapping of Microsoft Natural Keyboard was actually quite easy. Not sure when it was added, but in 10.5.5 there is now an option in "System Preferences" to change what the "Modifier Keys" are. My forearms will be much happier.
Today is Hailey's 2 year birthday. Hailey is a sweet little girl--although a bit mommy clingy. She is full of energy and the life of the party. There was a time when we felt "done" after 4 kids, but decided to have another after it became apparent that we should have more (probably another is in line, though I am not announcing anything imminent). Our family would definitely not be the same with only 4 kids
Hailey is a wonderful little girl to have in our home. She is full of energy, and is in many ways as emotionally charged as her daddy (Jen is the emotionally stable one of our couple). Hailey can turn from a supremely happy campter into a ball of fit and fury faster than you can understand what happened--we are hoping this changes as she becomes more adept at talking.
So to the sweetest two year-old around..."This is your life!" (Well at least some random snaps from the past year).
