We just want to be HEALTHY!!

Wow, this one will have to go on record without pictures as I was trying to save Jared's life while it was going on. I'll explain.
Friday started like normal, Jared went to work but some patients canceled and he decided to come home and help me pack to go to Boise for the weekend. I love my husband. He came, he helped, he grabbed a couple chocolates,and he left to work on the rest of his patients. About 5 minutes after he left, I heard a noise that I quickly assumed was a thief coming to rob us of our hand-me-down possessions. I ran into the kitchen only to find that Jared had returned and was looking a little odd. If you've seen Hitch or Pure Luck you'll have a good idea of what I was seeing. I probably would've laughed if it hadn't been so serious. (I laughed later..with Jared I might add!) Jared had realized about half way to work that he'd eaten chocolate with a walnut in it and he is very allergic to them. In fact he'd eaten 2 chocolates. So while Jared began to swell and whistling noises were coming out of his throat (because it was getting so small), we jumped into the car and hauled booty to the ER which has never seemed so far away in my life...30 minutes. We ran out, well Jared hobbled out, only to find the ER completely empty, no receptionist, no patients, nothing. When the recep. did finally come out, she looked terrified and 12 I might add, looking like she'd never seen an emergency in her short life.
Long story short, he was finally seen,they medicated him till he didn't know his name and we left 3 1/2 hours later, looking considerably better. And we now own 2 Epi pens.
To top everything off, on the way home my eye started feeling funny and 2 hours later I had full blown pink eye, Preston's doctor said he has pneumonia, and Noah who has no weight to lose, has diarrhea yet again. Last night, we began cloroxing everything in our house.

Dollar Mountain

Preston Snowboards!!  I love this picture.  He was like a little bullet rocketing down the mountain.  His snowboard is the size of a skate board, I'd say its cute but I suppose the preferred word here is "cool".  His uncle Eric taught him to bend his knees, hands out in front and he did it every time.  He really was the smallest snowboarder on the mountain and several people commented how surprised they were at his age and the fact that he never fell down:)  Granted he also doesn't know how to stop and took out other people several times.  We are so proud.

We love visitors

Just an update on more snow activities....they tell me I'll be having these same updates until roughly MAY!!!  Oh well, as long as the snow disappears before my birthday:)  So the Gunnel's came up for the weekend and it was fantastic.  We celebrated 3 birthdays in their family, JeNeale readily admits they could have timed those births a little better having an additional 2 more birthdays coming up in the next couple weeks, as well.

We love having so many visitors, I don't think I'd survive the winter without it.  The older kids went snow boarding with Jared.  And they all tried unsuccessfully to keep up with Brent on skis.  While this was going on, we took the little ones to go sledding and of all the runs they made the one with Grammy was their favorite.  I am just getting ready to give them a push in this picture, we were not about to try having 4 people on a sled.    And then there is Jensen (Preston's 5 year old cousin) he saw this picture and asked me to include it on the blog, he said it would make her happy.  My son is so cute.  

Having Fun in Snow

     We have spent so much time in the snow lately.  Mostly because it is fun but partly because when there's this much snow, what else are you supposed to do.  So I've decided its time to start snowboarding again and Jared is  coming with me. And even though I have been 100 times more than him (Jared's been once) he will still be better than me.  Its inevitable.  Preston also is going to begin.  He tried the little skateboard sled thing, that you stand on while going down the hill and LOVED it.  He got going pretty fast, bit it pretty hard, and still wanted more, so we'll be seeing him on the slopes as well.  

      I had most of my family up here for Christmas and it was fantastic.  With all the snow, the giant fireplace, and the huge Christmas tree it felt like a real vacation even though we didn't leave home.  Preston got Harry Potter 5 and has watched it once a day since then.  He also got a Builder Station with drills, wrenches and even protective goggles.  He loves it and we love watching his imagination make all kinds of things for us.  Noah got a rocking horse that whinnies and moves its head when you press its ear.  For the first few times that we showed it to him, he kept hitting the horse on the head as hard as he could when it moved.  It was hilarious.  He was just a little disturbed by the moving head (we think).  Also as a side note to all parents, we told all the kids they couldn't get up until 6:00 but then set the clock we gave them for a hour before so it was really 7:00 when they got up.  The idea, I admit, was not mine but I will be doing it every year.  All in all it was a great Christmas.

     Some of you may have noticed that I said I was going to get Christmas cards out and then never did.  Shocking, I know but I'm coming to terms that I don't do Christmas cards, I don't scrapbook and you'll probably never see this blog more creatively done than it is right now:)  I really do consider myself a creative person but on the above items...it's just never going to happen.