Don't try this at home

It is not a good idea to catch a softball with your mouth. First of all, it's not soft. Especially when it's coming off the end of a bat. Second of all, it will result in stitches. In Jared's case, 10. 2 in his top lip and 8 in his bottom lip. 5 are on the inside. We've started calling him "Bubba J". Isn't he gorgeous? I think he's just all puckered up, waiting for his kiss!

Dawn

(PS Tara had a fabulous hit this game! Too bad Jared and I missed it. You'll have to have her tell you all about it!)

Colin's home

Colin came home on thursday home to only a few of hes family there to meet him but enough to make him feel loved. He looks just like he did when he left and is happy to be here. They went to the temple on the way home from the airport. We all got together and had dinner that night it was a lot of fun. He is working for Spencer for a few days before he gets a real job and going to have his home coming talk on the 23rd of this month. That is all of the future that he has planned at the moment. So he is doing good and looks happy.

P.S. Abby was thrilled to see him and sleeps with him every night.

I have work enough to do...

Miriam really, really wants to come to Phoenix for Christmas. Either that, or I have bad breath. She has been picking up so many shifts, that we get one or two evenings a week together. Her co-workers all speak very highly of her and look forward to shifts where they will work together. I picked up some altoids, so if nothing changes in her schedule, we will soon know if it is because she misses her family and does not want to be the "weekest link" that prevents a complete family picture. We checked prices, and though it is expensive, there is great probability that we would fly in on Christmas day. Here's hoping!

It has been fantastic to spend so much time with the boys--even if my homework has suffered a very little bit. Yesterday, Mateo was invited to a birthday party for one of the boys in morning kindergarten. Mateo is in afternoon kindergarten. I thought maybe the invitation was placed by mistake, but Mateo seems to know the boy, and nobody noticed us as encroachers. It is funny being back in my home town; at least six of the eight parents went to highschool with either my older or my younger siblings. It is all very nostalgic.

Another great part of being here is working as an adult with all of the leaders who taught me as a child. Next Sunday, Miriam and I are speaking in sacrament meeting. The next week I get to teach gospel doctrine. We are working hard as ward missionaries, and I am taking a family history class at the institute, so lots of opportunities to serve!

May the Mail Be With You

The only way we can get the boys to write letters to Grandma is if we promise them to drop it in this box. Perhaps it is because the letters are so precious that they will only trust them to the Jedi. Rest assured, your mail is in good hands.

Perhaps you have seen some of these elsewhere. This one is right by the student union building on campus. We couldn't resist the photo op. Life is good in Boise. The thermometer read 75 for the high the other day while I noticed that Phoenix was sitting at 110 for the umpteenth time. I know it is a temporary advantage, but we will enjoy it while it lasts. Mateo is enjoying his school. Although he is reticent when asked about what he learned, with enough questioning, he always comes around. Michael loves his "new" cousins. Natalie is almost his exact age, and they play well together. His vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds. As I type this, he is asking his mother if she will open the gate so that he can ride his bike. Where? To Grandma Vanderpool's house of course. It is an almost daily occurrence. I think he misses her, but he is adjusting well. The ward here was quick to put us to work as ward missionaries. They also must have known that Miriam would be tempted to sleep through church after working her graveyard shifts, so they made her the Relief Society Chorister. She can't do any damage, but she has to be there every week. They are also glad to have us when it comes time to work at DI or the cannery during a weekday because I can almost always fill those assignments
Although we have moments (or in Miriam's case, hours or maybe even weeks) that we wish we could be in Arizona, when it comes time to make cookies, we take advantage of the distance from Mom to make triple batches of peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies. We are still having fun, hoping that Indian Summer will come early and stay late, but certainly not suffering.

MMMM Nielsen

Just thought I would pass this on!

My dad, (Keith), was diagnosed recently with hyperparathyroidism. The parathyroids sit right in front of your thyroid, and they control the calcium levels in your body. My dad had one that wasn't working right. He had surgery on Thursday, did splendily, and came home on Friday. When they went in, it wasn't hard to figure out which one was going bad, it was 40x it's normal size! But everything is well, and dad is recovering this week at home. If you'd like to give him a call, please do so!

Dawn