The Christmas Tree and the Zoo

I'm posting this as one blog entry for convenience. The Christmas tree and the zoo really have nothing to do with each other. But I'd hate for anyone to have to scroll down to find a separate new post :)

As yesterday was the day after Thanksgiving, we set up our Christmas tree. Here I am, lifting Kaylin up to put the star on top.


Unfortunately, the tree couldn't support the weight of the star.

After a few minor adjustments...


Voila! A perfectly decorated Christmas tree (if we do say so ourselves)


As for the zoo...

The day before Thanksgiving, while I was slaving away at the office, Jamie took the kids to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. They had a blast. When they saw the Cougar, theystarted chanting BYU, BYU! I've raised them well :) Here are a few pics:

Nice Job, Hall. NOT!

BYU was good enough to beat the Utes today. Unfortunately, Max Hall blew it for the rest of the team. 5 Interceptions and a fumble. Even though the defense didn't play well, Hall didn't give them a chance .When the other team score 28 points off turnovers, you aren't going to win very many games. What's real disappointing is that even after the third turnover, we still had the opportunity to take the lead. Then the fourth turnover happened. Then the fifth. Then the game was pretty much over. I guess there is always next year. Now I know how a Jazz fan feels after then end of every season.

The Holy War!

BYU@ Utah. This Saturday afternoon. Two teams. One undefeated. One with a sole defeat. A BCS bowl, the conference championship, and bragging rights on the line. Only one will emerge victorious. For your viewing pleasure (or pain, depending on your perspective), here is one of the greatest moments in the BYU v. Utah rivalry:
2006, at Utah. BYU trailed by 4 with over a minute to play. Methodically, they marched down the field. On the eleven yard line and three seconds left in the game, the Cougars had one last chance for a touchdown, and to stop a four-year losing streak to the Utes. "Snap to John..."



P.S. Ute Fans, Harline is still open.

Jamie & Kaylin: in 3-D!

We thought this picture was pretty neat, considering it was completely accidental. Jon was just trying to take a picture of me and Kaylin. She decided to swing her arm out at last second, whipping my hair around my head and it turned out kind of cool.

Brandon the Mountain Man

Brandon had his 4th grade Utah history program at school last week. His class was assigned to dress up as Mountain-persons (to be politically correct). As part of the program they learned some folk dancing. He also got to dance with a girl - he was not thrilled about that. Unfortunately, we didn't get any video of it. We enjoyed watching him and are proud of him! We love him so much.

A broken heart :(

As some of you know already, our unborn baby has been diagnosed with a heart condition. Specifically, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. It's one of the more serious congenital heart defects a baby can have. You can read more about the condition here. While he's in the womb, he should still be okay. It's when he's born, that it will be most life threatening. The kind of surgery he will need depends on how well the heart grows between now and when he is born. The specialist Jamie saw said it was most likely that he will need three surgeries to correct the problem well enough for him to live, but he won't ever be completely cured - at least, not in this life. Unfortunately, the odds of him surviving the first surgery aren't great.

We are sad and disappointed, but are trying to be as optimistic as we can. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers on our behalf.

A night of Jazz

Steve and Britt Drakulich invited Jamie and me to the Jazz vs. Clippers game last night. - FRONT ROW SEATS! It was a blast. We got to go to the "100 Club" dining room for dinner before the game. It was an all you can eat buffet with really, really good food. During halftime, there's a snack room for the 100 Club ticket holders, so we got free nachos, drinks and cookies.



We sat at the end of the Court, very close to the Clippers' bench. Of course, I was rooting for the Clippers so I would get a chance at them throwing me some of their gear after the game. They didn't disappoint. Ricky Davis tossed me his sweaty headband and I picked up his armband after the game. I still need to wash them. They are pretty gross.


Even without Deron Williams, the Jazz pulled away in the second half and won by 22. It was pretty close until midway through the 3rd quarter.
That ref was nice enough to toss me the ball during one of the timeouts. It was a lot slicker than I thought it would be.
During another timeout, the Jazz mascot, the Bear, played follow the leader with these cubs. When they were done, the littlest guy didn't want to go of the court and started running off. The bear had to chase him down. The crowd and the players got a kick out of it.

Ricky Davis took the loss pretty hard. He had a towel over his head for several minutes before I took this picture. I wanted to ask for his shoes, but I was too chicken.

Thanks again to the Drakulich family for inviting us!