Our Christmas 2008

The perfect Christmas: new snow on the ground, happy but tired kids, an enthusiastic husband and a content wife

Dave finally gets the gift he's dreamed about since he was a child---A DRUM SET!!

Complete with a rocker T-shirt and leather fringed gloves---ROCK ON!

A total surprise for Hailey--- A loft bed with "tween" colors, no more pink for Hailey

A remote control!!! This is the best present EVER in the history of the world !!!


Wow, and IRON....with steam and retractable cord....neat

Alisa confused Mom with a positive pregnancy test

The rest of the night was spent explaining the birds and the bees to the parents


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We had a great Christmas with a fantastic family. It makes me grateful for the advantages of strong family ties. We will never know loneliness, boredom or isolation which is so common in a world where most people pride themselves on being independent. I love the closeness we all share, I love knowing that I will see you all very soon instead of once or twice a year. Thank you EVERYBODY for staying close and available to us. It is an immeasurable comfort.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

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This Years Christmas Letter

It is time to recap a most excellent year. Here is a bit of what we've been up to:

This year Dave has delicately steered his company through some tough times and has
taken on many different roles. He has taken his turn at being the lawyer, the marketing guy, the decorator, the landscaper, the sales guy and other odd jobs that come up. He is a multi-talented partner and as a result his company has remained relatively stable. At home, Dave has stayed firmly committed to not finishing his grand and beautiful projects, namely, landscaping the backyard... all in good time ! However, he has found a new and exciting hobby...remote controlled airplanes. He paints his styrofoam plane very nicely and then promptly crashes it. It's a real stress reducer I'm sure!

I'm just glad I have a job. One of the great things about working for a hospital is that it is very stable work. On top of that I still thoroughly enjoy what I do. I've also taken up cycling and spend an hour spinning to nowhere at the gym. I can't say that I particularly enjoy sitting on a stationary bike, sweating my guts out, all the while trying to keep up with the other girls going nowhere also. The things I do to stay young!

Eleven year old Tanner is as perplexing as ever. He now demands total domination over the remote control so that he can watch the golf channel. Although he never watches anything in the normal sort of way...he entertains himself by rewinding and forwarding and skipping around whatever he's watching. Imagine watching golf in slow-motion, could there be anything more monotonous! We have all relinquished any hope of seeing a movie from beginning to end. It's just not going to happen.

Nine year old Hailey is as entertaining as ever. She has aquired her dad's compulsion to NEVER throw anything away, hence her bedroom is a fantastic mess of random treasures and clutter. Most of the time there isn't enough space on her bed to sleep. Hailey has shown great interest in doing chores for money but also has a specific idea about payment. When I offered her 50 cents to do a chore, she said "Sorry, I only take dollars." When it comes to eating she is still as picky as ever. "Can you make dinner not so gross?" she says. No doubt the future will be challenging. Still, Hailey's sense of humor is so sharp that she comes up with some pretty good material from time to time to keep us laughing. For now she is mostly charming and appreciative but that could change depending on what's cool at the moment.

2008 has proven to be one fine year. Dave and I started off by selfishly traveling to a distant Caribbean island to do some scuba diving. As we dove the world famous reefs off Bonaire and learned how to windsurf, the kids suffered at home in the cold winter. If that wasn't enough, Dave and I next went to China and left the kids home because they really needed to be in school. We climbed the Great Wall, walked the streets of Beijing and saw the amazing Terra Cotta Warriors. To add insult to injury, we floated down the Colorado River with just the Hosenfeld adults, once again neglecting the children. Hiking and rafting in Cataract Canyon was a beautiful and colorful adventure. We floated amongst the majestic, red, horseshoe canyons and even waded chest deep in the brown mucky water in order to reach a gorgeous waterfall. And that's not all! Quite spontaneously, we drove to California where a chartered dive boat took us to the kelp forests off Catalina Island. Of course we HAD to go because Dave's boss arranged the trip as a work retreat. For four days we did some scuba diving in the cold, pacific ocean swimming through thick , golden kelp and seeing things we've never seen before. Lastly, through no fault of our own, we accompanied the Hosenfeld adults on a trip to NYC and then to my dad's peaceful home town in upstate New York. The autumn colors were breathtaking as we rode bikes along the Erie Canal and walked along the leaf strew pathways of dad's favorite places. So as you may have noticed, our kids have been mightily left out in this year's travels.. Tanner couldn't care less but I have gotten some substantial grief from Hailey and have made some serious promises about next year.

Please have a safe and wonderful year and Merry Christmas!!!

I have this thing called a JOB

Intermountain Health Care building
I spend most of my time in the ER, OR, NICU, and any of the 6 ICU's in this hospital

I take this behemoth into the Operating Room where it's images help put bones or arteries back together. Almost all surgeries utilize this machine : kidney stones, gall bladder ducts, back and neck procedures, vascular reconstruction, orthopedics, line placements......

After I take a picture I look at it and determine whether it can be used to diagnose. All our images are on a digital computer.

Many times I just wheel my portable x-ray machine into a patients room and take the picture while they are in bed.

If the patient is healthy enough it is easier to x-ray them on the x-ray table. The digital pictures are amazing! I continually marvel at how remarkable x-ray imaging is. My job is to help visualize the problem so that it can be fixed. WOW!

So, what does Wendy do in her spare time?...why, she goes to work. Three nights a week I take a break from my payless job at home and enter the world of the employed. I push buttons, lift heavy things, operate complicated equipment, deal with bariatrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, egomaniacs, and lunatics all in an evenings work. And let's not forget...I save lives!! Oh yeah. Without the miracles of medical science and x-ray imaging we would all be in a pickle. Of course, somebody has to push the button that produces those invisible, dangerous yet invaluable x-rays. That's my job...sometimes it ain't pretty but it is most certainly never dull.

Mommy -Daughter Outing to the Library

So Hailey asked me the million dollar question this week: "You know that one Simpsons episode where those swimmy things with Homer's head on them go towards Marge's egg? What does that mean??
I immediately called Dave and told him "It is Time!!, I'm taking Hailey to the library for "THE TALK"".

Hailey and I chose a nice, cozy and deserted corner in the library and pulled out the most excellent coming of age book "WHERE DID I COME FROM?" If people wandered too close to us Hailey would frantically whisper "put the book down, mom, I don't want them to see." We only had to move to a different corner three times!!!

All in all, it was a real eye opener for the poor girl, and I mean a wide eye opener. But now Hailey and I have a special bond...we both know how it works.

It's Daddy Daughter Season!

Hailey has turned True Blue

Cosmo the BYU mascot

Hailey got autographs from Cosmo and a few other players

Every fall Hailey gets to go to the home BYU games with her dad. It's eight hours of quality time with the "world biggest sucker"-dad. Not only do they watch a bit of the game but dad takes Hailey to the BYU Bookshop every time for a special treat. Dad buys her favorite candy (red hot devils), and another chosen item like a stuffed animal or a t-shirt or a toy. Not only does Hailey get treats and gifts, she also gets to eat a bunch of junk food. At the end of the game, dad hangs around waiting for an autograph or two.
What a great dad!

Conservative Suicide Hotline...How Can I Help You?

Conservative Suicide Hotline: Hello, how can I help you?

Dave: Give me a reason to live, just one reason!!!

Hotline: Remember sir, you can always hope for change.

Dave: You want change?, I'll give you change !! I'm now an out of work alcoholic and I'll never have to pay taxes again. How do like them apples Obama???

Hotline: That's right sir!! You're better off now that government can take care of you. Think about it...you don't have to work if you don't want to, in fact, the only thing you'll need to do is walk to the mailbox for your welfare check.

Dave: I feel better already... pass the bottle!

Halloween--- A Wonderful Holiday For Children

Straight from China

A yard full of ghouls

A delightful spider for the little children

The doorstep of horror!

And lastly, a little cannibal sitting in the front yard

I never liked Halloween much but Dave loves it!! He went all out in his decorations this year. I think there is a little competition going on between 3 of our neighbors. Across the street, The Elliotts have live spooky organ music and an elaborate display in their front room. Down the road, The Wilsons light up their place like a haunted house and have a robot butler giving out treats. Then there's The Ericksons (us) who hang monsters from the rafters and have skeletons all over the front yard with orange and purple lights on the trees.

This Halloween:
----we had 243 kids come to the door
----we gave out 12 lbs of candy (not including the 2 lbs I ate) !
----7 little children were too afraid to come to the doorstep
----2 little children were crying because they were scared of the monster

Best Halloween Costume---- a beat up boy scout
Lamest Halloween Costume----2 teenage girls dressed as two teenage girls

What a strange holiday!!

Two Trips In One

The BIG city

The BIG Subway

I just HAD to have a NYC Hot dog!

The ladies of LIBERTY

Is that TIMES SQUARE below?




The 2nd half of the trip was so much different!

Peaceful rides through the countryside
Erie Canal

The most serene and beautiful cemetery ever!
Watkins Glen

Rich color and natural wonders!
Watkins Glen

What?? Water ruins cameras?

Niagara Falls

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT NYC:

--- modern skyscrapers mixed in with 1930's skyscrapers (loved the skyline)
--- busy, noisy, stinky, grimy, trashy, impersonal, (the big city feel)
--- convoluted subway system, always an adventure going into the bowels of the city
--- NYC drivers ( hard braking alternating with hard acceleration..can you say whiplash?)

Imagine walking to work everyday in your stockbroker suit and high heels, after standing in a subway car rubbing shoulders with total strangers, taking the elevator to your corner office on the 75th floor of some pretentious office building, eating vendor hot dogs and pretzels just to stay alive.... gee sounds tempting!

THINGS I LIKE ABOUT UPSTATE NEW YORK:

---rolling hills of pastures and autumn leaves, red barns and farms
---small, peaceful towns with clapboard houses and iron bridges
---hometown folks like Carolyn and Richard, Aunt Betty and Uncle Gene
---big, beautiful trees...big beautiful color...
---Dad's laughing eyes

Imaging going to work down at the factory with your handful of high school buddies, stopping at the river to skip a few rocks, dropping by mom's every Sunday for a home cooked roast.....

SEE??? Two Totally Different Trips In One.


p.s. Thanks mom and dad, it was great!!!

p.p.s. missed you, Jason and Suz!!!!

Mother Of Two Risks Life Just For Fun

Darn near died trying to climb over a puddle of water

Barely made it down a big hairy cliff

Was up to my knees in toxic mud and nasty water

Wandered for hours in the desert with no chance of rescue

After a week of monitoring the rain forecast, I decided to go to The Swell with Casey, Alisa, Jason, Ryland and Jared. We arrived in the desert late Friday night, layed out the sleeping bags under the stars and relaxed while "Dark Side of the Moon" softly played. It was perfect. The next morning we began our long journey into a winding slot canyon, equiped with ropes and harnesses and water bottles. Left in the capable hands of Casey and Jared, I was able to repel down 3 cliffs with much trepidation and exhilaration. It was so much fun! We then encountered mud, some was dry and crunchy and some was deep and squishy. Some mud looked like yummy fudge. After we left the cozy canyons, Jared led the death march back to the van. We wandered the desert for 4 more miles, putting one foot in front of the other. I thought of the old chant..."oh we oh...ooooooh oh, oh we oh......oooooh oh, as I trudged up one butte after another. Just in the nick of time, before total exhaustion, the van appeared before us. An ice cold soda waited in the cooler. Then to top of a pretty good day, we all had a fat burger at Groggs. And to Dave's surprise I came home alive and well.

How to Eat Spaghetti

Wouldn't you love to eat spaghetti like this? No need to cut it up or twirl it around a fork, just shovel it in your mouth with your hands...don't worry about the mess...don't be so uptight....experience the joy of eating....eat like there's no tomorrow!!!

We Love Summer

Simply fun!


Give Tanner a hose and a bucket and he's happy for an hour


There's nothing like ice-cream on a hot day


Hailey has always wanted a pet turtle.

The chill in the air reminds me that summer is coming to a close. I'm going to miss the long, hot days of watching the kids play in the water. I'm going to miss chasing a naked Tanner down the driveway after he decides to take his swim trunks off. I'm going to miss seeing Hailey's mud creations in the backyard. I think I'll even miss getting into a 120 degree car. Now it's time to say goodbye to the summer...

WHAT IF?? part 2

When Hailey was a little bun in the oven, I was just beginning to understand the implications of Tanner's problems. Tanner had just received a probable diagnosis of an inherited syndrome so the geneticist cautioned me about having more children. However, I was already 5 months pregnant with a baby girl. As the physician glanced over at his assistant I felt sick. If I had known the genetic component to Tanner's disabilities I wouldn't have gotten pregnant again.

Still, the wheels were in motion.

Four months later I had a beautiful and healthy baby girl. As she cried heartily I was so happy. Hailey became my pride and joy. She is so energetic and delightful and normal. Even today I love to be around her, I love to talk to her, I love to listen to her, I love to watch her. How grateful I am that she "happened" before I had a chance to think. I can't imagine my life without her and the little taste of normalcy she brings to my life.

WHAT IF?

Tanner's EEG

When Tanner was just a little bun in the oven, I went through the usual prenatal testing. Well, one of the blood tests came back abnormal. My Alpha Fetal Protein count was high. After a little research I came to find out that my baby had an increased risk of neural tube defects (spina bifida, hydrocephalus) and a host of other neurologic risks. It was advised that I go to a prenatal center to get a specialized ultrasound and genetic counseling.

During the genetic session, the counselor compiled my information, explained some things and then asked if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Stunned, I said I would have to think about it; after all, my opinion on this matter had never been contemplated.

It was my understanding that the blood test indicated "risk" not actual disease. How could the clinic suggest termination without evidence of an abnormality? It took me about 1 minute to realize there was no way I could just end my pregnancy.

Four months later, Tanner was born and he was beautiful. But then, when he was around 4 months old, he started missing his milestones. He missed them all. Month after month, year after year, Tanner grew but his mind did not. He became difficult, exasperating and all-consuming yet there was something about him that made me love him. He is so innocent and honest and sweet. After all these years I love how warm and soft he is. I love his laugh and his mischievousness. I love him because he loves me. I love him because he makes me a better person.

And to think I was given a chance to make my life easier.....what a tragedy that would have been!

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