Me......Strange?

Some of you may think I'm a little strange because of some of my blog entries.

In order to explain my actions to those people, I can only say that a picture is worth a thousand words...

Alayna Update

Here are the latest photos and information I have received:


Keep praying for her. Everything was perfect until late in labor. Long story short, her brain was oxygen deprived for an undetermined amount of time. Possibly the cord being crimped or something. She's in intensive care at Univ. of Utah Hospital. I just arrived here in SLC this a.m. Baby Alayna looks great now. Color is good. They're using a hypothermia treatment to help her brain and other organs heal. She's making good progress. We'll know more after they bring her core temperature back up, and do an MRI on her brain. Kendra is doing pretty well physically. The entire family is stressed and sleep-deprived, but we're trying to catch up on sleep. Thanks for asking about her. Love, Katie

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Munchkin's Munchkin

Alayna Kate Yoho

Katie & I have been up almost the whole night but here is what we know at this point. The baby stoped breathing during birth, turned purple and her heart rate dropped sharply. All the tests like blood gasses were normal and she began breathing without assistance. Baby Alayna was transferred, by ambulance to, the University of Utah Medical Center, with her daddy, where she will probably remain under observation for about a week. Kendra is fine and could be released today. Katie is flying out this Saturday morning. Due to the situation at birth, we don't have the exact time, weight or length but a nurse guessed she was about 7 pounds. Please keep her in your prayers.

This next one makes my eyes leak (but don't tell Katie!) Alayna is looking at her mommy and seems to say "I Love You".

UPDATE!
As of late morning, Alayna has shown improvement & is looking much better. Can't say the same about Katie & I since we were up all night also & both went to work today! That's hard on us GRANDPARENTS!

UPDATE!

Alayna was born October 30th at 10:30 pm. She was 6 pounds, 14 ounces and 21" long.

WINTER AT LAST!!!

A REAL Cold Front!

Wednesday mornings temperatures are supposed to be around 51 degrees!!! This early and it is going to be near the 40's. Although it will only last 1 day, we still love the change and can turn off the A/C!

How Cool Is This!

Imagine sitting in Church, about 10 minutes before services start, and upon glancing to the right, you see Mitt Romney & his wife sitting there!!!!

They had to leave after the sacrament meeting but I still was able to meet him and shake his hand.

Bro. Romney bore his testimony and related a story about the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. As the opening of the Olympics approached, it appeared that the weather was NOT going to cooperate! There was an inversion over Salt Lake Valley (which means that warm air is trapped in the valley, so that fog and smog can't escape). A few days before the opening ceremonies, President Gordon B. Hinckley (then president of the LDS Church) asked Brother Romney if he and the other Apostles could take a look at their seats in the stadium, in order to see if their wives could access their seating comfortably. After seeing the seating, Pres. Hinckley asked Bro. Romney, "What would be the PERFECT weather for the Opening Ceremonies?" His reply: "Clear, cold, with just a few snowflakes gliding through the air." Pres. Hinckley just smiled and walked out of the stadium.

The night before the opening ceremonies, gale-force winds blew all night, even tearing flags from their masts. The morning dawned, the fog and smog disappeared, the weather cooled, and, sure enough, the light snow fell for the official Opening Ceremonies and lighting of the Olympic Torch!

Even Mayor Rocky Anderson, a former LDS member, and currently very prone to fight against the Church, and who had been with Pres. Hinckley as he inspected the stadium seating, good-naturedly declared that this phenomenon had him considering re-joining the Church!

In yesterday's Sacrament Meeting, Mitt Romney was followed by Elder Robert Gay, a General Authority of the Church, a member of the Quorum of the Seventy, and a member of our ward. These men are former business partners, and very good friends.

Elder Gay related a couple of stories: one exciting, the other touching. The first was about a conference call of 96 stake presidents in the U.S. Southeast Area, discussing a "day of service" coming up in April 2009, with all those stakes participating! The second story concerned service rendered to non-LDS people in Mississippi after Hurricane Ike devastated their community. The local parish president and the pastor had both been pushing anti-LDS propaganda big-time very recently, and teaching their parishoners how to combat Mormons. Immediately after Ike moved on, the Church sent in its 18-wheelers full of food and supplies; then 2,000 LDS volunteers showed up to work on these people's homes and yards. On Sunday, the locals and the volunteers worshipped together in an LDS service within the walls of the pastor's church. Long story short, the parish president and the pastor both requested to be taught the missionary discussions.

You could have heard a pin drop in the chapel. What an awesome meeting it was! I'm sorry that Shauna H. missed this - she's been an enthusiastic Romney supporter.

Families Reading Together

The week of November 8 thru 14 is national "Families Reading Together" week! Here in Palm Beach County, the kick-off for the week is gonna be on Saturday, the 8th, 10 a.m. til 4 p.m.,at the lovely "Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens" in Delray Beach. There'll be lots of music, games, activities and crafts for the kids.

The Morikami is a gorgeous, peaceful place inside and out. The museum's not too large, and not too small. Some displays are colorful, like the incredible ceremonial clothing; some are military, such as the armor; some are just cool, like the scaled-down car made of wood sticks, or the toys. So your kids can get a good taste of Japanese culture without tugging at your shirt with, "Can we go now? Are we done here? I'm BORED!"

After the museum, take a hike! That is, along the peaceful gravel path which surrounds the large lake. You'll see rock gardens, bonsai, and you'll walk through a bamboo grove. We even saw a small black snake relaxing on some shrubbery!

Below, is a Karesansui, or "dry landscape", where rocks are arranged in a bed of raked gravel:

Gotta love these stone lanterns:

All photos taken by Amber Puckett, my pal from the Main Library Youth Services Dept.

Here's the Morikami's web address. Man, they have so much going on!!! :

http://www.morikami.com/

Hey, even if you can't make it to the Morikami, READ WITH YOUR KIDS!!!! Pick up some good books at your public library or bookstore, and make it a family tradition. Read at bedtime; read during your weekly Family Night. Your kids'll be smarter, and your family will be that much stronger. Which is kinda important in these very challenging times....