Lisa n Tom (n James n Joseph)

Lisa writes: We had dinner with my friend, Holly, and her husband Dave. We learned the secrets of good pizza-making and coveted their bathroom remodel. We went up to Boulder to have lunch with an old family friend of Tom's parents, Pat. She recently suffered a compression fracture of the spine due to a sudden encounter with an icy sidewalk, but she's determined to wear her brace and do her physical therapy and be ready to go on a theater tour of New York next month. As we left, one of us said, "You be careful," and she said, "Yes, I will, I will ..." then she paused and shouted, "But I'm TIRED of being careful!" She's spunky. On the way home from Boulder, we saw this. (Nothing to do with anything. Just thought it was funny.)

Lisa writes: We then proceeded to let the dinosaurs eat the older children. It seemed like the car ride home would be a lot quieter that way. Triceratops. A nice veggiesaur.

Lisa writes: We went to the Dinosaur Research Center and Museum. All of the little kids zonked out on the way there.

Lisa writes: We ice skated for two hours and NOBODY ENDED UP IN URGENT CARE. And when I say "nobody," I mostly mean "this guy":

Lisa writes: Christi and Christian found themselves in Salt Lake City with several hours to kill last Friday. She asked him what he wanted to do and he said, "I've always wanted to see the capitol." So, off they went to the capitol. They got there and the place was open but vacant. Due to a 4-day workweek, nobody is home in the cap on Fridays. They wandered through the building, looking for a tour guide and getting bolder and bolder about sticking their heads into unlocked rooms, when they spotted a distinguished-looking older gentleman in a suit coat standing in the rotunda. Christian said, "I bet that's the governor!" and ran over to ask him. "I'm the Lieutenant Governor," said the guy in the suit coat. "What's that?" "That's like the vice-president." "Oh, ok," said Christian. That was good enough for him. The Lt. Gov. was standing around because he had locked himself out of his office and was waiting for...

Lisa writes: Snow? D.C. Mountains? Colorado. Accumulation? D.C. Lifts and grooming equipment? Colorado. Me? D.C. My skis? Colorado. Darn.

Lisa writes: We had something like 25 inches fall by the end of the day. It was still a white Christmas a week later.

Lisa writes: I'm hearing rumors of big snow tonight or tomorrow. My coworker just went to the grocery store and announced, "I'm prepared. I got ice cream and salt." We should probably go to the store, too. I think our emergency ice cream supply is dangerously low.

Lisa writes: Tom's cousin gave me a big roll of quilt squares last summer. I sewed them into little packbacks for our 6 year old Primary kids, wrapped them up, and gave them to the kids yesterday after class. They were surprisingly delighted. They immediately put them on and started looking around for stuff to carry. Yay, little kids!

Lisa writes: Christian's finest performance -- "The Belly Button Song." Fast forward to the 1:00 mark.

Lisa's sister, Christi, wrote: Scout's a daddy! Scout's "wife" as the kids like to call her had six girls and one boy. So far they all look like their mama. Sage and puppies above, Scout below. Other big news...Christian is officially 8 years old :) My little pup is growing up too fast. love, Cj

Lisa writes: Happy birthday, Christian! You are extra awesome! Here are some of my favorite posts about you: The picture of you asleep with the dog. The picture of you in the sombrero at Aunt Debbie's wedding. That time you were going snow caving, and you were scared and your mom didn't help one bit. That picture of you asleep on Brianna's shoulder, with your mouth open. That video of you doing the "iron cross" at age SIX. That other video of you doing flips on the back of a flatbed truck with the lady in the background saying, "Where is that child's mother?" That video of you on the rope swing over the cold, cold water. That video of you making THAT NOISE YOU USED TO MAKE. That story about you eating the entire strawberry pie when you were four. The picture of "Christian, the Easter Pirate." That time you were the youngest snowboarder ever to compete in this particular race, and you took gold. That cute picture of you feeding the baby pup...

Just accidently walked into a square dancing convention at the Hilton. Tom is 1 day older than Queen Latifah. Discuss. Up for two hours last night with cough. No fun. I'm not the only one. Church yesterday was like the Mormon Coughernacle Choir. Do you know what happens when you accidentally put a wool sweater through the dryer? I do. I am on my way to buy a kazoo. For real. If you can't get enough of my 140-character brilliance, all my old tweets are here: http://twitter.com/LisaWrites

Lisa writes: It's really coming down outside! Awesome! Written and performed by 8 year old Emma.

Just left Lab Corp. They took 18 vials of blood. EIGHTEEN. I feel like a humiliated grape. (Name that movie.) Platypus babies are called "puggles." That is the cutest thing I've heard today. Length of time a 2 year old wants to be pushed on a swing = INFINITY Very revealing conversation with my sister in Utah. Me: "The dehumidifier broke." Sister: "What's a dehumidifier?"

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: This is a sample of what my little "pseudo-twins" enjoying doing while Mommy is in the bathroom. You can imagine what happens when I try to get on the phone or computer. And yes, that is chocolate pudding...so if you think about it, it could be worse :) P.S. This is dedicated to Tiffany T. whose dog just puked on the couch and an whose 2 yr old just broke the Nativity scene. I feel your pain!

Just read that too many Tums can cause constipation. I will file that away for future reference. Or pranks. Whichever comes first. Inexplicable: Woke to find golf balls strewn all over backyard. We do not golf nor live near golf course. Gremlins? Squirrels? Greg Norman? Slept wrong on my wrist and now it feels sprained. Did you catch that? I hurt myself IN MY SLEEP. It would take 1.2 million mosquitoes biting you simultaneously to drain all your blood. (from http://www.unkno.com/ ) Best comment from Slate: "In an effort to even the competition they're going to make Phelps swim while wearing the medals he has won."

Tom said, "If EVERYBODY was kung fu fighting, how could they ALL have perfect timing? That's just not possible." Tom can name 3 of the 4 Monkees. First AND last name. Can you? Tom's best line today: "I appreciate your attitude, except for the sarcasm." House-cleaning discoveries: Tom still has every ID card he has ever been issued, back to junior high school. He is proud of this.

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: My kids (and some friends) found an excellent way to enjoy jumping "into" a pile of leaves.

Lisa writes: I work for a big health insurance company for 30 more days. Here's what I've learned from reading many, many letters from people whose claims have been denied. Try calling Customer Service , but don't wait forever for them to call you back. The people who actually answer the phone are the lowest rung of the ladder and have the least ability to fix anything. They have to get permission to go to the bathroom. Somewhere on the Explanation of Benefits document are the instructions for how to file an appeal . Follow them. And do it quickly. You can do this at the same time you're still trying to work with customer service. Many plans have a 180-day limit for how long you can file an appeal. Get your stuff in too late, and all is lost. Things that will help your case: Typing, including your name, DOB, Plan ID number, daytime phone number, a copy of the denied Explanation of Benefits document, and a very clear explanation of why you think your claim should be pai...

We slept through the election results. First thing Tom said when he woke up was, "Let's turn on the computer and see who's president." I must remember NOT to read YouTube comments. I must remember NOT to read YouTube comments. I must remember NOT to read YouTube comments. What I lack in height, I make up for in belligerence. Spent 11 hours yesterday testing mattresses. (Aw, get your minds out of the gutter, people!) Made a chocolate cake using pureed dates as sweetener. Recipe assured me this would be undetectable. Verdict? Detected.