ScAr FaCe

So...Todd has had this little "skin issue" on the side of his face for quite a long time. He did see a dermatologist and they prescribed some sort of cream. Nothing really work & Todd just went about life. About 2 weeks ago he decided it was time to re-visit the issue so he made another appointment w/the MD. The MD decided he needed to do a biopsy right then and there but since Todd had to go meet w/some customers, he decided to wait a week, making the doctor quite unhappy. He went back and had the biopsy done then 2 weeks later, yesterday, he went in for the results....

Basal Cell Carcinoma

How exiting!!

The MD decided that since it was the end of the year and in order to save us like $600, he would remove it today. I so appreciated the savings!! Here is the result of the MOHs procedure that took like 4 hours. They cut some tissue, examine it and keep cutting until it's cancer cell free. This is what was done:

He paid for a MOHs but got a free eye lift...just one eye, however.
Todd is part Jewish and part Asian...just the right-sided part.

As we say around here, "Chicks dig scars!"

That is quite a scar to dig!
(Perhaps a plastic surgeon should have been called in.)

Todd will have the sutures removed in about 2 weeks so in the meantime, he'll be walking around looking like Frankenstein. Don't be alarmed, he's a harmless part Asian Jew.

Christmas 2009

It's hard to believe that Christmas came and went so quickly. We had a really great day together. The kids had lots of fun and we enjoyed spending time with family. We are looking forward to 2010!

Jingle

This is video of Sam & his classmates singing at a local rest home.

Funny, Funny Mother

This is one of my favs....Merry Christmas to all the moms!



See Mother. See Mother laugh. Mother is happy.
Mother is happy about Christmas.
Mother has many plans. Mother has many plans for Christmas.
Mother is organized. Mother smiles all the time.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother smile. Mother is happy.
The shopping is all done. See the children watch TV.
Watch, children watch.
See the children change their minds.
See them ask for different toys.
Look, look, Mother is not smiling.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother sew.
Mother will make dresses.
Mother will make robes.
Mother will make shirts.

See Mother put the zipper in wrong.
See Mother sew the dress on the wrong side.
See Mother cut the skirt too short.
See Mother put the material away until January.
Look. Look. See Mother take a tranquilizer.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother buy raisins and nuts.
See Mother buy candied pineapple and powdered sugar.
See Mother buy flour, and dates, and pecans, and brown sugar, and bananas, and spices, and vanilla.
Look. Look. Mother is mixing everything together.
See the children press out cookies.
See the flour on their elbows.
See the cookies burn. See the cake fall.
See the children pull taffy. See mother pull her hair.
See mother clean the kitchen with the garden hose.
Funny, funny Mother.

See Mother. See Mother wrap presents. See Mother look for the end on the scotch tape roll. See Mother bite her finger nails. See Mother go.
See Mother go to the store 12 times in one hour.
Go Mother go. See Mother go faster. Run Mother run.
See Mother trim the tree.
See Mother have a party.
See Mother make popcorn.
See Mother wash the walls.
See Mother scrub the rug.
See Mother tear up the organized plan.
See Mother forget gift for Uncle Harold.
See Mother get hives.
Go Mother go. See the far away look in Mother's eyes.
Mother has become disorganized. Mother has become disoriented.
Funny, funny Mother.

It is finally Christmas morning. See the happy family.
See Father smile. Father is happy.
Smile Father smile.
Father loves fruit cake.
Father loves Christmas pudding.
Father loves all the new neckties.
Look, look. See the happy children. See the children's toys.
Santa was very good to the children.
The children will remember this Christmas.

See Mother. Mother is slumped in a chair.
Mother is crying uncontrollably.
Mother does not look well.
Mother has ugly dark circles under her blood shot eyes.
Everyone helps mother to her bed.
See Mother sleep quietly under heavy sedation.
See Mother smile.
Funny, funny Mother.

Childhood Trauma & Forgiveness

Have you ever been through something that was difficult & found that you just couldn't let go? Ever been so angry at someone that you knew you could never forgive? That was me...

Many years ago when I was about 8 or 9 I guess, I decided that I wanted to do a little project. I came up with the idea to make a Toothpick House. I don't recall where I got the idea but I knew I could do it and do it well. I spent hours assembling the foundation, the frame and walls. I would work on it after school until bedtime. It was becoming a work of art. I was so proud of myself and what I was making. It was, I think, amazing.

One day while still working on my beloved project, I somehow managed to get into some sort of argument with my younger sister, Rachel. She must have been about 6 or so. I don't recall the details of the argument but I vividly recall the outcome:

Rachel smashed my beautiful Toothpick House to smithereens.

I was so angry

I was so mad

I was so hurt

I wanted revenge

I withheld forgiveness

I probably even hated her


Fast-forward to Saturday, November 7, 2009

My sister-in-law Stacilee was working on a Christmas project and asked everyone what their favorite thing about each sibling and a memory...you know where this is going.

My memory of Rachel was, of course, the "Toothpick House Incident" and the funny thing was, it was Rachel's memory of me.


Fast-forward to Monday, December 14, 2009

I get a small package in the mail from Rachel today and as I unwrapped the box, there was a note attached that said: Don't open until you call me

I made a phone call

"Do you want me to open in now or wait until Christmas?"
"Open in now so you can enjoy it longer."

I open the box and it's full of tissue paper. I pull out the wrapped surprise and casually say, "What is it, a toothpick house?" as a joke.

I carefully unwrap the gift and this is what I found:







A spectacularly assembled Toothpick House ornament!

Look at the snow on the roof!

A door that actually opens!



And this note on the bottom...

With tears in my eyes (mainly from laughing so hard, but some from pure joy), I decided that it was time to forgive. Time for me to do as Rachel says,
"Move on!"

Rachel, I forgive you for ruining my glorious, albeit incomplete, Toothpick House. Thanks for the wonderful surprise today...it made my day, my week, my month, my year...ok, my last
30 years! This little Toothpick House will be a treasure. Thanks for being so crafty with glue, toothpicks and glitter to make for me what I never was able to finish. I'm pretty sure yours looks so much better than mine would have.

But of course, we will never know what could have been.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays to one and all! Here is our Christmas card & letter for 2009:

(Imagine this letter on cute snowman paper!)

It's hard to believe 2009 is almost over! Here are some of the highlights of our year:

• Kim's surgery-so much fun!
• Sam learned how to "swim"! We're thrilled that he can now go under water
• Special Pops Tennis
• Spring Break in Amelia Island
• Abby's piano recitals & choir performances
• Special Olympics
• Sam finally got baptized! Thanks to Uncle Randy for baptizing Sam!
• Young Women's Girl's Camp
• Summer trip to Utah & Jackson Hole
• Going through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House
• Youth Temple Trip to Birmingham, Alabama
• Going to the beach with the Murphy's
• First day of school
• Labor day weekend at Lake Tobesofkee
• The Flood of 2009-we aren't as prepared as we should be
• Winston Baseball Adaptive Team
• Family Parties
• New cousins born into the family-Elise, Kade & Jonathan
• Trip to L.A. to see a taping of The Price is Right
• Spending time with the Wilcox family in California
• Running/walking a 5K
• Celebrating Grandma Whiting's life - we love and miss her
• Spending time with Kim's family while in Utah for Grandma's funeral
• Abby's basketball team
• Being released as the Young Women's President - it was a great 2+ years
• Thanksgiving at the Club with Todd's family

We had a wonderful year and are looking forward to a fabulous 2010! We are truly grateful for our many blessings. May you have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

Love, The Weinrebs

What are you thankful for?

Eloise Folker Whiting

This is the last photo we had taken with Grandma. This was June 25, 2009. Grandma didn't really remember us but was happy to see us anyway! This was the last time we were able to see Grandma...she passed away on Monday, November 2, 2009.

This is my sweet Grandma Whiting's obituary. She passed away almost 2 weeks ago. I was very close to my Gma and had lived with her for 2 years while I attended the U of U. We knew Gma was getting close to passing but it was still sad. She truly was THE BEST Grandma ever!

ELOISE WHITING

Eloise Folker Whiting 1922 ~ 2009 Our beloved mother and grandmother Eloise F. Whiting, age 87, passed away peacefully surrounded by her most prized possessions - Her Family, Monday, November 2, 2009.She was born on Sept. 20, 1922 to Alfred Dewitt and Gladys Midgley Folker in East Millcreek, Utah. She married her sweetheart Hewitt A. Whiting on August 1, 1942 in Abilene TX, later sealed on May 18, 1949 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. She taught Primary for many years and each child was very precious to her. She had unconditional love for her family, friends and anyone she come in contact with. She enjoyed such simple pleasures as sitting on her patio and company was always welcomed with a sweet smile that never faded. She is a true example of what love is, she will be greatly missed. She is survived by her children Max (Susan), Dale (Sylvia), Janene (Mike) Clyde, Ron (Sherrill), Nancy Byrd, Louise (Barry) Farrer and Troy, 25 grandchildren, 49 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren, her sister Lila Peterson. She was preceded in death by her husband Hewitt, son Richard L., son-in-law Jackie Byrd Sr., sister Ruth Nance, brothers Jack Folker and Ralph Folker. The family would like to give special thanks to Alpine Homecare and Hospice for all their gentle, loving care. Her caregivers shared their hearts and loved her as much as we do. Funeral services will be Friday, November 6, 2009, 11:00 a.m. at Memorial Mortuary, 5850 S. 900 E., where a viewing will be Thursday, from 6-8 p.m. and one hour prior to services. Interment, Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. 10600 South.


She had asked me many years ago to speak at her funeral and it was any honor to be able to do that. Here is what I wrote:

My name is Kim Weinreb, I’m Eloise’s granddaughter & Max’s daughter. First off, I speaking on behalf of all the grandkids, we want to publicly thank our aunts & uncles for the tender loving care they provided for Gma for the last years of her life. They have spent countless hours taking care of her & we so appreciate them giving Gma the opportunity to stay in her home til the end. That is what she wanted more than anything and they made it happen. Thank you. We love you for doing what you did.

I had the wonderful opportunity to live with grandma while I went to college. It was a great two years. Back then, she asked me if I would speak at her funeral and share memories that the grand kids have of her. I reminded her that she would never die but promised her that I would do it. Here we are today…I guess Gma didn’t listen! It is truly an honor to speak on behalf of all the grand kids and to share our favorite memories of our sweet Gma.

Gma was certainly the epitome of what the ideal Gma should be…petite, beautiful white hair, housecoats, glasses and a sweet smile. Gma was always so happy to see you and we were all her favorite.

First off, the food…we all have favorite memories of Gma’s food:

• Pink pies Green
  
• pistachio salad
  
• Strawberry yogurt
• Rice krispie treats
• Eating cream of mushroom soup…with a straw just to make it fun!
• Toasted cheese on buns
• Waking up to the smell of bacon & eggs when we slept over
• Homemade popsicles from the ice tray w/toothpicks
• Popcorn was always available!
• Deviled eggs at family reunions
• Tuna fish SAMMICHES..not sandwiches but SAMMICHES!
  
• Hamboogies!!
• Homemade bread made in vegetable cans
  
• And the most famous of all snacks…the coveted puffed wheat/puffed rice balls..I am sure Gma is busy in heaven making these for everyone. It didn’t matter who you were…the YM who came for fast offerings, the mailman and any other person who came by always got a smile and a baggy with a treat.

Second, activities…now Gma never spent money on activities, she didn’t need to, there was so much fun to be had with her ideas:

• Blowing bubbles…she would always have Cool Whip containers that she would put soapy water in and we would use straws to blow bubbles.
• Reading the same old books…Dr. Seuss’ ABC was a favorite.
• Watching Hee-Haw together
• Playing store with the famous grocery cart and the empty food boxes & cans
• Sleeping on the floor on the big green sleeping bag
  
• Sleeping outdoors-a favorite!
• Walking to the mall
• Bath time: When we were little Gma always scrubbed us clean and to this day, Dove soap is a favorite smell.
  
• Playing the Marble game & the Peg Game
• Climbing the apricot tree Climbing the poles under the patio and Cody trying to get on the roof making Gma mad!
• Gma always made salt play dough-a big favorite!
  
• Dressing up in Gma’s shirts and belts
• Picking snapdragons & snowballs
• Walking along the cement posts in front of the fence.
• The playhouse was always set up & waiting for us…a folding table w/a cloth that resembled a house.
• Playing “bank” with aunt Nancy’s old bank forms.
• Washing dishes with Gma in the scalding hot water.
• Those strange instruments that were always in the closet

Not many people can say that “I have the best Gma ever” but luckily we can. We all have been truly blessed to have her in our lives. We will miss her…most especially we will miss seeing her on the porch waving to us as we drove off and us saying ”everybody wave goodbye to Gma.” I am grateful for the opportunity to share our thoughts & feelings about Gma. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Mad Tennis Skills

Sam has been involved w/Special Pops Tennis since last fall. It's an organization that teaches special needs kids & adults how to play tennis. At the end of the fall session, they host a Skills Tournament at the Harrison Tennis Center in Marietta, Georgia. It was scheduled for Halloween but the weather didn't cooperate so it was rescheduled for yesterday. We attended the 9am session and had a great time. There were about 10 kids and they go through different skills...forehand volley, backhand volley, serving, forehand stroke and backhand stroke. Sam did awesome! He's quite good at tennis and would be better if he could stop socializing with everyone on the court!

forehand volley

serving

receiving his trophy & certificate

the speech

I was in charge of taking some video with our little camera. We didn't bring the "real" video camera since the battery was dead. Way to plan ahead mom!! At the end of the tournament, they gave each player a trophy and certificate. They called Sam up and he got his stuff and asked if he could take the microphone. The lady gave him the microphone and he gave this speech: "I just want to thank everyone for coming out to support me today. I had fun." It was so cute & funny and after we had left, I got the camera out to watch it again and sadly found that I hadn't pushed the record button hard enough. I didn't record it! I was so upset & mad at myself. Those are things you just can't re-do. Aaaarrrgggghhh!

I did get some video...



Needless to say, we all had a great time and we give a big thank you to Mr. Jim from Special Pops Tennis, Sam's tennis coach, and the people who planned, coordinated & volunteered at the event.

What can Brown do for you?

Brown can deliver this bad boy!

This year for my b-day, I asked my sweet mother-in-law for a mixer. Her response, "That's a lame gift." She's the type that HATES to buy appliances as a gift. It's a no-no! Well, it's what I wanted and it was so exciting to see the UPS truck drive up to my house & deliver this:




It's a Cuisinart SM 55-BC 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer

The "unveiling"

It got really good reviews, better than KitchenAid

I know a boxed cake mix is not worthy of this machine but it's what I've had time for.

Aren't I a lucky girl!

More delicious foods to come...

Halloweeny

Halloween 2009




The Costumes

The Jack-o-Lantern

The pumpkin activities

The mess

We had a fun October this year...
Fall Festivals
Pumpkin Patch
Costumes
Candy
Trick or Treating
Ward Party
Convincing Todd to dress up as Captain Underpants

Happy Halloween to all!

Leaves are falling all around

(photo courtesy of http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/darryl/2008/08/so_long_summer_its_been_nice_g_1.html)

Fall here in Georgia is beautiful. We have some amazing colors and I love when the leaves start to change. Abby had a playdate with her friend Carly who is moving this weekend. They asked if they could rake the neighbors leaves into a leaf pile. I asked the neighbor and she said that was fine.

Abby & Carly came walking out of the garage and each of them had a rake, a garbage bag and a bottle of water, just in case they get thirsty.

Little did I know that the girls raked the leaves, put them in the bags and brought them back to our yard. They dumped them in the front and played in the pile of leaves. I guess the leaf pile wasn't as good in someone else's yard.

Silly girls!

A first for me...

My sweet neighbor Jane emailed me a link to Active.com which is a website promoting local races.

It contained this comment: Hi Kim, do you fancy running the 5K with me, Saturday night?? (Jane is from England so everything she says sounds so neat, like "fancy").

To which I replied: I can't, darn it! I have a church thing that night. Next year? Kim

Her response: Oh no, don't let me down, I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed you!! Jane

Me: How much is it? I am working on going. That's just the kind of neighbor I am. Kim

Last response: Great, hope you can make it, $25!!! but you get a free t shirt so that makes it all ok!! Jane xx

Now I know 5K is not really a long distance, 3.1 miles to be exact, but since I hardly ever run, it's long for me! We've been walking every morning at 5am with occasional running but we certainly didn't "train" for the event.

It was a night race which started at 9pm. There were quite a lot of people there and as we watched the "pros" stretching out and wearing shorts in the cold weather, we knew we weren't quite ready. Our goal was to finish with out having a heart attack.

We finished the race in about 40 minutes and we so glad that we did it. It was a lot of fun. We were also happy that we didn't come in last place either. We'd like to try another one in the near future, except I think we'll actually try and do a little more training for the next one.

The rest of the story....

Our trip to Southern California was primarily to see The Price is Right but we had a great time visiting with my sister Rachel & her cute family, "The Magnificent 7." This was the first time that Abby has met her cousins so it was really special.

We flew out to LA on Saturday, October 10th and went straight to Huntington Beach to visit the family. We only told the kids we were going on an adventure that morning and when they figured out we were in LA, they didn't even know what state it was. We drove directly to Rachel's house and they went to the door and were surprised to see Aunt Rachel. It was so fun to visit and see everyone. We then decided to get dinner at Mario's then off to the Huntington Beach Pier. It was cold & windy! We let the kids run and play along the beach then we walked Main Street and got some hot chocolate at Starbuck's.

Aunt Rachel offered to let Abby spend the night with Hattie since they were now inseparable. Todd, Sam & I drove back to LA and got checked-in to our hotel, The Farmer's Daughter. It was a nice place and we were happy to rest. It had been a long day.

Sunday was Abby's 7th b-day. It's hard to believe that my baby is now 7. She is so grown up! She is just the best girl ever. She is sweet, kind, considerate and the best little sister! We love her so much. She loved spending the night with her cousins. Maddi made some b-day decorations and decorated the living room as a surprise. Abby opened gifts & Rachel made cupcakes & the kids decorated them. We then drove to Newport Beach and visited Corona Del Mar. Unfortunately, the tide was high so we didn't really get to check out the tide pools but the weather was much nicer and we enjoyed spending time at the beach. The kids loved climbing, wading and being at the ocean.

For Abby's b-day dinner, we went to In-and-Out Burger & it was so yummy! We certainly don't have that here in the south. It was then time to say goodbye to the Wilcox clan and head back to LA. We wished we had more time with the family.

As previously posted, Sam had a seizure on Monday morning but luckily he came around and we were able to spend the morning & early afternoon exploring LA. Todd did an amazing job of getting us as close as possible to the Hollywood Sign. It was great! We then hit Hollywood Blvd. to see some sights and find stars on the Walk of Fame. We specifically found Bob Barker, Drew Carey, Mr. Rogers & Dr. Seuss. We were so grateful that the hotel had a wheelchair to borrow. It sure made the adventure easier for Sam. We then drove along Sunset Blvd and down Rodeo Dr. I would have loved to have gone into the stores but we just didn't have time. We picked up lunch, drove to the hotel and got ready for The Price is Right. (See previous post for TPIR taping).

Tuesday was spent packing and getting ready to leave. We got checked out of the hotel and had them print off our boarding passes. We then drove toward the car rental place. We stopped for gas and I noticed the credit card I had been using for the trip was not in my wallet. I tore my purse apart looking for it and had no luck. I then called Rod at the hotel and he didn't have it. He put me on hold to double check and no luck. He then stopped and said, "Oh wait, here it is. I had to run it through the machine." I'm so glad it wasn't MY fault! He offered to FedEx it. We made it to Enterprise, unloaded, got on the shuttle bus and got to the airport. I searched my purse for the boarding passes and what do you know? No boarding passes. I must have pulled them out as I was searching for my missing card! Of all the luck! No worries, we just reprinted them at a Delta kiosk. We got to the gate and had oodles of time so I let the kids use their ipods. I gave Abby hers and was searching for Sam's and I couldn't find it anywhere. I asked Todd if he had packed it and he couldn't find it either. What in the world!!?? I then proceed to call poor Rod back and asked him to have someone check the room. He called back and sure enough, Sam's iTouch was left on the bed. He was now going to FedEx the credit card & iTouch. What a crazy way to end such a great trip.

We had such a wonderful time, we didn't want to come home.

PS...FedEx showed up the next morning with a credit card and iTouch!! Thanks Rod!