The Seven of Us

BYU plays New Mexico tonight in their biggest and most important game yet this season. I'll be watching. Here's why: Jimmer Fredette set BYU single-game records with 49 points and nine threes against Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz., at the McKale Center. BYU handed Arizona its worst loss at the McKale Center, 99-69. Fredette is 26th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,163 career points. He leads the conference in scoring at 20.2 points per game. He is also 15th at BYU in career assists with 291 and 12th in steals with 106. Jimmer Fredette eclipsed 1,000 career points when he hit a three with 10:04 remaining against Nevada. He reached the milestone in 80 games. After scoring 33 points at San Diego State he has 1,163 career points — 26th all-time. He is four points from passing Randy Reid for 25th all-time. Jonathan Tavernari hit two threes vs. San Francisco to become BYU’s all-time leader in career threes. Jimmer Fredette is sixth with 133 makes and is...

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, But one advertising agency did a good job of Putting that figure into some perspective in One of its releases. A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959. B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were Living in the Stone Age. D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, At the rate our government Is spending it.

Jared's sister Janna with Grandad, her husband Aaron and kids, Josi and Levi. ("vi" to Corbin) Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. During the Christmas season he lives at the Country Mercantile, a store in Pasco, WA where Jared's youngest sister Beth works. Beth just graduated for the second time, this time with a degree in business. She runs the business offices at the Mercantile and she gave us a tour. Our family with Bethany, Grandad, and Uncle Steven and his kids at the Mercantile. Decorating cookies with cousins at Grandmas Sally's house. Isaac finally gets to ride a horse! Sampling the salsa at the Mercantile. It was really good!

He has a personality bigger than his body. It just wants to burst out and touch, feel, BE. He has become a little person; You know when that happens. Suddenly he's begun to say and do things--all kinds of things-- And I realize he's been absorbing it; all of it; since the Beginning. Little things like bringing a towel to wipe up a spill--with his foot, because that's how I do it. Or getting his Very Own Book of Mormon to read with dad at the breakfast table, because that's how it is done. And empathy! Blossoming, leaving me hope that one day it will flower and trump all boyishness. I look at him and see with eyes that are not physical: Had I done it my way, these things would be buried with Isaac's childhood. Instead, I learn His way, and life is beautiful.

This year we made the long, long journey to Washington. Actually, the trip really wasn't bad. ONe nice thing was staying at a new Hampton Inn in Tremonton, both going and coming. It had a pool that we were early enough to use, a Denny's next door, a good breakfast, and nice front desk personnel who let us all stay in one room both times. Corbin also tolerated the trip very well, which was a blessing. Headphones for everyone didn't hurt, either. Isaac was even able to listen to the XM radio on a cheap FM radio that we'd purchased at the dollar store. He was happy the entire way. We didn't even use the DVD player on the way home! Here are some pictures I took from the passenger seat in southern Idaho.

We celebrated Corbs' second birthday on NOv. 7. All of us: Taylor, 13;Kenna, 9 1/2; Caleb, 11; Havilah, Isaac, 6; Jared, Corbin, 2 With cousins Madi and Ali Bradshaw on Thanksgiving Day.

There may be 14 days until Christmas, but there are 8 days until we leave for Washington. Two of those days are Sundays; so 6 preparation days. What?! What happened to "a week and a half or so"? Six is just not enough! What will we do? Run. All day, every day until we leave. We will go home teaching, visiting teaching, dental appointment-ing, bedtime story-ing, school party-ing, baking, budgeting, bill paying, sleeping, listing, buying, packing, and loading. What we will do en route? We will read, sleep (not nearly enough), squabble, debate (too much), check the atlas, check license plates, check road conditions, check what's for lunch and what's on the radio, read The Undaunted (until mom's poor imitation of an Irish brogue bothers someone too much), and endure through 2 mountain ranges, 6 states, and 2 days of togetherness. Oh, yeah, we'll love one another, too...enough to do it again sometime. What will I do between reading, enduring, and loving? We...