Could not be more proud of my little sister

The letter

Dear Santa,

My name is Jack. I am three. I have good behavior. May I have a castle, please, Santa? And may I have a lot of puzzles, please? And a more lot of puzzles? And that's it. I love you, Santa.

Jack

My girl Kheematah

Let me introduce you to Kheematah. I feel like she has been a part of our "family" for so long that I hardly remember when she wasn't sitting in the kitchen critiquing my cooking, putting Jack deservedly in his place when he misbehaves, and singing at the top of her lungs. I met Kheematah through her grandmother, Loyce, who joined our church a little over a year ago. Kheematah, who just turned 11, lives with her grandma. Her life story is hers to tell, but it has certainly been a tragic one. You wouldn't know it by the sunshine she carries with her. I pick her up from school a few days a week and she comes over to do her homework and just hang out. One of her favorite past-times is karaoke on the computer. Did you know you find just the karaoke version of just about any song on YouTube? Kheematah knows. This video is long, but I had to post it all. Jack wanted to join her jam-session so he sat on her lap, never having heard this song before, and tried to join in. These two are best-of-buddies. Seeing them wrestle, laugh, tease, read and sing together is a great, great joy in my life. Here they are in all their splendor:

delusions of grandeur

Me: "Where do you want to go in the park, Jack? I'll follow you."

Jack: "Yes. Follow me, Mom. I'm the prophet."

Jordan and Israel

We just returned from our 10 day trip to Israel and Jordan. We had a wonderful time, but we are definitely happy to be back home. We've posted pictures from our trip at http://gallery.me.com/chadlarson . I'll post more details on our trip soon.

Sister Dear I love you so

Today I have a good reason to end my months long blogging hiatus, a hiatus for which I have no good excuse. Today, you see, is my sister's birthday. Though I have no memory of her birth, Bice legend tells a tale of yours truly (at about age 2) taking Molly from her crib (really? is that possible?), lovingly carrying her to the bathroom in hopes of bathing her, and promptly dropping her on the tiled bathroom floor. After the telling of this legend it is impossible not to say "and that is why Molly is the way she is." So, I guess I can take credit for Molly's personality. Maybe it was that bump on the head that made her so funny, so open with all the details of her life (in a good way, but watch out for the in-depth recitation of what she ate and how it made it her feel), so caring, so beautiful, so talented!, so sweet, so fantastic. Every time we get together, and I mean EVERY time, something will be said, something that is usually not funny to anyone else, that will make us laugh so hard that anyone observing us will just stop and stare at us in a confused stupor. We can't just stop with a hearty chuckle. We do the soundless laugh that dissolves into tears and near hysteria. As soon as we think it has subsided we will look at each other and it will start again, this time even more intense until our stomach muscles reach exhaustion and we slowly (this could go on for almost 10 minutes) wind down. And I can't do that with anyone else. No one else can make me laugh that way. No one understands me like she does. And though I know I try to mother her more than I should, she always listens and tells me how great I am and how much she loves me. But I don't think she can know that she has the strength and the wisdom that I long to have. She amazes me and I love her. I am so happy she was born on this day 31 years ago. Now that both of us are mothers I think we realize how important a birthday is. Not the presents or the cake, but the remembering. Mothers remembering the birth experience, fathers remembering that feeling of holding his child for the first time, siblings remembering long-ago moments of play (remember when you use to sneak into my bedroom and night so we could read and play together?), and friends remembering how their lives are different because of this person's birth. I can say with assurance that so many people are remembering you today, Molly. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Hope the sun in Cancun is warming your body and reminding you of the love that SO many have for you, both on earth and in heaven.

Tax Credit

I know a lot of our friends out there read this blog.  I also know that a lot of our friends purchased homes for the first time this year or are considering purchasing.  I though I would make you aware of a tax credit available for first time home buyers that purchase homes between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009.  If you qualify (Married filing jointly AGI must be under $150K to get the full deduction, sorry new doctors and orthodontists you probably don't qualify) you get a $7,500 tax credit.  It's really a loan because you have to repay it over the next 15 years, but it carries a 0% interest rate.  It's really something that's worth taking advantage of if you've purchased a home.  Also, did I mention that it's a refundable tax credit.  That means that if it causes you to not pay any tax then the government will still send you a check for the difference.  It also has a few other nice provisions that help out.  For example, if you are forced to sell the house and don't have a capital gain on the sale, you don't have to repay the loan.  For more details check out  www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com.

Celebrations

With hardly a day to gather ourselves after returning from Nathan's wedding in Boston (I'll play catch-up and post on that soon), we ushered in series of parties, events and guests that have left us happily exhausted.  I hosted a big Thai cooking demonstration for Relief Society at my home (long story about how I got roped into that one!), I threw a baby shower for a sister I visit teach (and don't know that well) that was...interesting and full of a lot of unexpected guests of both genders, we had a delicious birthday party for Jack (really a dinner for adults where the kids got to run around and Jack opened presents), Gigi came from Texas to visit, and we Halloween spent with some of our closest friends.  This, dear readers, is why I haven't posted and haven't returned phone calls.  I'm going on a self-imposed hiatus (as much as possible) from any major celebrations until Thanksgiving (but no hiatus from parentheses--love them!). 

For your visual enjoyment: 

On Jack's actual birthday, Gigi (Chad's mom) arrived from Texas.  Jack was thrilled.  We went out to dinner and Jack opened just one gift that night, his gift from Nana (my mom).  Have I mentioned that Jack is OBSESSED with Toy Story?  He wakes up asking for Woody and Buzz Lightyear (I don't know how to describe his pronunciation of Buzz Lightyear--Molly says it sounds like he is saying "butt hair"--very apt description). Perhaps you've guessed by now that the gift was a Woody doll.  I just can't describe how excited he was.  After hugging Woody and inspecting every inch of him, Jack did something I never would have expected:  he grabbed the camera from me and started taking pictures of Woody.  It was like he just saw his baby for the first time and wanted to document it.  He was posing him and snapping away, telling Woody to "say cheese" and feeding him cookie.  It was magical.

Gigi's visit was so much fun.  We went to the "Magic House," the local children's museum.  Jack loved playing with the sparkly sand, splashing around on the huge water table, and "shopping" in the store.  The run away favorite was catching fish in the pond and then taking them upstream and watching them make their way down a river and back to the pond.  I think he played "catch and release" about 20 times.  Don't you wonder how long kids would really do some things if you let them?  I know hunger won't stop him, and of course with a diaper you've got it made.  Maybe he'd just fall over with fatigue after, I don't know, 10 hours?

A few days after his actual birthday, we had two families from the ward and our great friends the Parkers who also moved here from Michigan, over for dinner and party fun.  Chad made his famous soy sauce chicken wings.  Dinner was delectable.  The kids had fun.  Jack got too many presents.  I ate too much Costco cake.  Can't wait for next year. 

MANY thanks to Gigi for all of her help when she was here.  She is an energizer bunny.  She touched up our paint job, cleaned our car, watched Jack while we went out, did loads and loads of laundry, you get the picture.  

A few days after Gigi left, our dear, dear friends the Bakers came to visit.  They recently moved to Kentucky (about 5 hours away).  I've known Anna for almost 15 years (we met at BYU) and she and Matt were married just a few weeks after Chad and I.  There is a comfort in being around people you have known for so long, people who know you, know your family, who you've shared so many of life's ups and downs with.  Their little boy Miles is ADORABLE.  He is so easy-going.  Jack loved having him, and pushing him, around.  Actually, they got along very well.  

We reveled in the unseasonably warm weather during Matt and Anna's visit.  Halloween night was incredibly pleasant.  Our neighborhood looked like something out of a movie with all of the lawn decorations, people milling around in the wide streets (including parents pulling wagons of ice and beer), and kids of all ages running wild with sugar-induced hyperactivity. ack and Miles both got into the act.  Jack was over the moon about all the candy.  He loved saying "Trick or Treat," though walking up to the door in his cowboy boots and knocking on the door was equally thrilling for him.  

We also spent time at Ted Drewe's (of course) and our neighborhood park.  

I left the group to go to a baptism.  When I met up with them again at the park, this is what I found:

A much needed laugh

These are really worth a watch. This even made me like McCain a little. But not enough.

Health Insurance

I haven't posted anything political on here, and I don't know if I really should (maybe Amy will delete it). But the McCain/Palin health insurance plan has upset me so much that I felt the need to express my thoughts. McCain's plan is to have everyone go out on the open individual market and purchase health insurance. In return we would all get a $5,000 tax credit. Sounds good at first, but ...

The problem with McCain's plain is that it is already so difficult to fight with insurance companies even if you have a large company behind you. Going at insurance companies alone would be miserable. In addition, the second you need your insurance (you get cancer, diabetes, etc.) you are likely to get dropped by the insurance company.

Health insurance is so different from any other type of insurance. To share risk one has to purchase insurance prior to anyone knowing about all of the individual risk or the insurance has to be purchased in a relatively random pool of people. The individual can't know the risks while the insurance company does not because then only sick people will buy insurance. On the other hand, if insurance companies do know the risk, they will only insure healthy individuals. With auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, etc. this is not a huge issue because they involve one time type events and after a one time event things can change. For example, I have a fire destroy my house. The insurance company pays me and then that's it. I may have to pay higher insurance going forward, but there is still some random element associated with the future costs. Thus, I can still purchase insurance. I also still have options like selling the house and moving. With health insurance, if I have diabetes, I have it for life. I will never ever be insurable on the individual market. If someone does insure me, it will essentially be a monthly installment plan on my healthcare expenses not insurance.

Perhaps you're thinking that we will have government insurance pools for these people. That sounds good but the problem is that you and I will all get stuck paying for the people that are the sickest through our taxes while the health insurance companies make a ton because they only insure the healthy. If one could purchase a lifetime health insurance policy, this would solve the problem. In my mind it is the only way individual insurance could work. This of course is ludicrous because one can't purchase and pay for health insurance prior to being born.

I've come to the conclusion that the only way to solve the adverse selection problem with health insurance is to have a nationalized health insurance program. You might be thinking about the moral hazard problem, people abusing the system because they don't bear any of the direct costs themselves. Well, we already have that problem and it's unlikely to go away. The only thing I can think of to solve this is perhaps a national health care program that requires individuals to pay the marginal costs of the healthcare they receive. This could be based on income, so as to not discriminate.

Nationalized health insurance is a type of social insurance where everyone is essentially insured prior to entering the world. Will it be perfect, probably not, but it sure beats McCain's plan. I would say the current system is better than John McCain's plan. At least under the current employer plan there is a pool that can share the risk. Under McCain's plan there is no risk sharing. McCain's plan would take the insurance out of health insurance. Of course, these are just the economic implications. Don't get me started on the moral elements of this debate.

I'm sure most who read our blog will completely disagree with me because they are staunch Republicans, but I'm sure Amy will be proud. I just had to say this because it has really been bugging me.