Letter to Santa

Here is Josh's letter to Santa for 2009:

Here's what it says:

Dear Santa Clause,

I have been a pretty good boy. I am nice to my sister Mary. And sometimes I like to obey my mom and dad.

Please bring me a dump truck for Christmas. I will have lots of fun with it, especially if we move to a new house.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Love,

Joshua Flake Orr

Responding to Blog Comments

Does anybody else wish you could just directly reply to people who leave you blog comments via the notification email Blogger sends? I do, and have wondered about it for some time. I always wonder, should I respond to their comment by leaving a comment on my own blog, or should I go to their blog and post a comment in response? Or should I just send them an email...wait I don't have their email address (yes, it's true, I don't have email addresses for everyone I keep in "blog contact" with).

Well, I finally got around to researching my dilemma, and it just so happens that YOU CAN! But only if you edit your profile to allow it. I came across the instructions here, and have included them below, so that you can go in and change your profile. Then when you leave a comment on someone's blog, that person can just reply to you directly via the comment notification email. (Instead of the email showing a "noreply" address, it will show your email address). If you do it for me, I'll do it for you.

Here are the instructions:

• Step One: Open your profile page, click EDIT Profile on left side of profile.
  (If you need help finding your profile page let me know).
• Step Two: make sure the box marked show my profile and show my email address are checked.
• Step Three: Under Identity, add the email address you want comment replies to be sent.
• Step Four: scroll to bottom and click save!

Mary at 9 Months

I took Mary to the doctor on 12/21/09 for her 9 month checkup and here were her stats:

Height: 29 1/2" (95th percentile)
Weight: 21# 10 oz. (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 1/4"

12/3/09: Mary (aka Stinkerbelle) getting into some mischief. I can't believe she was the one that first unrolled a whole thing of toilet paper...I definitely thought it would have been Josh!

12/8/09: Smiling pretty, showing off her new (then) hippopotamus teeth


12/16/09: Enjoying her first time sitting in the cart without being strapped in the carseat after getting her picture taken with Santa at Bass Pro Shop

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving this year was with the Flakes, and we had dinner at the ramada outside of Celeste's church building in Lehi. The weather was great! Travis and his family weren't able to make it, since Teresa was far along "with child" (she's now had little Baby Travis, hence the "was"), but everyone else was there, less two missionaires. You know you have a big family when you need a venue this size to accomodate everyone! We had great food and lots of it!

Josh and Mary just chillin' with Daddy

Don't worry, Mary really did enjoy the ice cream...she was just too tired to show much enthusiam for it

Kayla and Jaki were basking in the beautiful Arizona weather

Mindy organized a Stick Horse Rodeo for after dinner, which was good for a lot of laughs. We had a Grocery Race, a Rescue Race, a Tennis Shoe Race, a Wheelebarrow Barrell Race, a Stick Bull Riding competition, and of course the Keg Race (and probably a few more events, but I can't think of them at the moment). Some of the highlights were Crystal pushing Darrell in the wheelbarrow, but having Brady move the "barrells" closer togther so she could finish the pattern, and me totally biffing it as Kayla and I were doing the Keg Race together.

After the rodeo we had a testimony meeting, and it was nice to hear my mom and several brothers and sisters share their testimonies.

That night David got an early start on the Black Friday specials by standing in line at Toys R Us for their midnight opening. After coming home and getting a few hours of sleep he was off again to buy a gun at Dick's. After he come home, Kayla and I met and hit up a few more stores. That was the first time I had really done any significant Black Friday shopping, and luckily by the time I went out things were relatively calm. David said the line at Toys R Us CRAZY, though.

Friday night our family had another get together at Mindy's for some more visiting and food. My family loves to visit!

I'm so thankful to belong to two wonderful families, and especially to have such a wonderful husband and two wonderful children. I am so blessed!

EVMCO Christmas Concert

For the past several years my violin has been gathering some serious dust since it has only been played for a few funerals (too many) and church functions here and there. But no more!

Two of my sisters, a niece, and I recently joined the orchestra of the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization (EVMCO), and a sister-in-law is in the choir. I was a little hesitant to join "just another Mormon music group," but the timing was perfect for me, since I had just been released from YW. Plus, I decided that I really needed to start playing again so that all those years of lessons wouldn't go completely to waste! I figured this would be better than nothing, so I decided to give it a go. I am impressed!

Our premier concert is on Thursday, December 10th, in which we'll be performing several Christmas selections. I really think it will be great and that you'll be impressed, so I invite you to come and see for yourself! Here's the info: