DEEP THOUGHTS BY MELISSA

OK so my goal of keeping up with thing failed. Rather than trying to catch up with all of the nonsense, here are some pics of the last year.

I realize that it has been FOR-EV-ER since I last posted. I am working on that. The pics of the past 6+ months are all nestled in my computer just waiting for someone to add them here. IT could happen.... Anyhow, I am working with Chances for Children again to help feed the kids at the orphanages. Most of you already know all about the orphanages and the annual food drive that is SO important to feed these kids. Most of you have probably donated to this and I am grateful.

For anyone that is unfamiliar with our box drive, I will quickly fill you in. Haiti is poor. So poor in fact that mothers feed their children dirt patties to ease hunger pains. Many of the children in the orphanages that Chances for Children work with became orphans after the earthquake. Food in Haiti is more expensive than it is here and the average Haitian makes $1 a day. Messed up. These food drives provide enough food for approx 6 months for the children. This is especially important during hurricane season as the roads are often washed out and food is unobtainable. This food supply insures that the kids get fed 3 meals a day instead of a few meals a week.

My daughter was severely malnourished when she came to the orphanage at the age of 2. I have no doubt that they saved her life. If you can donate food or money to this worthy cause, I promise you that every single bit of it goes to these kids. I have been there and have witnessed the joy that these kids have when they see all of the food and know that they are not going to go hungry as most of them know what that is like all too well.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me sethnmelis@msn.com melissa.holdaway@jetblue.com or call 801-787-0245. If you would rather donate food directly to me, I can make sure the food gets there. Whatever you can do is greatly appreciated.

It has been awhile since I have blogged about anything. I am going to start trying to do better. So here I go.

This past week we were able to meet up with some friends of Luc and Alyvia's from Haiti. It is always so much fun to see them pick up right where they left off, as if no time as passed since they last saw one another. The boys ESPECIALLY are like that. They start showing the love by wrestling each other right off the bat. Fun stuff!

Disneyland was SO much fun!!! The kids had a blast with their cousins. Luc was a huge fan of the fast rides like California Scream and Tower of Terror. Alyvia and Coltyn don't care for those at all. As for myself, I surprisingly liked Toy Story Mania the best. I can't believe how much fun that ride is. I would have won too....if it weren't for those pesky kids and their extreme video game skills.

We spent my birthday at Legoland. It was a first for everyone and it was really fun! The park was not crowded so we were able to go on lots of rides without any wait. Luc, Alyvia, and Cole were all drawn into Lego people and Lyv wanted to know why she wasn't brown. We explained that Lego people are yellow but she was still confused. The boys were able to get their very own Lego drivers license and were excited to put them in their wallets to flash around. Overall it was tons of fun and it will be a very memorable trip to Legoland.

The first day of our vacation, we went to Sea World. It has been forever since I have been there and it was Seth and the kids' first time. There were not very many people there and we had an awesome time with all of the cousins and grandparents. The kids loved the Shamu show but were disappointed that they didn't get wet down in the splash zone. They were all prepared with ponchos and everything. After the show they went on the rapids ride and made up for not getting wet at the show. They were SOAKED and so were the ponchos that they were not wearing!