Let us first start out today by saying that Baby Jared is alive and slowly improving month to month. He is twenty months old now and is doing things that a twenty month old boy does. What are these things you ask, well to start off, he totally loves to attack me with Kung Fu Panda like chopping quickness whenever I am within his ever so extending reach. Sometimes it's just a tap, how ya' doing, sort of hello, to my arm. While other times it's a smack in the head, woah that hurt really bad, can anyone find out where my eyeball is, sort of wake-up call. Jared laughs, giggles, smirks, and holds his right hand up to his mouth to try to emphasis his humor he has inflicted so painfully upon on me. Alas, I cannot be mad at the little guy. Jeepers, he is alive! No anger at all comes from me as I cringe at the pain still encompassing the impact point and surrounding area, should I say areas.

Savannah, Mark Jr., Nalana, and Janae, all his older siblings also find it belly busting funny when Jared practices his ninjitsu on me, and even Amber will start to crack up. To see how Jared's face and whole demeanor just light up the room though is so worth all money one can fathom in my imagination.

Jared also is able to be off his ventilator now for up to nine hours a day. Praise God above! He is able to tolerate the lack of pressure support from the ventilator with no adverse apparent symptoms for this long. This is wonderful. I cannot count the times I have cried out to God through prayers, pleading to Him to grant Jared improvement and allow him to be off his tubing, both digestive and respiratory assisting tubing.

how he loves to ride his Flintstones like feet powered car outdoors in the cul-de-sac upon these mild winter days we've been having. He loves being included in family singing, prayer, book reading, supper, activities of all sorts. And we love to include himtoo. Of course we do, he is our baby boy. He is my son.

So different my priorities in life have become. So more of an eternal outlook has my vision broadened into, since we found out over two years ago that our Jared had a congenital heart defect, and also almost loosing him to deaths' grasp back on Easter weekend and a few other times since then. I have so thankfully come to a new joyous level of gratefulness for my family, for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for His church on this earth today, for a Prophet called of God, even Thomas S. Monson, of whom which is alive even today in this day and age.

I am so grateful for the beautiful and intelligent lady that has choosen to be marriedto me for all time and eternity. She is such a blessing in my life. Amber is a wonderful daughter of God. A women that exemplifies love, and kindness to boundaries undefined by human language. Would she ever admit this? Heavens no. She'll probably get on me for writing such praise of her, she is to humble for acknowledging her divinity and near celestial ways. She is a marvelous mother to our children, whom adore her ever so much.