I've been a slacker

1. No training wheels. I think it is so incredibly cool that my little four year old has learned to ride a bike with no training wheels already! I posted a pic and video on our photo blog. That was from two days ago. Yesterday he rode and practiced a ton more, and he's doing awesome! He still needs a little help getting going- but now he and his friend Lexi can even help each other start out- so we don't have to start him out and chase him around anymore. It's so cute to see how happy he is to have learned it too.

2. Swim lessons. We're doing swim lessons this week and next through Orem City. I accidentally signed up for the indoor classes- but since the weather has been so abnormally cold for this time of year its been a good thing. Last year both boys were more hesitant- but this year they both LOVE IT! It also gives them something to look forward to every day.

3. My garden. Again because of the weather, it seems a little slow starting this year- but we are already enjoying fresh lettuce, green onions, cilantro, and green beans from the garden- and I'm finally starting to see little tomatoes forming on my tomato plants!

4. My husband. Jake is such a good father and husband. I've seen so much growth in him this year, and I know its in large part, do to an increase in faith based actions. He's so smart and hard working too. The majority of Magellan and iFusions revenue comes from the health insurance industry. Because of all the changes, and even more because of the many proposed changes, he is being very forward thinking. He's always saying he "hopes for the best, but wants to prepare for the worst". He's done such a good job providing for our family, and because we've always tried to be smart and consistant with our budget, and because the Lord has protected us from some possible bad choices we are in a very good situation to feel secure even during these difficult times.

BTW- I'm encouraging him to start a blog discussing health care. Because he has worked in the industry for these last 6 years, and because his job is basically trying to make it as affordable for people as possible- he has a good perspective and good ideas. He gets so frustrated that no one seems to be addressing the real issues. The more we read and talk about it, the more we see the lack of understanding for the way the industry really works and the flaws inherant in the system. The problem is not so much availability of health care, or even the PRICE- but instead the COST and lack of insentive for personaly responsibility for the cost. Price, and cost are very different. Jake really outlines it well- but just as a simple example: If car insurance worked the way health insurance did- we'd all be driving around the most expensive cars, with the best upgrades. We we would only go to the best and fanciest mechanics for maintenance, and would pretty much do any and all things the mechanics recommended to us- because we'd only have to pay a "$10 copay"- and we would never really investigate all our options and costs. Car insurance is much more affordable than health insurance- yet the amount of risk and cost per driver is a lot closer to that of a health insurance patient than you think (especially because car accidents often result in insurance companies paying for MEDICAL bills). The biggest difference is that individuals are aware of the COSTS (AND OPTIONS SURROUNDING THOSE COSTS) involved in regular maintanance of their cars, and what type/class of car they drive.