Wolf!

What do you do when your pediatrician cries H1N1 wolf?
Hole up in your house for a week, of course.

That's right, the Burt clan narrowly escaped the swine flu pandemic, settling, instead, for the regular old flu this past week when first Nora and then me and now Andy fell in to its cloudy-headed, sore-throated haze. And though we can't claim the now infamous H1N1 as our attacker (Nora was young enough that she got the official test), we sure have been hit by a mean little bug.

If I had pictures to post, you would see red-eyed bleariness and clammy pallors. And if I had video footage, you would hear a little nine-month-old whimper that would break your heart. Instead, I've only got these words (because who is really brave enough to take pictures of their sick, pajamaed selves?) and a little whining that all our big plans for SUU's Homecoming weekend and Cedar City's annual Sheep Parade (all this Saturday) have fallen to the wayside to make room for our first bout with the 2009 cold & flu season.

Influenza - 3
Burts - 1 (miraculously, aside from a runny nose, Porter has stayed fairly healthy and chipper)

Fall Leaves & Failed Photoshoots

If you've never been up Cedar Canyon in the autumn when the leaves are turning, you're missing out. The entire mountain range is covered in deep green pines trees and bright yellow aspens and from the valley, it looks as if the usually red rock mountains have turned yellow for a few weeks at the summer's end. Beautiful.

So since we've been back in Cedar (2 1/2 years now for anyone who's counting), I've been pestering Andy for family photos in the fall leaves. But between soccer every day in the autumn, the shortening daylight, a few moves and a pregnancy, the autumns of 2007 and 2008 have come and gone with nary a photo. But now, with two fairly compliant kids, a little color-coordinated shopping and big promises from my photographer-slash-husband, I was sure 2009 was our year to shine amidst the golden-hued fall beauties (heck, I even picked outfits that would coordinate with the colors in my living room/family photo gallery).

I was wrong.

On the great fall photo expedition of 2009, the weather was perfect and the sun was just right BUT we forgot the tripod and so our "family" photo was short one husband/dad. I know, I know, that's why they make the self-timer. Hindsight. I was ok with that though because Andy had promised to try again this week (which is why I posted nothing of our thwarted efforts last week). Unfortunately, the leaves turned more quickly than I remembered from years past, and the zillions of tiny yellow aspen leaves have already faded not even one week in to October. Alas.

All is not lost though, as we did have a nice little picnic in the mountains overlooking Cedar City and snapped a few individual pics of the kids for posterity (after all, both kids were clean and color-coordinated). 

Here is Porter's best pic (when we ask for a smile lately, we get a half-smirk, half-grimace so the thoughtful, unaware Porter proved a better subject).

And here is Nora's.

And just because she's so darn cute as was her shirt (I get so sad when you have to retire your best baby finds every three months as they keep growing), here's one more of little miss Nora Lynn. She was mesmerized by all the bright trees and though usually talkative, I don't think we heard a peep out of her the entire evening.

So looks like it's back to the old drawing board for our holiday cards and living room walls. Here's hoping 2010 proves to be a bit more kind to our photographed selves.

Fight like a Girl

Flu shots for the kids? Check.
Hand sanitizer for the diaper bag? Check.
breast exam for the mommy/aunt/grandma/godmother? ...

Swine flu is small potatoes compared to breast cancer.
It only takes a minute to fight like a girl
(and you won't even break a sweat).
Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month (and every month to follow) with a quick self exam. Early detection is the key to victory in the battle against breast cancer.

Saw this clever printout and am wishing I were this creative. To better see the details, visit the Worldwide Breast Cancer site.