Merry Christmas 2013!

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Harry's Big Day

Harris was baptized on March 3, and we are so proud of him.

He had attendees who traveled from all over the country. Aunt Rachel Murdock came from Washington, DC; and Grandma Murdock came from Austin, TX. Grandma and Grandpa Holm, Aunt Lara, Jacob, Ella, Axel, and Steele came from Nampa, ID. Aunt Alissa came from Provo, UT. Great Uncle Kerry and Aunt Ellen came from Downey, ID. Uncle Spencer and Aunt Rachel Holm came from Rexburg, ID. Great Grandpa and Grandma Holm came from Shelley, ID.

Unpictured but also in attendance were Bishop Douglas Hillman and his wife, Karen Hillman (they were taking the pictures!); our awesome next door neighbors: Chard, Cat, Jake, Hayes, and Nash Benson; Harry's best friend John Smith and his mom, Jennifer Smith; his primary teacher, Sister Mary Jane Fritzen; and his primary president and counselor, Sister Laurine McCord and Sister Alyssa Sale.

It was so wonderful and moving to have so many people that we love there to support Harris as he became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In Today's Paper:

Idaho seeing hike in mental health diagnoses among juvenile offenders

By RUTH BROWN rbrown@postregister.com

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Once is enough for most kids who end up in the Bonneville County judicial system.
Deputy Prosecutor James Murdock handles juvenile cases for the county. Most of the cases he sees are first-time offenders convicted of minor offenses, he said.
A majority of children caught breaking the law come into court "terrified," Murdock said. As a result, the first offense usually is the last.
There are exceptions.
Between 2009 and 2010, 19-year-old Dylan Rummler of Idaho Falls was arrested seven times as a juvenile, Bonneville County Sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Edwards said.
Since his 18th birthday, Rummler has been arrested an additional 17 times as an adult. That totals out at 24 arrests, six warrants and 76 encounters with law enforcement officers in his lifetime, Edwards said.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Clark said that's not the usual experience in Bonneville County.
"I enjoy trying to deal with impressionable children ... because with juveniles, you can see the success in their actions," Clark said.
Murdock said working with juvenile offenders is rewarding.
"In helping these kids, we're also helping protect society," Murdock said.
On any given day, an estimated 5,500 Idaho juveniles are on probation at the county level. As of March 2, the number of incarcerated juveniles statewide was 342.
Of that number, 248 were held at state juvenile corrections centers at St. Anthony, Nampa and Lewiston, said Sharon Harrigfeld, director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections.
The remaining 74 offenders are in the custody of contract providers, who offer specialty care such as sex-offender treatment.
Twelve juveniles are held at out-of-state facilities, receiving care for unique developmental disabilities and/or severe mental health issues not treatable in Idaho facilities.
Juvenile Corrections reports a 74 percent increase in the past four years in the number of mental health diagnoses among Idaho juvenile offenders.
Many of them are struggling with depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, Harrigfeld said.
One reason for the increase, Harrigfeld said, is that more juveniles have seen or experienced abuse and other trauma in their lives.
In 2011, the state's recidivism rate for incarcerated juveniles was 27 percent.
While incarcerated, Idaho juvenile offenders are offered a variety of programs to help them change their ways, including cognitive behavioral therapy, substance abuse treatment, anger management and educational services.
Juvenile Corrections has its own school district, Juniper Hills, with certified teachers heading the classes. The program focuses on improving reading and math.
Many of the juveniles in the program are seeking a GED certificate or high school diploma, Harrigfeld said.
About 38 percent of juvenile offenders require special education classes.
In 2011, most juvenile offenders were between 16 and 17 years old. So, Juvenile Corrections takes an individualized approach with the incarcerated offenders.
"With adults, you punish them because of the crime," Harrigfeld said. "With kids, you need to determine why it is they committed the crime."
The majority of crimes committed by juveniles are nonviolent, Harrigfeld said. Among juvenile offenders, 34 percent committed a property crime such as burglary. Another 30 percent have been convicted of assault and battery, and 26 percent have been convicted of sex offenses.
Murdock agreed that dealing with juvenile offenders is much more individualized than with adult offenders. Prosecutors spend very little time with adult offenders. So little time, in fact, that they don't always remember what adult offenders look like until seeing them in court.
Many juvenile offenders are assigned to the diversion program rather than formal probation, Clark said. Those assigned to diversion usually are first-time offenders convicted of nonviolent crimes.
The diversion program has requirements similar to probation, such as community service or mandatory classes related to their crime. But under the program, juvenile offenders are not formally charged and the offense does not go on their public criminal records.
Major felonies and violent crimes -- such as murder, rape and robbery -- can result in a juvenile being charged as an adult. If convicted, the juvenile would face adult penalties, such as a prison sentence.
"With the juvenile court system, we have a wide latitude to try to do what's right for them," Clark said. "You can change the behavior of a 13-year-old much easier than you can a 33-year-old."

Spencer and Rachel's Reception in Nampa

My little brother got married last week. These are some pictures from the reception. My sister, Lara, and sister-in-law, Lynn, did the decorating and it looked great. The light was low, so a lot of the pics are a bit blurry, but it kind of contributes to the whole ambiance. We are super excited to have Rachel join the family-- she is great.

New Family Pictures!

My best friend, Jeana, is an amazing photographer, so we went to see her in SLC a couple weeks ago and had her take our pictures. She did an amazing job-- despite our lack of photogenicness-- thanks to the help of my other best friend and her twin sister, Julie. If you want to see the pictures they are posted here on Jeana's blog. Jeana and Julie are my family away from family, if you know what I mean. We endured junior high, high school, and college together; and I love these girls so much. I am just jealous that they still live near each other, and I don't! I guess the identical twin sister bond is a little stronger. :) This is a picture of us playing dress up at a sleepover when we were teenagers.

Beautiful Heartbreak

I'm not the biggest fan of Mormon pop music, but I liked this video. NieNie is inspiring. And we all have heartbreaks that, if worn on our chests, would make us more compassionate with each other. Life can be so hard, and knowing that others have mustered the strength to carry on despite heartache and tragedy makes me feel better. One of my favorite things about living the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are there for each other, just as He is there for us.

A Super Mario Halloween!

Fun at the Farm 2011

In July, we got to go to my mom's family reunion. It is held every year the weekend after the fourth of July at the dry farm where my mom and her siblings spent their summers as kids. We camp, eat, hike, gather wildflowers, swim at Green Canyon Hotsprings, and enjoy each other. This year the boys got rides on Uncle Bruce's motorcycle. We didn't get to go last summer, so I was super excited to get to go and enjoy the beauty of the Farm and be with all my family. My grandpa remodeled this school bus to take his large family on trips to Yellowstone Park. Today it functions as the kids' favorite place to play during our reunion at the farm. We all have happy memories of playing and even sleeping out in the bus as kids.

We love the Farm.

Six Years Old!

...And he has been for some time now. J is such a great kid. His birthday last year was a little crazy after W's accident, but he was a great sport about it. So we wanted to make his birthday extra fun this year. We had a pizza party at the park with friends, cupcakes, and swimming. Yay for summer birthdays! J is a genuinely compassionate child. His imagination is literally out-of-this-world, and he is wonderfully bright. We love him so much, and we're so proud that he is our boy.

We had to huddle around the cake to keep the candles from blowing out. J wanted a secret agent cake, so I wrote on it inverted, so that they had to use a mirror to read what it said.

We were a little nervous about keeping track of all those little boys (7 in all) in the pool, but it ended up being perfect-- we had the pool basically to ourselves, so it was easy.

 It was the easiest kid-party I've thrown yet.  A great time was had by all.

I just like this picture....

Lovely Summer Activities...

.... It's so hard to see summer go here in Idaho Falls. As it cools down, you have to start thinking about how long it will take to warm up again! But we had a wonderful summer, so we'll savor it here on the blog.

Here's A zonked out in the high chair-- I think she's eating toast with jam.  Feliz Navidad.

 

Here's our fledgling garden with the beautiful Ammon foothills in the background. We signed up for a spot at the Church garden. It was a great (though humiliating) learning experience. It was starting to get weedy here, and we never managed to get it quite weed-free. But it has produced some lovely produce, though probably not as prolifically as it could have sans weeds. Oh well. We'll just be grateful.

In early July, James's sister, Rachel, came to see us, and since she wouldn't be with us for the Fourth, we decided to take her to the July 2nd fireworks in Driggs. We went via Jackson Hole, so we could eat pizza there and take pictures in front of the antlers (not our best navigating, but the pizza was wonderful).  

The fireworks were part of a patriotic rally at a golf course with Glenn Beck as the guest of honor. You may or may not know how James feels about Glenn Beck, but here's a clue. His speech ended up being actually quite palatable, what we heard of it anyway.

The golf course itself was idyllic with the soft, grassy hill and the sunset. The kids had a great time rolling and playing in the grass.

 Just like a lion ready to pounce...



Harris and the Tetons. 




                                              Races!

 Lots of tickle monster going on....

Anna loved the long row of flags to swish about in.

And then there were fireworks.....

On the actual Fourth of July. We watched the parade and did some sparklers. (Note Will's enthusiasm for the parade.)