This isn't your typical Sprout article, and that's because Jennifer Brown is one of us. She wrote the first story that was ever published on St. Louis Sprout, and she continues to share her talents with us on an occasional basis. Jennifer and her family are also dear friends.

On Jan. 2, during the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, Jennifer and her family will be commemorating the life of their daughter, Kyndall, who died when she was just 17 months old.

"How can I help?"
It was the first thing Jennifer Brown said to me when, with blood-shot eyes, I confided in her that my eldest son was diagnosed with autism. It's a simple statement, but it's packed with wisdom, concern and compassion. And it's a statement that I believe acts as a compass for Jennifer and husband Broc's lives no matter what the adversity.

"How can I help?"
More than eight years ago, the couple lost their daughter, Kyndall Alyse Brown. I've never had the chance to meet Kyndall outside of the stories and photos her mom and dad have shared with me; Kyndall died when she was just 17 months old. However, I understand her to be a beautiful toddler, full of curiosity and energy, and she always had lots of things to say. From pictures, I see the same sparkle in her eye that I see in her parents' and her brothers'.

Kyndall died suddenly. She choked on her lunch at a babysitter's house while the sitter was out of the room. After spending three days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at what was then St. John's Mercy Medical Center, the Browns knew they would never get their baby back.

"We felt strongly that we should donate Kyndall's organs so that someone else would have the gift of life," Broc said. The coroner's office demanded an autopsy. It was a move that would have prevented the family from donating Kyndall's organs. However, with the help of their doctor and a petition to the coroner, the family was successful in donating Kyndall's kidneys, liver and heart valves.

"How can I help?"
Through Mid-America Transplant Services, Kyndall's liver went to a little girl from Iceland who was waiting for a transplant in the United States. Her kidneys and heart valves also were transplanted into other recipients.

"I know in my own heart that Kyndall gave several people new life," Jennifer said. "In that respect we have a voice in keeping her alive."

Today, the Brown family, which includes Jennifer and Broc's three sons, Kynan, Gabriel and Braden, are preparing to commemorate their daughter and the lives she unknowingly touched.

Kyndall's portrait will be displayed in flowers on the Donate Life float at the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 2, 2012. The "floragraph" portrait is one of 72 that will be showcased on the float. On Sunday, Dec. 18, the Browns gathered with their family and friends to put the finishing touches on Kyndall's floragraph.

"It's an amazing honor that my little girl's beautiful face can represent the thousands of faceless organ donors from around the world," Jennifer said.

"How can I help?"
It's a float that serves two purposes. The first is to honor those who have given and received organs. But the second, is to raise awareness for organ donation. Participating in these events is bittersweet, "It is an honor that brings on a bit of a heavy heart," Jennifer wrote on her Facebook page upon receiving her invitation to participate. "One of those weird moments in life where your joy collides heavily with your greatest pain."

And, yet, the Browns never hesitate to help. Through their relationship with Mid-America Transplant Services, they've helped raise awareness about organ donation, and they've stood by and supported several families who have lost children.

As your friends and family gather to reflect on Kyndall's life and wish you a safe and fulfilling trip to California, please know that this reporter is also inspired by your generosity of spirit, your leadership in resiliency, your love of your family, and your commitment to helping others.

Related Link: Become an Organ Donor

Pictured
Top: Broc, Kyndall and Jennifer Brown in 2003
Bottom: Kynan, Gabriel, Braden, Jennifer and Broc Brown in 2011

 
Fans of Candace Cameron Bure watched her grow up as D.J. Tanner on the hit sitcom "Full House." Now Bure has her own full house, with three children: Natasha, 13; Lev, 11; and Maksim, 9. Candace and her husband, former hockey player Valeri Bure, live in Los Angeles. (Remember the name? Bure played for the St. Louis Blues in 2003). The busy mom is also a published author and star of ABC Family's "Make It Or Break It."

St. Louis Sprout caught up with Candace to discuss her new holiday movie, "The Heart of Christmas," which premieres at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 on GMC.

You have a new movie premiering on GMC, "The Heart of Christmas," which is set in a town that's just three hours from St. Louis. Can you tell us a little about it?
It's based on a true story. It's quite inspiring how this entire town [Washington, Ill.] and community came together to give this little boy Dax one last Christmas because he had a very rare form of leukemia. His doctors didn't give him long to live. He loved Christmas, so in October, they came together to put out Christmas lights, went caroling ... everything to give this little boy one last Christmas. While it's sad because Dax did pass away, it does show us what the heart of Christmas really is about. But bring a box of Kleenex because it is a tear-jerker.

What attracted you to this script?
It was the story itself. A friend had given me the script and told me, there's no money in this script, so we shot it in 16 days. But it's the most incredible story. I had watched a YouTube video of the story, the actual news footage of what happened. After watching the news story, I was sobbing, and I knew I was going to do it. It was beautiful. It was everything I want to do in my films and my work. I like inspiring stories and things that are uplifting. As a film it had all the elements that I believe in and look for and value in a script. [Learn more about Dax and his family's foundation, and watch a trailer of the movie at www.daxlocke.com.]

How has this movie influenced your relationship with your own family?
It confirms that what we try to do within our own family is what we should be doing, and that is putting our family first. We have to keep each other on track. My husband has to keep me on track—I get busy with work, but it comes down to my children, the legacy that I'm instilling in them. The movie just confirms everything. The movie's a great reminder of that.

You recently published a New York Times' bestseller, "Reshaping It All," about blending physical and spiritual fitness. The book focuses on the importance of taking care of ourselves so that we can feel good and lead healthy lives. Do you have any advice for passing those values down to our children?
We place a very high priority on fitness in our family. Some people might think it's a bit much, but I have three kids who have very different body types. We have to train our kids to know their body types and how to take care of themselves. It's different for each of them, and some parents don't train their kids that way. It stinks to be the parent that says, "Lev can have a second dessert, but you can't." But when we teach things like that, there's always a reason behind it. It's never about the size; we're certainly not more important, or more important in God's eyes [based on our size]. It's about taking care of your own body. We stress: Eat and enjoy what you want to eat, but sweets in moderation, and exercise. My boys play sports. My daughter doesn't like to play sports, so she has to do a 15-minute run five times a week. It's the mindset of understanding how important fitness is ... reinforcing all of those principles over and over again. Our value isn't found in our body or weight, but that it's important to feed it well, so you can be the best that you can be.

You've also shared with fans the importance of a healthy, organic lifestyle. What are your favorite quick, healthy, kid-friendly snacks when you're on the go?
Fruit is a big one. A lot of times I pick up my boys, and we go straight to hockey. So I always have to have a snack for them. I usually have fruit cut up for them. I know not all kids like it, but we love sushi, so I'll pick up a tuna roll. It has protein, and if you can get it with brown rice, even better. There's also the regulars: trail mix, wheat toast with peanut butter. I'll keep boxes of granola bars in my car, so there's always something.

In addition to "Make It Or Break It," the new movie and the book, you've also launched your own website, Roomag.com. How has being a mother made you better at all of these other things that you do?
I don't think that I would have had the patience for all of this if I weren't a mom. That's my biggest lesson as a mom: learning to be patient. Because I'm a mom, I'm not as self-centered; it's about my children, about my family. You do have to juggle a lot of people, with my husband, with my kids, and it's helped me in life and business in general. And learning to multi-task ... I'm not good at multi-tasking! For me it becomes about prioritizing.

What makes for the perfect Christmas in your house? Are there unique traditions that you enjoy living in California, or customs that your husband has shared from growing up in Russia?
They do Christmas differently in Russia. Being the woman, I probably won on this one, so we use more of my traditions than his. I love decorating the Christmas tree, some years with the kids. In Russia, the kids go to sleep on New Year's Eve, and the parents decorate the tree. The kids wake up with the tree decorated and presents under it. That one didn't work for me, but the one that has become a tradition is that the Russian Christmas is Jan. 7. That's the day that they celebrate the birth of Christ, so the tree stays up until then in our house. My kids always write Santa a letter, and we have a little fun with that. And we usually make cookies and put out carrots for the reindeer. On Christmas morning we also read the story of the birth of Christ before we open any presents, and we sing "Happy Birthday" to Christ, so we really center on the importance of the holiday. Then we open gifts, but we do it in a very orderly manner, taking turns as we go around the room. We've found that it's a much better way to enjoy the morning and not go into overload.

At St. Louis Sprout, we celebrate events and activities families can do outside of the house. What are some of your family's favorite activities?
These days, pretty much hockey games. I really feel like that's all our extracurricular activities consist of, hockey games in cold arenas. But any parent knows that if you have kids in sports, that's all you do. You don't have much free time. In the summer, when we're not in hockey, we live close to the beach, so we're total beach bums. We love the outdoors no matter what. We try to spend as much time outdoors as possible, bicycling, playing beach volleyball ... anything outdoors.

And finally ... you probably get asked this a lot: Do your kids watch "Full House"?
We don't watch a lot of television -- I have most of the channels blocked -- but yes, they've totally watched it. They think I'm a complete and total dork, especially my 13-year-old daughter. She can't believe people actually liked the way I dressed! I actually tried to get her to go as D.J. Tanner for Halloween.

It's safe to say that those who knew Bobby Norfolk as a child would never have guessed that he would go on to become an internationally renowned performer and storyteller. After all, most kids who stutter make a point of avoiding careers in public speaking. But thanks to some excellent teachers in the St. Louis Public Schools, Norfolk was encouraged to get involved in school plays and the glee club. Eventually his stutter faded. His love of performing never did.

St. Louis Sprout & About recently caught up with this lifelong St. Louisan to learn more about his career and his thoughts on his hometown.

You've been a storyteller for more than 30 years. What is it about storytelling that you enjoy?
For me it is the actual performance. There was a study done several years ago that involved a focus group of kids with electrodes attached to their temples to measure brain activity. They wheeled in a television for the kids to watch, and their brain activity just flat lined. Then they brought in a storyteller and the brain activity was off the charts. Synapses were firing just from hearing the story.

When I'm telling a story, I watch the kids lean forward, their eyes widen and the muscles in their jaws relax. It's story hypnosis, and it's magical. Once it begins, it can only be broken by a loud noise in the back of the room or someone walking between the audience and the storyteller. That's the reason I love it – the spell that is passed over the audience. I had principals come up to me and say that they couldn't believe that I could have 300 kids listening quietly. When I'm telling a story, you can hear a pin drop.

How did you get your start as a storyteller?
It was a long journey. I worked as a performer for many years and as a writer, too. All of those aspects of my career played a role in becoming a storyteller. And then came the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, which got its start in 1979 at the St. Louis Arch where I was working at the time. So, really, storytelling found me. It all took off from there.

Through the years, I'm sure you have told thousands of stories. Do you have a favorite type of story?
I love the kinds of living-history programs that I learned while working at the Arch and the Old Court House. I love stories about the Plains Indians and the Civil War, the Underground Railroad and westward expansion. I also really love folk tales and fairytales. These kinds of stories have power.

The human brain is hard-wired for stories. John Lennon was a storyteller. Jesus, when he talked to the masses, he talked to them in parables. A synonym for parable is story. All the lessons we learn in life are story.

What do you want kids to take away from the experience of seeing you tell stories?
The themes I emphasize are humanity, respect, teamwork, cooperation, compassion and honesty.

Where are some of your family activities around St. Louis?
When my son Damon, who is now 37, was growing up we would always hang out at the St. Louis Public Library and local bookstores. I wanted to raise his literacy level and his imagination.

And of course, we always go to the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, the thing that got me started as a storyteller. It's held every May and includes several different events over a three-day period. It concludes with a big event at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. And it's all free!

Another place we like to hang out is the University City Loop. We really love Asian food, and there are a lot of great restaurants in and around there like the Gyro House, the Thai Café and the House of India. There's also a very fine Indian restaurant near the airport – India Palace. We love to eat there. Mai Lee is our favorite local Vietnamese restaurant.

We have some Forest Park sites as well: the Saint Louis Zoo. I love it. It's one of the best zoos in the nation, and it's free. In my travels I've seen few other zoos of its quality.

Of course after we get hungry at the zoo, we go to the Boathouse for a bite to eat.

We also really enjoy the Missouri History Museum, which is an excellent museum.

Those would be the highlights of our touring around town.

Have you introduced your kids to any places in St. Louis that were special to you as a kid?
A lot of the places I enjoyed as a kid are all torn down now. There were lots of little neighborhood theaters in the Ville neighborhood where I grew up, but they're all gone.

Your work puts you on the road quite a bit. Do you miss St. Louis when you're away?
People always ask me where my wife and I go on vacation. I tell them: Home. It's like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz." We click our heels and go home. But when I am on the road, I make sure to have fun. I've worked it out with my agent to build some play time in when I travel.

Although you're in demand around the U.S. and around the world, you still make a point of telling stories for kids in St. Louis. Is that by design?
The bulk of my work is in St. Louis and Missouri and the Metro East. That's what I prefer. I've created quite a base in St. Louis. I developed a collaboration with two local groups: Young Audiences of St. Louis and their sister organization Springboard, so I get a lot of local work through them. I manage to stay very, very busy. I wanted to work eight days a week, and I'm doing it. Be careful what you wish for!

Bobby's Picks
St. Louis Public Library, multiple locations, 314-241-2288

St. Louis Storytelling Festival, multiple locations

Gyro House, 6152 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 63112, 314-721-5638

Thai Café Restaurant, 6170 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 63112

House of India, 8501 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 63124, 314-567-6850

India Palace, 4534 N. Lindbergh Blvd., #11, Bridgeton, Mo., 63044, 314-731-3333

Mai Lee, 8396 Musick Memorial Dr., St. Louis, Mo., 63144, 314-645-2835

Saint Louis Zoo, 1 Government Dr., St. Louis, Mo., 63110, 314-781-0900

Boathouse Forest Park, 6101 Government Dr., St. Louis, Mo., 63110, 314-367-2224

Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 63112, 314-746-4599

Finding Time for Family
Weekends are absolutely sacred to Alba and husband, Cash Warren. "We spend time, like, really intense time, on the weekends. We don't e-mail or text or anything when we're with our daughter on the weekends. It's time just for family," Alba said. The family can often be found hanging out at their backyard pool and having barbecues. "We're lucky enough living in southern California that the weather is pretty nice so we can do that."

Preparing for Baby No. 2
Alba's second baby should arrive this summer, and the star plans to use HypnoBirthing techniques for pain management during labor. By drinking plenty of coconut water and staying hydrated, she's trying to prevent the low fluids she had when pregnant with Honor. The baby's nursery will be a blend of new, customized and recycled furniture and decor, she said.

Alba On Parenting
With a playroom in her trailer, and an apartment close to the set, Alba gets lots of time with Honor while she's filming. "It's what I've been doing since she was 4 months old."

Alba makes sure her daughter knows she's loved, it's a page in parenting inspired by her own mother. "We were her no. 1. I never felt like I wasn't loved or I wasn't a priority in my mom's life, and I think that's important."

The most important value she wants to instill in her children is respect, "respect for her elders, respect for other people and respect for herself," Alba said. "That's just something that's nonnegotiable," she said. "Certainly, where we live, we see a lot of different kinds of parenting, and different types of kids. and we see our fair share of kids that don't treat adults right and don't treat other people right."

Similarities Between Alba and 'Spy Kids' Character Marissa
"I'm doing the best I can, and she's doing the best she can," Alba said. "She fumbles around a lot more. She has a lot more on her plate because she has two stepkids that don't really like her that much and are kind of critical of her." Marissa is also hiding a big secret from her family -- her alter-ego as a spy, Alba said. "Luckily, I don't have to hide anything from my family. I don't have stepkids that hate me. It's easier for me to sort of make mistakes and figure it out as I go."

Working with Director Robert Rodriguez
In her third movie directed by Robert Rodriguez, Alba calls the Texan filmmaker a friend and inspiration. Upon Honor's birth, Alba struggled with how she would be able to return to acting. His advice to the then new mom: "You just have to find balance; you have to really, like, enjoy every moment and time's going to fly. You're a career person and you're a creative person. If you deny that side of you... in the long run, it's going to hurt you because you're not being true to yourself," Alba recalled.  It's advice that also inspired the character of Marissa in "Spy Kids."

"Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D" opens Friday, Aug. 19. The movie is in 4D and is rated PG. The Weinstein Company recently announced that Alba will voice the part of "Lena" in "Escape from Planet Earth," an animated family feature due out in 2012.

Photos of Jessica Alba in "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D" courtesy of Dimension Films.