Cousins and more Cousins

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday spending time with Mike's brother and then moving on to my brother's home. We are very appreciative to them for letting us stay at their homes and feeding and entertaining us. Duck Duck Goose was a favorite at one house and Hungry Hungry Hippoes at the other.

I am so thankful for family. It was absolutely wonderful to see our kids run around with all of their cousins. They had sooo much fun, and we had a great time too.

Little kate is the happiest jumpiest baby alive.

Robert couldn't resist laying out an assortment of "princess" stories and movies for Julia to be indoctrinated with.

5 little Indian Feathers :)

Blake does a little co-op preschool once a week with some friends, and today was my day to host it. We had a great time learning about Thanksgiving, and I think the kids had fun making their Indian feather headbands. Of course while they were busy being productive little preschoolers, Julia was busy coloring all over the chair, table, and some wooden toys. (good thing for washable markers)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

It's a Boy!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is the Day

Tomorrow the baby (hopefully) will reveal whether he is a boy or she is a girl. I'm so excited!!! I really don't have a definite feeling either way, but I am leaning towards a boy. A girl would be nice as well, but that means double the sewing projects because I won't be able to resist making matching everything for my 2 girls. :)

Wow- I'm part of the most villified group in CA right now

Growing up, I had 5 eye surgeries to try to correct my strabismus. A few years ago I was astounded to hear that my wonderful opthomologist, Dr. Rosenbaum barely escaped being killed by a car bomb that was put there by some animal rights activists because they were angry at the research he was doing on animals at UCLA to further medical science.

There are those who think that research on animals is cruel and should not be done. Then there are those who believe that research on animals helps science progress. The two sides will never come to an agreement. Regardless of how you feel on the matter, any reasonable person can conclude that the actions of the bombers were reprehensible and atrocious, and that the bombers themselves were bigots. (definition- a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.)

Last Tuesday, California voters passed Prop 8 which amends the state Constitution to say that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California. I gave of my time, my money and my vote to support this proposition. 2 days after the election, a thousand protesters marched in front of the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints holding signs that read "Mormons are bigots" and other accusatory things and shouting things such as, "Shame on you". I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I saw all of this unfold on the news. Laugh because quite frankly it is comical that they attribute the passing of Prop 8 to a group of people who make up only about 2% of the population. (maybe they should have protested African American neighborhoods because 70% of them voted yes, and they make up a significantly larger portion of the population than Mormons.) And I wanted to cry because I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I cringe at being called a bigot and other horrible names.

A bigot I AM NOT. Why did I support Prop 8? Because the most ideal situation in which to raise a child is in a home with a mother and a father. Every child deserves to have a mother and father who love and care for him and each other. This is why marriage is so important. It binds a woman and a man together to create and raise a healthy and well adjusted child. And healthy children make for a healthy society. Changing the most basic definition of marriage (which is a proven formula for creating successful people) basically discounts the importance of both a mother and father in a child's life. And messing with something that has been proven to work is a very scary thing for society. Now by saying this I do not mean to imply that children raised in a non mother/father home cannot grow up to be healthy and happy citizens, nor am I stating that all children raised in traditional families are productive citizens, I am simply asserting that they have the best chance of becoming so when raised by a mother and a father who are married- and happily I might add. Every person on this planet yearns for strong loving connection with both his/her mother and father. And if you really don't believe me, just ask all the many foster children I have worked with over the years. Unfortunately, the institution of marriage has already been weakening for several years, and so the coming about of this desire to change the definition should really come as no surprise to anyone. When half of all married people get divorced anyway why does it even matter? Well it matters because a good marriage and let me emphasize good, is still what is ultimately right for a child. If childhood obesity is status quo does that mean we give in and tell our kids to sit back veg in front of the tv and eat twinkies all day? No- the same is with supporting marriage.

Now back to Dr. Rosenbaum. I think we can all say that the vast majority of people who don't want animals tested for research are not the type who would bomb a doctor's car. They are not bigots and horrible people. They simply have a different opinion than Dr. Rosenbaum. The same is true of Prop. 8. The vast majority of people who voted yes to prop 8 did NOT do so because they are bigots or horrible, hateful people. Were some of the people who voted for 8 bigots and hateful-(akin to car bomber types), I'm sure they were. And thinking about people like that makes me sick to my stomach. BUT I AM NOT A BIGOT. And how dare they accuse Mormons of being such when they take no time to really understand the reasons why we voted yes. Assuming we all fall into the "car bomber" category is convenient for them because it is easier to hate a "car bomber" type than to hate someone who simply has a different opinion about the family. The message of my church has never been anti-gay, but pro mother/father family. It's a complete and utter fallacy to assume that because the church is so strongly committed to protecting and preserving the traditional family then conversely we automatically must HATE and ABHOR anyone who disagrees with us. And to the protesters and anyone who disagrees with me, please come and sit down and talk to me about it as an adult. We may never agree and that is ok, but that doesn't mean that we can't respect each other's views.

p.s. I really don't expect anyone to get to the bottom of this very loquacious post, I just needed to give voice to my feelings.

6 days and counting.....

Julia has now had the stomach flu for six days....and counting. At this point, I have lost track of how many times I have washed her sheets and clothing over the past week. Blake and I both had it for 24 hours several days ago and we are fine. Lucky Mike never had it, he just had to take care of all of us when we were sick-unlucky him.
This week has made me REALLY grateful for my otherwise healthy kids. And hopefully, I will be released from "house arrest" soon. And I am also grateful for a good washing machine. And a helpful husband.
Anyone have any tips for getting rid of this? (when I called the doctor this morning, she very nonchalantly told me to keep her on the BRAT diet and call her back if she is still sick in a WEEK. Are you kidding? This could go on for another week....)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from a cute little pink bunny,

A headless horseman(Blake's cousin Jeffrey), a tiger

and a deranged Easter bunny. I couldn't resist wearing my costume one more time. Mike could not be persauded to suit up again. (I don't blame him)