Presidential Candidate Calculator

I thought this was an interesting tool. You mark whether you support different political issues and how strongly you feel about them. At the end, you push a button and it shows what presidential candidate you most agree with. I was happy to see that I matched right up with who I had planned to vote for. Check it out!

http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html

Pumpkin Carving

Jaeda was so excited. She kept running around saying "Happy Ha-wo-ween!" to no one in particular.

This is the only photo we have with all of us at the same time. We really need a new family picture now that we have Brynlee.

Let the games begin!

Mattie is wrapping the "Mummies" for dinner.

3-year-olds have to taste EVERYTHING. Although, she wasn't the only one. All three kids must have been hungry. They were all eating the meat of the pumpkin here and there.

Rayna explaining her design idea to the carving artist.

Adding the faces after the mummies were cooked.

What a fun little Halloween dinner!

Once again, my sister Mattie Rae has saved my children from the ill fate of having a party-pooping mother. Mattie Rae invited herself over to carve pumpkins, provided us with a festive kid-friendly dinner, and then my parents showed up with a Family Home Evening lesson complete with Halloween doughnuts and cider. We had a wonderful day. Thanks Mattie Rae!

Flashback Friday - Childhood Gems of the Past

When Ian got the show and tell bucket for his kindergarten class the instructions said to put in three things that are special to you and be prepared to explain why they are special.
Ian announced "I found my first special thing!" I looked in the bucket and saw his Book of Mormon. I then asked him why it was special. "Because if we read the book of Mormon every day, God will give us blessings."
October 2005 (age 6)

Rayna: There's one way not to become an adult...It's not to eat your vegetables.
October 23, 2005 (age 4)

Rayna: When I was in heaven I wore swallowing clothes, just like Jesus."
March 18, 2006 (age 4)

Rayna: (in a rage at bedtime) SLEEPING IS BORING! (I couldn't stop laughing. It is very true. Did she expect resting to be like visiting the circus?)
March 22, 2006 (age 4)

Me: Ian, do you know what a literary club is?
Ian: I don't know. Maybe it's a club where people get together to pick up litter.
May 10, 2006 (age 6)

Rayna: Dad, when you say "prairie dog" it makes me feel like I want to say a prayer.
July 23, 2006 (age 4)

Rayna: I know some swear words.
Me: Like what?
Rayna: The "F" word (brief pause in which I try to remain calm with beads of sweat bursting from my forehead)...you know, the other word for toots.
May 13, 2007 (age 5)

Education

I asked my kids some questions yesterday to get a feel for their perspective on their academic education.

Me: Do you feel like you are learning anything new or interesting in school? If so, then what?

Rayna: Not very much

Ian: No much. Just art is OK.

Me: What would you like to learn about?

Rayna: How to make butter

Ian: How atoms form

Me: Name 3 things you'd like to be when you grow up and tell me why you think each job is cool.

Ian: An inventor. You get to make stuff. A lego designer. You get to create new lego sets. An obedient man so I don't get kicked out of my job.

Rayna: An artist because you get to paint. A dancer because you get to dance. A mother because you get to have babies.

This little survey sparked some really good conversation and I learned a lot from my kids. Ian sure had a lot to say about how he wished his education could be. So much that I didn't have time to get the same depth from Rayna. I'll have to ask her some more questions when she gets home from school today.

Princess Brynlee

Jaeda loves Brynlee. She is always trying to include her in her play. Rayna brought home some princess jewelry from a birthday party she went to and Jaeda dressed Brynlee up like a princess. Brynlee is such a good sport and lets Jaeda treat her like a doll. Here is Brynlee with her beautician, Jaeda.

August 23, 2008

Jedi Costume

Here is Ian's new Jedi costume I made yesterday. I made the robe and "tunic" yesterday and Ian is tickled. He had a lot of fun during our photo shoot. I'd like to set up a backdrop and take some more professional photos of him in his costume. Maybe later. I got the pattern idea from here. It was way easy. I finished it all in one day. No pattern, no sewing skills needed. Although, if I were to do it again I'd change a few things. Hopefully this Jedi robe will last a few more years. The last one I made doesn't even hit his knees anymore.

Horrible!

Ian: Mom, wanna hear something horrible?

(brief silence in which I don't respond)

Ian: Do you know there are some kids that are so bad that Santa doesn't even visit their house? The parents know their kids are bad and that Santa won't come, but they buy their kids presents anyway and then LIE to their kids and say it's from Santa! Isn't that STUPID?

Me: Where did you hear this?

Ian: I just figured it out myself. There's poor families that get expensive toys and bad kids that get toys still and...

Jaeda's Sacrament Water

Scene: Sitting in Sacrament Meeting with Jaeda on my lap, Rayna at my side. The water is being passed.

Me: Jaeda, do you know what the water reminds us of?

Jaeda: No

Me: It reminds us of Jesus and that he died for us.

Jaeda: Jesus died?

Me: Yes, He died on the cross so we can live with Heavenly Father again someday.

Jaeda: A cross?

Rayna: Yeah. It looks like a "T"

Jaeda: I can't see those guys

Me: I can't either, but I can feel their love for me.

Rayna: I feel them sometimes when I pray.

Jaeda: (Pondering for a moment, then looking at her hand, she raises it in front of her face) I feel them in my HAND!

Ear Flap Hat

I got my crafty-ness out again for General Conference, and this is a hat I made for Rayna. Jaeda is modeling it, and I am making a pink one like this for her, but it isn't finished yet. I made 2 others previously, but it wasn't till the 3rd try that it worked out like I wanted. I followed the pattern the first time and it was way too big. So I tried again and then the ear flaps weren't in the right place. So 3rd time's a charm. I think it's darling and they work up quickly, so I plan on making one for each of my kids.

Distracted by Current Events

I'm sorry I've neglected my blog lately, but I have been so distracted by current events that by the time I've researched the crazy things that are happening, my free time for the computer is up. So, my sister suggested that I put together a few blurbs about what I've been learning about lately. So here you go - just a few:

Current Event #1: Obama's Truth Squad:
Members of Missouri Law enforcement are members of Obama's Truth Squad to make sure that only the truth is spoken of Obama and his campaign. Wouldn't this serve to intimidate people out of speaking their political views regarding the presidential campaign? Is this very American to have law enforcement officers pay a visit to your home if your personal opinion isn't "right"? Doesn't this violate our free speech rights? Don't we have a right to accuse someone of something and not be arrested for it? Sounds more like Nazi Germany to me.




Current Event #2: Army Combat Unit to Deploy within U.S.

For the first time since the Civil War we will have US Military troops on active duty within the homeland. Here are some excerpts from the article from the Army Times:

The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.
Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.
Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or man-made emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.

...In the meantime, they’ll learn new skills, use some of the ones they
acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing
any of it. They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd
control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.

The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.
The package includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and, beanbag bullets.
Tthe force will be known for the next year as a CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF (pronounced “sea-smurf”).

“I don’t know what America’s overall plan is — I just know that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines
that are standing by to come and help if they’re called,” Cloutier
said.

So we'll be having troops "patrolling in full battle rattle" in our cities in the U.S. Does that sound very American? The only other time we've needed the help of the Army was during Hurricane Katrina. In our nation's history, we have never had such civil unrest or natural or man-made disasters that our local law enforcement or other private emergency responders weren't able to handle. What does our Federal Government forsee that might warrant the need of a permanent brigade stationed in the US?



Current event #3: Despite Most Americans Against Bailout Plan, Bailout Passes.

What happened to the voice of the people? Isn't it the job of our Representatives to represent us? I heard a clip from a speech Nancy Pelosi (I've been looking all morning for the media clip for you, but I can't find it) was giving regarding the bailout saying that she received tens of thousands of emails and letters about the bailout with about 90% of them against the bailout. But the people just don't understand the importance of this bill, so she went ahead and voted FOR it. So do members of our Congress and Legislature deem themselves smarter than the rest of Americans? That sounds like a big problem to me. I'm not trying to pick on Pelosi in particular, but I wonder how many others heard the voice of the people they are being paid to represent and went ahead and did what they wanted anyway. If our politicians are going to treat us like the "little people", it sound like it's time to boot some people out of office.