My ten cents

Since I never can seem to share just 2 cents I figured I'd title this more appropriately :)

Something has to be said. At least by me. I figure if it's been running around in my head for a while then it's probably worth mentioning. So bear with me - or go read another blog. Either way is fine. But maybe this'll be worth a few minutes of your time.

Kids. Kids have been on my mind lately. Specifically the number of kids people have. Then I go and read an article about the Duggar family. If you don't know who this family is I'll briefly tell you they are a family in AR. who have 19 children. They have a show on TLC. Anyway, their 19th child was born very premature (25 weeks) and has been in a hospital since December. They were able to take her home today. Very special day. And it was a nice article. Then I made the mistake of reading some of the comments people leave on those things. Sure enough there was a debate going on about how many children this family should have. And how the mom should have her tubes tied. And on and on.

Seriously? Why in the world is it any of their business how many children this family has or doesn't have for that matter? Who are any of us to decide how many children each family should have? I understand that there are many differing points on birth control and I'm not hear to debate that. I'm just saying that the Bible says "Blessed is the man whose quiver is full [of children]" Ps 127. No where does it say what size that quiver is. It doesn't say ....of 2 children...of 20 children etc... It just says blessed is the full one. Wow! You mean we can have as many or as few children and we and God decide? What a concept!

Of course I've been thinking about this a lot more since the news of our newest blessing quatro. I'm absolutely thrilled they are coming even though 3 months ago I hadn't seen myself as the mom of 4. But this feels right. I know it's right. My quiver will be full -- for me. Do I see myself as the mom of 20? or 15? or 10? No I really don't. But I do see a happy, blessed mom of 4. And I know that I would be devastated if someone came up to me - or behind my back for that matter - and said that I shouldn't be having this many children [or that I should be having more]. That my tubes should be tied. That I can't handle the ones I already have. The sad thing is that people actually do that (not to me but to other moms).

Would someone actually leave our church because of how many children any of the staff have? I certainly think that's crazy but I'm sure it's likely. Why? Because everyone has an opinion about how many kids a family should have, how they should behave and be raised, and so on and so forth. Our staff has a family with 10 kids, one with 12, two with 3, one with none, and us with 4. It's a crazy staff picture and all the kids aren't even in it! But I know every kid is deeply loved and well cared for. Is that OK? Heck yeah! Is it for everyone? Heck no and that's fine. Their quivers are different sizes!

So what do you say we just leave each other alone. Some people are meant to have lots of kids, others not so much and even others none. Yes unfortunately there are many, many children who are born into horrible situations. Kids are abused or abandoned. And that breaks my heart. But even then we can't tell those families how many children they should have. Instead lets be proactive and help them. Educate them, love them, support them, adopt them, care for them. Whatever it takes. Every child born into this world is loved by a mighty, loving God. Show them that. Don't judge...love.

And know that my children are not perfect and neither are yours. So let's support each other and keep our opinions about how many children someone should have to ourselves. By the way, no one has really harassed me about the number of kids we have. We have been asked if we know how to use birth control but that's it really. So I'm not sharing this out of some defensive place. People have been wonderfully and genuinely excited for us and I'm so thankful for that. I'm sharing this because I've heard and read opinions and I confess have even had some of my own ugly ones, but I was challenged, convicted and I am a new woman! :)

Was that 10 cents or 20?

Change we can believe in?

You had to know this was coming sometime. It's been a while since I've posted anything politcal. I wanted to wait and see and hope and believe that the president, whom the people elected, could really bring change we can believe in. So far, I can't say that I'm impressed.

*"President Ob*ma urged researchers Monday to follow science and not ideology as he abolished contentious Bush-era restraints on stem-cell research." AP

*"President Ob*ma, sounding weary of criticism over federal earmarks, defended Congress' pet projects Wednesday as he signed an "imperfect" $410 billion measure with thousands of examples. But he said the spending does need tighter restraint and listed guidelines to do it." AP [btw, do you know how much 1 billion dollars is? A billion seconds ago was 1959! Click here to see a very interesting video on this. I tried to do my own math and got lost in zeros. And this definitely is a lot added onto what Bush already spent]

*"President Ob*ma on Friday struck down the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information - an inflammatory policy that has bounced in and out of law for the past quarter-century."AP

So as I understand this, public tax money, LOTS of it, is going to bailing out our economy, aborting babies all over the world, and using unborn babies here in our own country in the name of science? Is this really what people were hoping for?

My beef with the olympics

Ok, so here's my random musing for the day. I found out at lunch time that USA's women's softball team lost the gold medal match against Japan. It was the first time since softball was introduced to the Olympics in 1996 that the USA team did not win gold. Ironically, I heard two nights ago that the very reason that they are taking out softball is because team USA is unbeatable. Hmmmmmm. I think it stinks. Just because USA is good doesn't mean that they have to remove softball altogether. Seriously, look at China! If we removed all the sports that China has dominated at this Olympics we'd lose men and women's gymnastics, men and women's diving, ping pong etc.... What can you expect from a country that takes 3 year olds and trains them to be Olympic athletes? Anyway, just because a certain country is very good at a sport shouldn't mean it should be discontinued. I guess if the softball teams were allowed to play in bikinis like women's beach volleyball (that's a whole other issue there) there would be no doubt that they could stay. Hmmmmm.

Similarly, yet totally opposite, is baseball. Apparently baseball is being discontinued because no professional players are able to play since it is right now baseball season. So because none of the teams are exceptional they are removing it. How does that make sense? I have no idea. I guess there are plenty of professional handball players, trampoline-ists, and rhythmic gymnasts to keep those sports alive.

So as much as I love the Olympics and am addicted to watching them and thrilled everytime an American runs around with a flag and cries, I just don't understand some of the logic.

My mind is troubled

Ya know, over the past 8 months, since I've started this blog, I've used it for many different things. To share silly videos, pictures and stories about my kids and husband, to share things I've found humorous, to share my heart, discuss politics and pay tribute to amazing people in my life. It's never been about just one thing. That's why I'm going to use it again to share something that has been bothering me for awhile and I've not really had any other outlet. It bothers me because it's something that I don't think many people know about and it may be important to them. It is political and it is moral and if it isn't something you agree with me on please just hear me out. I'm not out to change anyone's mind but maybe I can help you see something a little differently. Please don't just skip over it. Give me a few minutes of your time and that's it.

I discovered something the other day about Barack Obama that really shocked me. Even more so then before. I have been watching and listening, to him and about him, since he joined the race for president to see who he really is. He seems very likeable, very hopeful and very vote-able for president. He speaks a message of change that is attractive to many, many people and it's understandable. He's charismatic and pleasant. I'm not surprised by his popularity. But I believe there are things about him that are deep and hidden and very disturbing and are, for obvious reasons, not broadcasted.

I had decided a while ago that he is not the candidate that I would vote for president - I disagree with him on too many things. Usually I would just leave it at that but because of this new information I can't just leave it alone. I feel like you should know so you can hopefully make an informed decision. I want to know who I am voting for before I vote. I want to make an educated and informed decision. I do my best to make the right choice through research and prayer. I don't mind discussing issues with people and finding out different sides to different things. I think, as much as politics isn't all that fun, it is important and it does affect each and every one of us. And it is too important to not care about.

So that being said, the information that I came across is this. Awhile ago the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (a bill that prevents doctors from killing babies who somehow survived being aborted) was passed 98-0 in the US Senate. Basically, before this bill, if a baby somehow survived an attempted abortion the doctor performing it was allowed to finish the job by either starvation or dehydration. The passing of this bill prevents that. Apparently two years before this, Barack Obama was chairman of a committee in Illinois that dealt with a bill similar to this very one. He gave a speech and argued against it - basically arguing for the right to kill this new baby. Unbelievable.

As a pregnant woman, I have never understood the reasons for ending an unborn child's life. Even when I was pro-choice I knew that I could never on my own have an abortion. When I was a freshman in college I had many reasons to be pro-choice, one of them being the right for a woman to choose what she will do with her own body. I still think you should be able to choose what to do with your own body. However, I was challenged by the idea that being pro-life does not take away your choice, you had a choice several weeks or months earlier when you had sex. Pro-life protects that innocent baby and gives them a choice and a chance in this life.

I do not understand how Barack Obama can make the right decisions for myself and for my children when he does not value the life that I carry inside me right now. And he won't value that life or even consider it a real life until after September 12th. Ever since that first moment that Jack was conceived, even before that, God had plan and purpose for Jack - for each one of us. When I found out I was pregnant I was overjoyed to bring another baby into this world. Never once did I think that this was not a little person, my child, a gift from God. I am sad that Obama does not share that belief.

I understand that it may seem silly to vote or not vote for someone based on their stance on abortion, however, at the very core of who I am, life matters. It isn't all about education, foreign policy or even gas prices. It's about being led by someone who values all life and will make decisions knowing that each one of us is a unique creation and incredibly valuable to God.

Are you happy?

So I was reading the newest Reader's Digest last night before bed and I came across this article called "Why We Are Happy". I thought there were some interesting thoughts in here so I wanted to share some of them. Especially because some have to do with politics and what we, as Americans, value.

"Not all types of freedom are the same in terms of happiness, however. Researchers have shown that economic freedom brings happiness, as does political and religious freedom. On the other hand, moral freedom-a lack of constraints on behavior-does not. People who feel they have unlimited moral choices in their lives when it comes to matters of sex or drugs, for example, tend to be unhappier than those who do not feel they have so many choices in life....When pollsters asked voters in the 2004 Presidential election what the most important issue facing America was, the issue voters chose above all others was "moral values". This beat out the economy, terrorism, the Iraq war, education, and health care as people's primary concern....

...The data tell us that what matters most for happiness is not having a lot of things but having healthy values. Without these values, our jobs and our economy will bring us soulless toil and joyless riches. Our education will teach us nothing. There will be no reason to fight-or make peace, for that matter-to protect our way of life. Our health-care system will keep us healthier, but what's the point of good health without a happy life to enjoy?...

.....We must hold our leaders accountable for the facts on happiness and refuse to take it lightly when politicians abridge the values of faith, work, family, charity and freedom...."

This is all interesting to me because when you watch the news or read the paper or news on the internet, we are bombarded with the media telling us "what we value". I think that there are issues that are important for politicians to address for sure, but overall, our happiness is what Americans value most, according to this article. It makes sense to me. I see politicians all the time promising one thing or another. Better health care, better economy, the key to improving education, how to protect our country from terrorists, the Iraq war etc... But when it comes down to it, all of those things may or may not work. Improving health care isn't going to make America a better place. What will is that it's citizens love being here and are happy. Then they in turn will work hard to improve what is wrong. I really don't see any politician solving all of our problems. They think they can but I don't see it happening until we happily make changes ourselves. You see they are trying to please everyone and by doing so are not pleasing anyone.

Why can't we have a set of morals and values? As was stated in the article, making everything okay doesn't make people happy. So why do we keep trying? Why not stand up for what is morally right and live that way instead of making morality relative? It doesn't work and it doesn't make people happy. Just look at society now. With all the "advances" in our society you would think we would be more happy and thankful for what we have. Instead it seems to be the opposite. We can't get enough and we expect the government to fix all our problems and make us happy. Well they can't.

I am not a pessimist when it comes to government I promise. I am just a realist who is looking at government and what they can actually do for this country and not at all the empty campaign promises. I'm sick of hearing about quick fixes. It took decades to get us into the mess we're in as a nation. It took several different presidents of both parties. It isn't going to be fixed by one particular candidate (either party) in one term. Let's be real.

Okay this blog is long enough and God knows I have more opinions then I have time or space for :)

My political blog

I'm sure this blog will get some eyes rolling or some heads if I'm lucky but it's something that's been on my mind a lot lately and I think I've started to realize and remember some important things.

First of all, I'm a Republican. That doesn't mean I am anti-Democrat, it just means I agree more with what the Republicans stand for then the Democrats. Not in all issues but most issues. That being said, I've been very interested and somewhat annoyed at all the political wars going on in America recently. Who is real? Who is right? Who will do the right thing and make the right decision when the time comes? Who has an understanding on the realities of actually being the leader of this country? Who will lead us in the right direction? Who will fight to not only protect this country and what we stand for (at least what we stood for when the constitution was written) but for all the citizens, including the unborn? Who will unite this country and not continue to divide it? Who will act morally and responsibly as a very public leader? Who will hold people accountable when they break the law? Who will tell the truth and not just say what they think people want to hear? And who is accountable to God and lives that way?

None of the front runners in either party are my first choice for President. So it's going to be a very interesting vote for me come November. But here is the realization that I have come to. I can not put my hope and my future into any of the candidates. They will all most certainly fail me. Some already have. I can only put my hope and trust in my God. He is the only One who will not fail me, Who is right, Who does the right thing and makes the right decisions, Who has an understanding of being a leader, Who leads us in the right direction, Who fought, continues to fight and died for everyone, including the unborn, Who has the power to unite, Who is the definition of moral and the Truth, Who is just and fair and will always tell the truth no matter what people think. He never fails.

No matter who becomes the next president they will need tons of prayer. They will fail at some things and they will succeed at others. It will be interesting to see who this country puts their hope in. I am definitely a fan of George Bush. Not because he's been the perfect president. As I said before, only God can make those kinds of promises. Bush, like others, has failed at somethings and has succeeded at others. I am a fan because he is unashamed of Who he is accountable to. He is upfront about his belief in God and in prayer. He has said that he prays daily and reads his Bible. He is still a man, but he is a man who is doing his best to follow God. I trust that. No other candidate has shown that kind of trustworthiness to me.

Who is real? Who is not? I guess next year at this time we'll see -- when the rubber meets the road.

My testimony

I have to start off with a quick testimony. It may seem silly to some of you but it's pretty cool to me. My vacuum broke a week and a half ago. This vacuum is one that should never break. Mark and I gave into a salesman and bought the coolest vacuum ever. I've had no regrets but we did pay a lot of money for it. It has two lifetime guarantees. That's how good it is. Anyway, it broke. I did all I could do including calling the company and doing all that they told me to do. I even waited and had Mark look it over and do all he could do. Nothing worked. The company told me I'd have to mail a part to Colorado Springs and they'd work on it for me. There is no where in Durango that I can take it. Not good. Well getting to the post office is incredibly hard. Taking the two kids and a huge package is a challenge. Not impossible but not easy. So I decided a couple days ago to pray for my vacuum. It seemed silly but I know that God cares even about my little vacuum problem so I decided to trust that knowledge and go for it. My floor has not been vacuumed in a week and a half and it's getting really gross. I can get up the big things (the dog loves dropped food) but I can still see how dirty it is. So I was considering today calling my friend and asking to borrow her vacuum so I can have some sanity. But before I did I decided to try my vacuum one more time. I prayed again and put the thing back together. I did the exact same stuff as I did last week and plugged it in. I closed my eyes and turned it on.....and it worked!!!! I couldn't believe it. I called Mark and had him listen to it. I don't care if I looked stupid. I was just so excited. I was able to vacuum my whole house! It felt wonderful. There may be another explanation but I'm choosing to believe that God healed my vacuum. I did nothing different. And it's so cool to know that God cares about my little vacuum and my having to go to the post office. He's so good to me!

So there's not much else to report this week. Kale went to his first birthday party alone last Saturday. A milestone for all of us. He had no problems and loved it. Mark and I were fine to. We took Kate to lunch with some friends (went to Pizza Hut and the service was horrible - I remember why I don't go there...). Kate probably had the hardest time. She didn't want to leave Bubba. Poor thing. She was okay with us but would've rather stayed at the party. The picture of Kale and Mark is showing off the lovely fake teeth that he got in his goody bag. We tried to get Kate to try some on but she wasn't interested.


The pictures of Kate are of her on the couch snoozing after church last Sunday. She fell asleep on the ride home and didn't move when we laid her down.















The other one is of her in time out on our back deck. We finally had a little sun and a little heat so we hung out outside for a bit. She kept eating snow. Not a big deal right after it snows but disgusting when you're having to watch for yellow snow and brown snow. Gross! She didn't understand this.

Kale asked me to take this picture of him so he posed for me. I think he looks kinda cool. He thinks he does to. He's wearing his new spiderman sunglasses.

We have company coming tonight and staying through Sunday. Kale and Kate are looking forward to seeing their grandparents (Mark's folks).

I get to spend a day in Farmington on Saturday. Some friends and I are planning a baby shower for another good friend who is having twins so we're going to NM to shop for the shower. It may not sound too exciting but a day shopping with no kids is really amazing. There are two babies going with us but they are easy. We're going to have lunch and just take our time. I can't wait! I have to say that it isn't that place we are going (New Mexico really isn't that enchanting - I don't know who said it was the land of enchantment) but the fact that I am going. Mark has such a great attitude about parenting that I am truly blessed. He doesn't see it as babysitting. That always bugs me when dads say they're babysitting. They are just as much of a parent as the mom! They are parenting :) And Mark does it very well.