Nothing like singing and eating Puffs in the play tent...aaahh....the life of a toddler!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Where is Emma and what will she be??
In the pantry....maybe a chef??
Pulling out all the moss of my decorative tree....maybe a gardener??
Climbing in the tupperware drawer and on top of laundry basket....maybe a professional climber or gymnast??
Crawling over the chair rungs....maybe a Marine??
Whatever she ends up...she is keeping us very busy guessing right now!!!Wednesday, November 5, 2008
After All...Tomorrow is Another Day
To say last night was hard to swallow, is an understatement. I was hoping and had been praying for an election miracle. After some sadness and anger....confusion and bewilderment...I try to remain calm and hopeful. I try to trust in the prayers we have prayed and will continue to pray...the fight to protect the unborn and dignity of human life and marriage...and will continue to fight. I believe that this is a time for us to realize the power of a vote...the power of free will and to see how it can work against us just as it can work for us. People need to be educated but most of all people need to hear and learn the truth. I am so disheartened when I hear that 53% of self-proclaimed "practicing" Catholics voted for our president-elect. The naivete of Americans, especially Catholic Americans, worries me and shows me how those of us in the pew cannot be silent anymore. We need to share and live and witness the faith and its fundamental principles and beliefs, such as the moral decision to protect human life from conception to natural death. I am saddened that so many in this country believed in the empty rhetoric of a man who is one of the most pro-abortion candidates in history as well as one of the most liberal. I can allow myself to be proud of a country that can overcome barriers and make history by electing a bi-racial president and show the world that America truly is a place where dreams come true and anyone can be free. Except what about the unborn? Our president-elect himself has said that he would not want his own daughters "punished with the burden of a baby" and when asked about when rights begin for human beings, he responded "that it is above his pay grade" to answer that.....NOT ANYMORE Mr. President. We need to start praying for a conversion of heart for this man and that he will soften his liberal views that have been so evident in his time thus far in the political world. He will have the chance to elect Supreme Court Justices and make abortion more accessible....but we have the chance to join together as Christians and Catholics and Pro-Lifers to pray and continue to fight!! I believe we are living in the "culture of death" we have heard about. My own state last night voted to accept the Physician Assisted Suicide Bill and like to refer to it as Death with Dignity...Lord Have Mercy on Us. Not to keep on my soap box here (my emotions and thoughts are running overtime today) but it also frustrates me how the "racial issues" are also now playing such a huge part. Obama won 95% of the African American vote last night...that is HUGE. And while I rejoice in this historic victory and milestone for the African American community of a bi-racial man being elected President...how many of those people actually voted for their belief on his issues or because of the color of his skin? I kept hearing news reporters mention Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. last night and how proud he would be.....while I think he would, like me, rejoice in this historic moment....I highly doubt Obama would have gotten his vote based on what I know and have read about him. Here are two of his quotes:
"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Look past Obama's calm and charismatic temperament (which I think won most people's votes) and instead at the quality of character.....see any problems??
Dr. King also said "If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control. " Moral foundations....what we must strive to bring back over the next LONG four years.
I want to end by posting an email a priest friend wrote after last night's election, an encouraging call to a revival!! Are you ready? I am!! While 57 million of us voted and lost last night...we lost an election.....we must unite to change the uncertainty of the near future....but remember (I've read the END of THE BOOK) our eternal future has been won...we just need to make sure we all join together and get there!!!
From Father: "Alleluia! It's good to hear from you! The unfortunate result of the election last night is not surprising, but disappointing nevertheless! What we need is a revival right away - in the Church! Just think: if more than 40% (which is probably higher than in reality, but let's run with it!) of Catholics went to Church, if all Catholics lived according to the teachings of the Bible and the Church (as interpreted by the Church's magisterium, not our own viewpoints!), and if all other Christians lived according to the teachings of the Bible (no sin, such as same-sex unions, abortion, infanticide), all politicians would have to be pro-life! Not only that, all peoples in this country and beyond would want what we in the Church have: true freedom, born of a relationship with God that calls us to what we were created for: union with Him now and forever in Heaven! So, while it is certainly important to pray for the conversion of our President-elect, for the sake of the unborn and the dignity of marriage, the true revival must begin in the pews! The people of God failed to be lights for the whole world to know God's love before He sent Jesus; and the people of God today are failing. We need to repent once again and regroup, fixing our eyes on Him, praying for all, but never swerving in His call to be drawn to union with Him, even if the rest of our families and friends and even church family, let alone the country at large, seems to be striving ever further from the revealed Truth of God and His Church! Alleluia!"
"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Look past Obama's calm and charismatic temperament (which I think won most people's votes) and instead at the quality of character.....see any problems??
Dr. King also said "If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control. " Moral foundations....what we must strive to bring back over the next LONG four years.
I want to end by posting an email a priest friend wrote after last night's election, an encouraging call to a revival!! Are you ready? I am!! While 57 million of us voted and lost last night...we lost an election.....we must unite to change the uncertainty of the near future....but remember (I've read the END of THE BOOK) our eternal future has been won...we just need to make sure we all join together and get there!!!
From Father: "Alleluia! It's good to hear from you! The unfortunate result of the election last night is not surprising, but disappointing nevertheless! What we need is a revival right away - in the Church! Just think: if more than 40% (which is probably higher than in reality, but let's run with it!) of Catholics went to Church, if all Catholics lived according to the teachings of the Bible and the Church (as interpreted by the Church's magisterium, not our own viewpoints!), and if all other Christians lived according to the teachings of the Bible (no sin, such as same-sex unions, abortion, infanticide), all politicians would have to be pro-life! Not only that, all peoples in this country and beyond would want what we in the Church have: true freedom, born of a relationship with God that calls us to what we were created for: union with Him now and forever in Heaven! So, while it is certainly important to pray for the conversion of our President-elect, for the sake of the unborn and the dignity of marriage, the true revival must begin in the pews! The people of God failed to be lights for the whole world to know God's love before He sent Jesus; and the people of God today are failing. We need to repent once again and regroup, fixing our eyes on Him, praying for all, but never swerving in His call to be drawn to union with Him, even if the rest of our families and friends and even church family, let alone the country at large, seems to be striving ever further from the revealed Truth of God and His Church! Alleluia!"
Monday, November 3, 2008
Back in Business
As many of you have already heard, Boeing and the Union FINALLY reached an agreement and the union members voted 75% on Saturday in favor of it...which means today Jason was able to go back to work!!! While trying to train his body again to get up at 345am to start biking to the ferry isn't easy after 2 months on strike (he ended up driving today)....he is glad to be back on the job and so thankful it is all finally over and won't happen again at least for the next four years. Again, thanks to so many of you for the prayers, support and help you provided to us during this difficult time. We truly learned a lot about ourselves, our friends and our faith these past couple of months.
We think the Saints must have been working overtime on Saturday, All Saints Day.....because the same day the strike ended we also FINALLY got our van back and working well!! I am so thankful Jason was able to work hard at finding a part through the junk yards and a man to put in the transmission for such a reasonable price....I definitely have a man of many talents!! So hopefully the job and car drama are over for a long while....amazing what can happen in two months time!!
We think the Saints must have been working overtime on Saturday, All Saints Day.....because the same day the strike ended we also FINALLY got our van back and working well!! I am so thankful Jason was able to work hard at finding a part through the junk yards and a man to put in the transmission for such a reasonable price....I definitely have a man of many talents!! So hopefully the job and car drama are over for a long while....amazing what can happen in two months time!!
Cute either way
Maybe it was due to the spirit of Halloween, but Jason decided the other night to name Emma "Franken-Baby" because how she walks and talks. I choose to call her the "Attacker", but either way we laugh when she starts to go!! AND SHE IS EVERYWHERE and getting much faster.
Happy Halloween...a little late
We had a nice Halloween.....We first went to see PopPop that morning and bring him some decorated cookies and pumpkin seeds. He loved the girls Halloween outfits especially Angel's boots and striped tights!! Then later my sister Alli and her friends came over to get dressed up as Candy Land characters and my parents came over and we all had dinner. Then Jason and dad took Angel out to get some candy....she was so excited and had been practicing saying "Happy Halloween" all day. The whole time I was getting her dressed in her ladybug costume (Emma was one too) she kept telling me, "Mama, I love this stuff!" So cute. I think she loved watching her Aunt Alli get all dressed up too. She was very excited to do what the big girls did and dump all the candy out on the floor when they got home and eat and look at all the acquired goodies!! There were not that many kids trick or treating anymore....which I think has a lot to do with the loss of a sense of neighborhood these days. Last year we went to the Church's Saints Party...but Angel is still a bit young to participate in a lot of the activities.....maybe in a couple years! Poor Emma was still having a rough time with her cold (although I think it is all teething related now as I see a tooth coming in) so she made a very cute, but sick ladybug!! Angel had to end the night with dancing of course and getting all the other girls to join in. Hope you had a Happy Halloween too!!
Halloween Cookies
Angel had fun making our traditional Halloween cookies and decorating them with Aunt Alli. I use Danielle Bean's recipe for Brown Sugar Cutouts and Royal Icing....super easy and yummy. I think Angel enjoyed eating more of the icing and cookies than she did decorating them.
Pumpkin Project
We had a fun time carving our pumpkins and taking pictures of the girls in their cute Hanna Halloween outfits from Aunty Megs. Angel wasn't too sure about cleaning the pumpkins out...didn't like all the pulp but did like scraping it clean. She also liked getting the seeds out and enjoys eating them. My pumpkin seed recipe is made up but very yummy....I just melt a couple TBs of butter, add to taste and look some brown sugar, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and season salt. Add seeds and mix up then pour onto greased cookie sheet. I sprinkle some kosher salt on top and bake at 350 for at least half an hour almost 45 minutes, stirring a couple time in between and until they look done but not burned. I then laid them out on paper towels to dry and SO GOOD and good for you!! There were too many cute pictures of our fun fall pumpkin night, so check out the slide show! (there are a couple of the corn we had on our fall scene...before the raccoons got to it and after) Enjoy!!!
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