The New Tolerance

In case you've been living under a rock
since November 4th, Proposition 8, here in California,
passed by a slim margin of 52.5% to 47.5%.

In the days following temples all across the state have been
ground zero for angry demonstrations.
Needless to say, Mormons have been heavily targeted.

Since the news is heavily biased out here, I wanted
to give you the opportunity to get some information
from the other side of the Proposition.

Click here to read In the Face of Hatred by Paul Bishop
I think it's really well written and reminds us
"Bigoted Mormon Hatemongers*" - WWJD?

As Paul so eloquently wrote:
"Clearly there are lessons to be learned from the current unrest:

Tolerance is not agreement and should not be a one way street. However,

we must still remain tolerant of those who are intolerant of us.

Recognize the adversary at work here –

making good seem bad and evil seem good.

We can only be disciples of Christ when we respond to

adversity in a Christlike manner.

To do less opens our actions to the influence of the

adversary and hurts us even more... .

Pray. Often. Don't forget to include those

who are set against you."

PS- The pictures from this article alone

are worth clicking the link.

*Should be read in an overly sarcastic tone.

October in Review

I guess it's safe to say -

I'm not a very consistent blogger.
(I'm sorry guys.)

Which is too bad because I love
comments and blog traffic, but
bad bloggers don't get much of either.

I guess I've got some things to work on.
And I'll continue to feel guilty about
forgotten posts until I get my act together.

In the meantime here's a review of our
happenings for the month, a.k.a. -
the post that never ends...

1. Jilley starts solids.

Jill's current food favorite is pureed carrots.



2. Jodi tries her hand @ crafting
<> Rock Pumpkins <>
Little Momma & Company was my inspiration.
Click here to link to my favorite stalked blog.

Here's the silly note some "concerned citizen"
(i.e.-busy body) left on our car as we hauled rocks
to the car (6 in total) from the beach.
People are too funny sometimes.


***

***

The directions are super easy-
paint, sharpie on a face, hot glue on a stem/leaves, and repeat!


Don't you just love Jack's pumpkin?
Psst-it's the one on the right.
I didn't trust him with a sharpie, so he used crayons
to create his pumpkin's "face."
I love how it turned out.

<> Shabby Fabric Holiday Lights<>
Can't claim this cute craft as my own;I got the idea
from my friend Barbara.

1st-Round up 4 fun fabrics (1/2 yard for each pattern)
Here's my fabric choices for Halloween & Thanksgiving.

***


2nd- tear strips about 1 and 1/4 inch wide.
3rd- cut each strip into 5 inch pieces


4th- tie onto one 100 count strand of lights
( I tied 8 strips between each light)

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5th- Decorate your home and enjoy!

Festive!

3. Open house at the Fire Station

Jack loves fire engines, so visiting our neighborhood
Fire Station during visiting hours was a must.


Jack had a blast exploring the fire engine.
Thanks Firemen for a job well done.
And thanks Papa for proudly serving the
city of Pasadena for over 20 years!


Quick sidebar- all our family snapshots
looks like this. Neither kid is ever looking at the camera
and Jack's always crying. (sigh)

4. Frankenfarm

Here's a priceless Jackism.
Oh, and enjoy Jilley's digestive pyrotechnics.


I'll be really sad when Jack has
mastered the English language.
Until then, I'll keep video taping his cuteness.

5. Ventura High School's
10 Year Class Reunion.

The good stuff- I bought a cute new outfit for the occasion,
it was date night with Kent, seeing old friends, listening
to Jesse Gloyd sing karaoke, Cold Stone afterward, and
these crazy photo booth photos.

(Lt to Rt- Keely, yours truly, and Kiwi)


***

(Lt to Rt-Kent, Kiwi, Trevor, Lorne, Keely, and Me)

Thanks for the laughs guys.
We'll have to pull these photos out when
our kids complain we don't know how to have a good time.

The bad stuff- Most of my friends didn't show,
forced conversation, and the same old clicks.

The verdict- I'm happy with where
my life has taken me.
Most people were skinnier in high school
( including me).
I doubt I'll make the 20 year...

6. Pickin' Pumpkins

Highlights from the pumpkin patch

Checking out the merchandise.


Feeding the goats.


Maneuvering the hay "maze."
Hi Mom!


This gorgeous barn


A spoof on the painting "American Gothic"



7. 72 Hour Kits

This month I ran a booth on 72 hour kits for Enrichment.
That meant I needed to get my house in order and
make 4 kits for my family. I'm excited to say-
I now have 72 hour kits for each member
of our family. And it wasn't nearly as hard as
I thought it would be. I'm listing some tips I learned
with the hopes that something I say might be helpful.

Tips:
1. I bought all the food for my kits @ the $.99 Store.
I found name brands with expiration date all
round 10/09. Always check the expiration date before
you buy food for your kit.

2. Date all food in your kit, so that you can
easily see when it expires or when you bought it
(what ever you prefer).

3. Pop top soups and fruits explode under pressure or
if they are past their expiration date. If you
buy these cans for your kits, zip them up in a plastic bag to
prevent contaminating your whole kit.

4. Mint gum flavors what ever it is packed by
and Jolly Ranchers turn to liquid. I suggest packing a
milder flavored gum and Lifesaver candies.

5. Include $ in your emergency supplies. Make sure
all cash is in small bills. There will be
no "making change" in a real emergency situation!

6. Our trash service supplies a free second
recycling bin upon request (we just asked for one).
Many of the families in my ward place all 72 hour supplies
into the extra bin and store it in their garage.
It's all together and out of the way; how smart.

Do you have a clever 72 hour kit tip?
Please share it in the comment section!

8. Trick or Treating

Act 1: Trunk or Treating 10/25

Jack, Jill, and Jodi getting pumped to Trunk or Treat


Frankenfarm like candy.


"Nook Dada, that me - Frankenfarm!"


Jill was fighting croup and slept through
all the fun.

Act 2: Halloween 10/31

Jill basically healthy. Jack smiling, but barking like
a seal (that's right, he caught croup from his sister).

On Halloween Jack woke up from his nap sick
and miserable. We knew trick or treating
was basically off the table. There was no way he
wanted to wear his costume, but he would wear the
Superman and Batman Capes Nana made him.


At 8pm we convinced Jack to "say hello" to the neighbors
in our courtyard. We brought his candy sack and made
sure he kept his distance from all kids. Not the
Halloween we envisioned,
but a good time none the less.

9. Carving Pumpkins

Carving and decorating pumpkins.


Sadly, an orange shirt is as close to dressing up
for Halloween as Kent and I get.


This was Aunt Mack's 1st time carving a pumpkin!
Good job Macky. Thanks for spending Halloween at
our house (you too Nana).


Top- Kent's creation & Bottom- Mack's jack o' lantern

10. Jillian turned 5 months old!

What can I say? Jill is such a sweetie.
I feel so blessed to be this
little lady's mom.

She adores her brother and absolutely lights up
when he pays her any kind of attention.

Jill loves to bounce in her jumperoo, eat,
coo, and grab at everything .
She hates getting out of the bath and
getting her meals late (he he).

She's can sit on her own, but one jerky motion
and she's on her back/front/other.
She's also mastered the art of rolling over
and scooting on her back.


Jilley, life is better with you to share it.
We love you.

Yay, you made it to the end.
High five and thanks for reading!

Yes on Prop 8

What are the six consequences if Proposition 8 Fails?

1. Children in public schools will be taught that both traditional marriage and same-sex marriage are okay. The California Education Code already requires that health education classes instruct children about marriage. Therefore, if the definition of marriage is changed, children will be taught that marriage is a relation between any two adults. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

2. Churches will be sued if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings that are open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries.

3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has put an end to its adoption work, deciding to abandon its founding mission, rather than comply with state law requiring that gays be allowed to adopt children. (Boston.com)

4. Religions that sponsor private schools and which provide housing for married students will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if it runs counter to church doctrine or lose tax exemptions and benefits.

5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government. It has already happened in Canada, one of six countries that have legalized gay marriage.

6. It will cost you money. A change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits. Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today’s activist judges), think of the money – your money, your church contributions – that will have to be spent on legal fees. And think of all the unintended consequences that we cannot even foresee at this time. Where will it end? It’s your children, your grandchildren, your money, and your liberties. Lets work together to protect them.

I believe this was written by Elder Larry Lawrence (currently serving as an Area Seventy in California). You can also read the LDS church article The Divine Institution of Marriage on the Newsroom website, the official resource for news media for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Help get the word out. Copy and paste this info and post it on your blog and/or email it to your contacts.

Clock Watcher

[Let me preface this post by saying
I have never practiced numbers with Jack.]

The other day I was cleaning the bathroom,
(I know, so very glamorous) when Jack
said "Look Mama num'er 2."

He was pointing to the alarm clock on Kent's
nightstand. I asked him to point to the number 2.
Sure enough, alarm #2 was set! What the...

So I asked him, "What's this number Jack?"
(Pointing to the 4)
"num'er 4."

"And this one?"
"num'er 1."

"Good; and what about this one."
"zero!"

I'd call him a genius, but
he sings the abc song:
"q-y-r-b-s-t-w-x-y and z."
Genius might be pushing it a little.

Family Collage

Found this site-
Wordle
and couldn't help but
mess around until I'd made
the perfect word collage.
too cool!

Shocker

October 1st, Jack and I took Jill
to the doctor for her well baby check-up.

Jill weighs 15 lbs. 10 oz. and is 25 1/2 in. tall.
Placing her squarely in the 90th percentile!?!

Talk about a shocker - I knew Jilley was
on the chubby side, but I had no idea
she was topping the charts.
I had assumed she'd be in the bottom
10% like her brother.

Which leads us to an interesting question-
How long will it take Jack's
little sister to
catch up to him in size?

Only time will tell...


Jillian, definitely not hurting for a meal.

A quick side note:



While we were waiting for Jill's shots
Jack spied this cheesy wall mural and
said -"Look Mama, a doc'er pig."

I had to laugh over his logic
stethoscope=doctor.

Conference Breakdown

At some point during General Conference Jack
hits a wall. He doesn't want to sit quietly. And he
doesn't want to listen. He just wants to be
loud, restless, crazy Jack.

Needless to say, Kent and I will
be downloading Conference
to our trusty ipods.

Hope your weekend was filled with
serenity & enlightenment.

momo shoes

These are Jack's church shoes.

He wouldn't wear them until Kent
told him they looked like motorcycle shoes.

Now he won't take them off.
They're his momo shoes.

"Momo shoes run fas' Mama."



"Yes Jack; yes they do.
Just not in the halls at church."

"Um, yep..."

Ransom

Pots,

Look who stowed away in Jack's bag.
We are demanding that you visit if you ever
want to see Luigi again.

Sincerely,
the Kidnappers

(PS- Please visit; we miss you.)

FYI- Pots is what Jack calls Kent's Dad.
He's supposed to say Pops, but likes
saying Pots better.