Signing off

We're moving today. Actually, we're finishing our move today. My brother-in-laws were supposed to move to trailer loads to the house yesterday. My 5 p.m. They had only finished one. I am grateful for their help, but they are so freakin' slow. I had EVERYTHING packed and had to unpack things so that we could stay here for another night. I was so frustrated. I finally calmed myself down by saying, "Hey, you could be traveling across the plains in a covered wagon. That would be worse." It'll be a couple of days before we get internet hooked up.

Who are you going to be little boy?

I am so in love with my kids. I guess every mother is. I just love watching them grow and change and develop the personalities every other day. Sometimes it seems Madison is on a roll and sometimes Porter. Lately, Porter has been "coming out." He cracks me up. He is all boy. He loves his bats, balls, swords, guns, and knives. But he also has such a sweet side to him. Madison spilled chips all over the pantry this morning. I told her she had to clean it up before she could eat her snack. Porter said, "I will do it." Madison was quick to relinquish the task to him. Since he was being so sweet I offered to help him. He said, "No Mom. I will do it." He cleaned it all up.
Yesterday in nursery he kept cracking me up. One of the little boys mentioned that he was wearing underwear now. Another chimed in and said, "I wear underwear too." Not to be out-done, Porter dropped his pants and announced, "I wear boxers!" I hurried to get his pants back on. I didn't want him to start a chain reaction.
While I was giving the lesson, we were talking about how Heavenly Father and Jesus love each of them. I also asked who else loved them? Brant was whispering, "Your Daddy loves you." After we settled them down from saying "Daddy loves me!" I asked "Who else loves you?" I prompted them to say, "Your Moms love you." Which had to be said over Brant's new whisper which was, "Nobody else loves you." They all started chiming, "My mommy loves me!" Porter stood up, pointed his finger at me and yelled, "And you are my Mudder!"
A couple of days ago he got into trouble for something. I don't even remember what it was. I told him he was not supposed to do that and not to do it again. He said, "Okay." Then he walked to the wall and put himself in timeout.
This morning all of the kids were outside playing. He said he wanted to go outside. I said, "You can go play with your cousins and your sister." He said, "They are my best friends!" I said, "Who is your best friend? Is Jantzen?" He said, "Yeah, Jantzen is my best friend. And Aundra is my best friend. Madison is my best friend too. All of them are my best friends." I said, "Am I your best friend too?" He said, "No. You are my Mom."

Is he the next American Idol or the President?

I have been an avid--okay, avid is a little strong. How about an "interested in politics person" for most of my life. During my college years, when I was the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, we greatly prided ourselves on our political savvy. Debate, issues, and political standing were the basis for your political stance--back then.

Life has changed since I was in college. Sitcoms have been replaced by reality shows. There is a new era in the Information Age. The internet has made everything about everyone instantly available. People Twitter, Facebook, Skype, and Blog. My space was the part of the room you shared with our sister that was yours. All of those words had no meaning in the 1990's. It's a fascinating phenomenon. Our level of communication and ability to access information so quickly has created a new era.

I reference all of this because it impacted our last political race in a great way. Obama's campaign team tapped into all of the social marketing. They were everywhere. They were actually brilliant in getting his message out. I don't particularly care for Howard Stern's crewdness, but I do like something that he did. He interviewed (his show) people on the street who were voting for Obama. They knew nothing about his policies. This video footage will blow your mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5p3OB6roAg They were asking Obama supporters about his policies. They posed John McCain's policies as Obama's and people were totally supporting the policy because they believed it was Obama's. People were voting for the celebrity that Obama was hyped up to be.

One of John Grisham's recent books, The Appeal http://www.jgrisham.com/the-appeal/, made an interesting speculation into the electoral process. Had it not been published before this election, you might have thought it was about a man like Obama. Very scary.

But this week, the political arena has turned Washington into a Circus. All of the publicity was reminiscient of Princess Diana's wedding. Which we know was a false fairy tale. People were in tears over Obama getting put into office--it was like the girls from the 60's screaming over The Beatles. People were booing George Bush. Why? You don't have to like George Bush to show the man some respect.

Ronald Reagan, who BTW still holds the record for the most people watching an inauguration, followed the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Reagan took office when unemployment was at an all-time high; inflation was through the roof; and the economy was in shambles. He did not once name-call or put-down Jimmy Carter. Why? Because he had character. Something lacking with a lot of the Obama followers.

One element that the American people have failed to realize is that no President can put into action any of his policies without the support of Congress and the Senate. It is with this thought in mind, that we should change our thinking and behavior. Politics should not be war. The other side should not be destroyed. Though some of us may have a hard time understanding why our opponents believe the way they do, we need to be respectful of all diversity. It doesn't mean we agree or that we like their policies. It means we cannot progress unless we can find a way to work together. While the Americans are fighting over who is going to "win" our enemies are laughing; watching us tear each other apart. We cannot succeed and become a great nation without learning to work together. Our political stage in America is in a sad state. Not because of Democrats or Republicans, but because we fight like children in the school yard. It's time for everyone to start getting along and co-existing in an interdependent forum.

We all want good healthcare; we all want good jobs; we all want opportunities; we all want fair pricing. Aren't we bright enough as a nation to figure out how to meet our objectives and compromise? Anyone who is married does this every day. My husband and I don't agree on everything, but we figure out a way to make both of us happy. Sometimes I give a little and sometimes he does. That's the way you work together with other people. Let's put America first and reach for the stars...and stripes.

Lane's first haircut

I have called Lane my "man-baby" more than once. He has such big hands and seems to grow so fast. He has also had a lot of hair. The twins got their first haircut on December 18, 2007. They were almost a year and half old. Lane's hair was starting to...no, it WAS growing over and past his ears. He in only 8 months old! I tried trimming it with scissors, but could not get him to hold still. I finally used the clippers just so I could get it trimmed a little. I got enough to save--more than what I got for Porter and Madison.

Reflections

I spent a half hour last night talking to a life long friend of mine who has recently experienced the loss of a pregnancy. It was so heartbreaking. She is a very strong person and definitely does not let her challenges get her down. I know she feels the pain, but she moves on and still puts a lot of faith in the Lord.
She has had a very difficult time getting pregnant. Her first child came after the result of lots of invitro-fertilization. She finally had a baby that is about 10 months older than the twins. She started invitro again and was so excited to call and tell me she was pregnant with twins. I was so happy for her I cried while I was she was telling me. It was so a joyous occassion. We felt like all of her suffering was finally going to pay off. She was nervous about having twins, but expressed so much gratitude to the Lord for letting her be able to have two more babies.
During the first trimester, she lost one of the babies. But, it didn't get her down. She was again grateful to still be pregnant. While going in for a routine ultrasound, the doctor had the devastating misfortune to inform her and her husband that the baby no longer had a heartbeat. They scheduled a "delivery" and she had to go into deliver the baby.
I know we each have our trials. I know that we have to develop our faith and strengthen our testimonies. She inspires me to work harder in my own life, to love more, and to appreciate each day. I know she will be rewarded and blessed for her faithfulness and strength. My prayers and heart are with her.

He's got a new attitude

Lane is enjoying the new found freedom that crawling has brought to his life. He loves to discover new rooms. Fortunately, he doesn't have the problem most babies have of putting everything in their mouth. Some things make it to his mouth, but he's not too bad. He does not like going down for naps, which is a change. He used to be so good about going to sleep when he couldn't move and just layed there. Now that he can get up, he wants to get out of his crib. If anyone is in the room he will not go sleep (unless he's really, really tired). He wants to play and get out and talk. He has started to show a little bit of a temper. Only when something makes him mad. Overall, he is still very, very happy.
Every Sunday at church he starts a game with the people behind us. It's always someone different. He smiles and giggles and flirts until he gets their attention. Then he tilts his head to one side. He continues to tease them doing this, until they do it. It never fails. About ten minutes into the meeting there is a grown adult behind us tipping their head to the side. Once he gets them to do it, he laughs and moves onto something else.

More Oatmeal, please!

Porter's favorite food has now become a favorite over his vegetables. Actually, it's a close tie, but Oatmeal is definitely fighting for first place. He wants oatmeal all of the time. Plain, no sugar, honey, or milk. He likes it straight. My healthy little man. I hope he keeps this up.

It's getting hot in here

Poor little Madison has had a horrible fever the past couple of days. Her little cheeks were burning bright red. I took her temperature last night and it was at 105. Fortunately, with a little aspirin it comes down. Last night she was whimpering so Brant went to her aid. She was scared because she said her bed was going to tip over. Her equilibrium and her shakes from chills were causing her to believe this. She wanted Daddy to lay down with her so her bed wouldn't tip over. He stayed with her until 4 in the morning. He said that was when she finally fell asleep without tossing and turning. It is so sad to see them sick. I am thankful my children have been blessed with such good health. I feel for those parents who struggle with their children's health challenges.

I just couldn't let it go...

Here's the answer to my own question:

Q: Why Do Battery Letters Skip from A to C? And Was There Ever a B-Cell Battery?
Written by Mental_FlossPublished September 27, 2006

A: Once upon a time, there used to be a B-cell battery. But just like the second sister on the ABC’s Family Matters, the B-cell battery simply found itself written out of the script.
Here’s what happened. Battery letter designations are based on the size of the battery for common sizes. Hence, A is the smallest, and D is the largest. By that same logic, AA batteries are larger than AAA. Unfortunately for B batteries, however, it wasn’t the size that counted.
The fact is, you never see B batteries around because they just aren’t very useful in America. Essentially, the mid-size battery never caught on in products made for consumers, so stores didn’t carry them, and the cycle just fed itself. The truth of the matter is that B-cells, like artsy directors and good jazz musicians, are really only appreciated in Europe, where they’re used primarily for powering bicycle lamps.

I can't help but ask "why?"

Have you ever wondered why they make AAA, AA, C, and D batteries but no "B" batteries? Why? The triple "A" should just be "A" and then the double "A" would be a "B" battery. That makes SO much more sense. I don't know who comes up with this stuff.

He's just so dang cute!

Lane has such a happy disposition. He makes everyone around him smile with his happy, upbeat personality. I am so thankful for such a sweet little spirit. His smile just makes your day.

Grandpa Hibbard

Brant and Geneva's dad, John, flew in from Phoenix to visit for the day. The kids were so excited to see him. He came bearing lots of really cool gifts. This was his Christmas trip. It was fun to visit and catch up. Unfortunately, he could only stay for the day and flew back this evening.

In Memory

I was so sad to hear the news a couple of days ago that my Aunt Donna was killed in a car crash. She lived a good, long life and had lots of family who truly cherished her. It reminds me to make the most out of every day and love everyone in your life like it is your last day. Then, you will have no regrets. She started a blog this year and talked about how she was going to commit to keeping everyone more connected. That's the second time I have come across a blog who shared those commitments and then experienced a death in the family that same year. Wow! You just can't take anything for granted.

No wonder I haven't lost weight

I have tried to improve my health by exercising for the past four months. Granted I mostly "just" briskly walking for 45 minutes five times a week. Guess how much weight I've lost? Not one stinkin' pound. I've heard all of the sympathizers say, "It could just be muscle. You build muscle when you first start to exercise." Yeah, I must still be building muscle.
I decided to try a green drink as a daily supplement. The first week I felt so much more energy. I'm not usually a person that gets more energy from something like this, so I was happy. Being so excited about the product, I decided to get the cleanse and their pH-Balance test kit. For two days you have to test your urine and your saliva to get a composite pH score. My test is so low, I am almost in the first quadrant which is the worst spot to be in. I barely scored into the second quadrant.
According to their research, too much acid and not enough alkaline will keep you from losing weight no matter how much you work out. Toxins are stored in fat cells and cannot be cleansed without a rebalance. So I am going to continue with the green drink and retest in a month. Of course, I'm adding the cleanse, and I've decided to do the colon cleanse as well. Unfortunately, sugar, meat, and carbohydrates can add to an imbalance as well. So I am cutting back on those as well. I know--duh, don't eat bad food and you'll lose weight. The testing is making me more motivated to not put bad foods in my mouth. I want my pH balance!
BTW, this is the product I am trying: www.pH-ion.com

Moving blues

I wish we could find some place to live for a very long time...I don't want to have to move ever again. It is so hard. I don't even have alot of stuff. So, I feel for those people who have to move who have more stuff and more kids. It makes me want to keep things light, because I know this house we are renting is going to be temporary too. Hopefully, we can at least get two years out of it. The twins will be four by then. And, Lane will be two. That seems hard to imagine. If I don't blog much, it's because I'm packing, cleaning, and tending to kids.