Flip Flop Mama

Boring

2009-11-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well I decided to get my butt in gear and write a post about something but halfway through I got bored with my own story-and that's never a good sign-so that will have to wait awhile.

In the meantime, here are some recent pictures. Enjoy!

October 15th

2009-10-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

As I sit here holding my precious son, I can't help but have tears on this day. Tears of pain and loss at what never came to be and tears of pure joy at what I've been given. Today I remember those children that never joined our family but will live forever in my heart.

Conquering Half Dome

2009-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

This was originally posted back in April 2008. I am reposting it because I am submitting this post as my entry in the October Write-Away Contest at Scribbit.

Yosemite has to be one of my all time favorite places--right up there with the Big Sur coast and North Shore, Oahu. The first time I visited Yosemite was about 11 years ago. My family--with the exception of my sister who was on her mission in Spain--and another family from my home town took a vacation there. We went in August and our plan was to backpack throughout the valley. There were so many fun memories of that trip. I remember the stunning beauty of the sheer cliffs and waterfalls while backpacking for the first time in my life.

But mostly I remember Half Dome.

On our first day we hiked from Glacier Point to Lower Yosemite Valley and set up camp. The next day we had planned to try our luck hiking the back side of Half Dome.

The only way I can describe Half Dome is sheer madness. If you haven't been to the backside of Half Dome, it looks like the front--solid rock. There are metal stakes every 10 feet or so up the side of the mountain with wood planks to help you up and cables to hold on to. If I had known what would happen at the top I might not have gone up--or maybe I still would.

Going up was strenuous but not difficult. I had graduated High School a couple years back and was still in great shape from swimming and jogging. Finally I got to the top and it was exhilarating. It was like I was at the top of the world. The rock is fairly at the top flat so I could walk to all sides and see the vast landscape that makes up Yosemite Valley and beyond. The view was spectacular.

After taking in the sights and resting for a while we decided to head back down. I was with my mom and the father of the other family, Lee. My brother and Lee's sons had taken off down the cliff already--practically running.

I started down the side holding to onto the cables with my hands and meticulously placing my feet so that I wouldn't slip. I went down a few feet and then I go to the "drop-off." That's as far as I got.

I was absolutely positively frozen in place. You know when people say in their dreams that they try to run but their legs won't move? That's how it was. I was frozen to that side of the mountain and there was nothing that was going to make me move. I had never been so afraid before in my life. Somehow I neglected to connect my fear of heights with climbing up and down this cliff. After scaling down those initial few feet it was like I was stepping off into nothing. The cliff went straight down I don't know how many hundred feet and all I could see was the people looking like little ants at the bottom. Not to mention if I looked straight ahead I was at the same level as some high peaks in the distance.

So I stood there rooted in place by my fear with my mom and Lee next to me. I won't even get into the crying I was doing. I'm sure the people climbing up to get to the top thought I was the weirdest person they had ever seen. Finally after at least 15 minutes of coaxing I decided to take that first step--backwards. I figured if I didn't look down at the vastness it might make it easier to get down. I just stared at my feet as I inched slowly down the hill with Lee and my mom close by my side.

Miraculously I made it back to the bottom of the cliff and collapsed against the rock to compose myself. I don't think I will ever be able to forget how I felt on that cliff. One thing I was able to forget though was my fear of heights. After calming down at the bottom of the rock I realized what I done. I had successfully overcome complete fear and made it down to the bottom of Half Dome. Before hiking up the back of that giant rock I was afraid of heights. After getting to the bottom I had conquered my fear. Knowing that I had just climbed up and down that huge sheer cliff was such a rush. It wasn't until a few months later when I was atop a tall bridge looking down. Nowhere was that panicky, short of breath feeling that I used to get when I was up high. I guess I got it all out at the top of Half Dome. I love that I conquered such a huge fear that I had. I haven't been afraid of heights since.

Comparison

2009-09-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

When Mr. Smiley was born we could not believe how much he looked like Boogers. As he's gotten older he has changed a lot so I thought it would be fun to see how much they look alike now.

At birth

8 days & 15 days

About 6 weeks

Almost 3 months

4 months

So they started out looking a lot alike, then not so much. But now I think they really look alike again. It will be fun to see how they grow up. I have the cutest kids.

It's my birthday and I'll eat if I want to

2009-09-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer my friend Brooke had her birthday. She came to the pool day our playgroup had with a burrito from Rubio's that she proudly proclaimed was free. She had signed up for some local restaurant's Birthday Clubs and was reaping the rewards.

So a month or so ago I signed up for the restaurant's birthday lists too. I was pretty bummed though because all their websites said that you can get free food only on your birthday. Well my birthday is on Sunday this year so I thought I was going to miss out on all the yummy free food--not to mention free day at Disneyland too. Plus who can eat all that food on one day? Then I got a surprise in my email box today. All of the restaurants had sent me their coupons and lo and behold I have until October 4th to use most of them! So my plan is to drop Boogers off at school every day and then head out and treat myself to lunch at Red Robin, Rubio's, and Noodles & Company. Then to dessert at Boudin and Pat & Oscar's.

It's going to be a good week. Happy Birthday to me!

On This Day

2009-09-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what I was going to post today until a few mintues ago. I didn't want to do the same ol', same ol'. I wanted today's post--if I posted anything--to mean something.

I grew up in a very patriotic home. My parents have a deep love for this country and they passed that love on to me. I grew to appreciate the sacrifice that had been made so I could have the freedoms I had. We went on a vacation when I was in High School to Gettysburg and my love for America deepened as I saw proof of that sacrifice. I truly believe America is a blessed land.

Eight years ago when the planes hit the Twin Towers I was glued to the TV all day. It was devastating. I couldn't understand how some people could hate this country so much.

I plan on sharing my love for America with my children. Boogers has grown up listening to the Star Spangled Banner and has even picked up a few words of the song. My heart just swells when she sings it. So imagine my pride and excitement when this morning, with no prompting from me my sweet daughter starts reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. She had it nearly memorized after only 8 days of reciting it in Kindergarten. Now, I know she has no idea what allegiance, or Republic, or Nation means but I plan on teaching her. I hope that she can grow to love The United States of America as much as I do.

I will never forget how I felt this day 8 years ago. I will never forget the sacrifices that were made that day. I will never forget the heroes that lived and died that day.

God Bless America!

My Favorite People

2009-09-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!

The Sound of Your Voice

2009-09-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

I love that song. (Sorry if the video is out of sync with the song. It didn't used to be) Anyway, I've been thinking lately. Again. I know, all this deep thinking is way out of character for me. But hey it's happening so I thought I should at least record it for posterity's sake, ya know?

So I was thinking about how I talk to my sweet daughter, Boogers. Anyone who knows her knows that she can be kind of in your face, loud, very talkative and extremely inquisitive. Her favorite words and phrases are, "Why, Mom?" "What are you doing, Mom?" "Why are you doing that?" "What did you say to (insert person's name)?" A month or so ago we were driving to my sister's house 2 hours away. The radio doesn't work in our car and my cell phone was dead so all we had was ourselves to keep us occupied. Boogers sang and chatted non-stop for over an hour. I'm not talking saying something then a break for a bit and then starting up again. It was non-stop. I didn't know someone's mouth could move for that long. She must have amazing muscular structure in her jaw. Sometimes all the questions and the never-ending chatter can get, well let's just lay it all out there and say sometimes it just gets plain annoying.

I have found myself falling into the pattern of using harsher tones of voice than necessary to talk to her. My fuse has been shorter than it needed to be. Lately I've really tried to stop that. I don't want her to look back at her childhood and remember her mom being annoyed with her all the time. Plus I want her to be happy now. I noticed that when I used harsh tones her countenance would change and frankly mine too. If I snapped at her then I was more likely to snap at her the next time I asked her to do something or stop doing something. Like I said in my last post, I want our home to be a place of refuge from the world. Somewhere that she can go after a long day at school and possibly after interacting with some not so nice kids and feel safe. So this week I tried an experiment.

I changed the way I spoke to her. I can't say I've really changed the words I use very much, but just the tone of voice. "Go brush your teeth!" turned into "Boogers, it's time to go brush your teeth, please." or something to that effect. And you know what? It's actually working. She has become such a better listener the last few days than ever before. Not only is she behaving better, but both of us are happier. There isn't any more sulking and pouting (well that hasn't gone away completely but it's not heaven here) or hurt feelings from her. Plus I find that if I use a happier tone of voice, I am most likely to continue to use that tone of voice. Like I said, I haven't really changed what I say, just how I say it. I have discovered that the sound of my voice has such an effect on our home-for good and for bad.

Maybe it's just coincidence but I'm hoping it's not.

Baby giggles are the best

2009-09-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

He is one happy baby. If that doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

Overheard in our house

2009-09-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Boogers is full of great quotes lately and these are some of the gems her little brain comes up with.
I told her were going to get churros from Costco and she asked me what it was. I told her it was like a long round donut with cinnamon and sugar. She thought about that for a bit and then said, "Churros are like rolled up burrito cinnamon toast."
B: When I grow up I want to be a doctor, a train conductor, an airplane pilot, a farmer and a builder.I hope you can do all those things.
There's a lot of breast feeding going on in our house so Boogers has been known to "feed" her dolly too. Her name is Pinch.B: Pinch drinks soda from my boob, milk from my boob, water from my boob and potato lemon juice. She loves potato lemon juice.O-kay...
I put in a DVD and it didn't work. B: Maybe it has a big crap on it.Me trying to conceal laughterM: Do you mean a big crack?B: No crap, that's what Daddy says.M: Oh you mean it has a LOT of crap on it, like it's dirty?B: YesOkay, BIG difference!
B: I'm going to serve my mission in Kazakhstan and Mr. Smiley is going to Quebec.She picked Kazakhstan because it was a pink country

B: When you leave raisins out in the sun they turn into grape nuts.

So that's where grape nuts come from!

Last Sunday-B: Is today Fast Sunday*?

M: No

B: Is it Slow Sunday?

Uh, I guess so...

I love the way a 4 year old mind works!

**In our church we set aside the first Sunday of the month and don't eat for two meals. We give the money we saved on those two meals to the poor.

And She's Off

2009-08-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Two hours ago I dropped my first born off at her first day of Kindergarten. I only cried a little bit.

She has always been a well-adjusted and did not disappoint today.

She was awake before 6am this morning and dressed with her shoes on by 7:30. She had her backpack and her lunch box for her snack ready. She could not wait. She has been looking forward to this day for months. Probably even since last year. I'm not sure why she has been so excited for Kindergarten, but none the less has been. It seems like she's been looking forward to it since her last birthday. She turned 4 but the next day couldn't wait to turn 5.

Last night T-Bone gave her a Father's blessing. I loved these as a child growing up. Each year we would gather in the living room so my Dad could give us a blessing before the start of the school year. I always felt so much more prepared and ready to tackle the challenges that school gave me after the blessing. I hope Boogers feels the power that the Priesthood can be in her life.

Every few minutes she would ask me if it was time to go yet. I kept telling her, "Not until 11:30." A few minutes later, "What time do we leave again, Mom?"

Finally 11:30 came, T-Bone got home just in time, and we took off up the hill to the school. She loves to walk so we walked. But oh my it was hot! We were all sweating by the time we got up there. Then we had to wait outside the gates in the blazing heat and we sweated more.

Boogers was looking a little nervous even though she didn't say she was while we were waiting. We took a couple pictures to memorialize the day and finally they opened the gates. The kids have to wait at the gate for someone to come and escort them to their teachers so T-Bone took her. It was a little chaotic--as I'm sure all first days are--but it was finally her turn. I think she was a little unsure of what was going on until she saw her teacher and then her eyes just lit up! (We met her teacher last Thursday). She immediately held up her Barbie lunch box to show her and then turned around to show off her Hello Kitty backpack. Then she waited patiently in line for the rest of the kids. When they brought them by the gate to go to their classrooms she smiled and waved and was off.

I only shed a couple tears. I'm not one to be sad when my kids grow up, I know that it has to happen. But I wonder how she will do. I wonder what kind of influence the other kids and school will have on her. I wonder if I've taught her enough to prepare her for this. I want her to succeed and be happy.

Instead of being sad that she's growing up I have done more contemplating my parenting. T-Bone and I are very strict parents. But sometimes with that strictness comes a bit of harshness too. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I know she will be bombarded with so much at school and I really want her home to be a place of refuge. I want her parents to be people she can come to without judgment or fear. More than anything I want her to be able to feel the Spirit in our home and know that it is a different place than school.

I'm glad Boogers is starting Kindergarten. It has made me resolve to be a better parent and a better person. I just hope I can be one.

Randomness is awesome

2009-08-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

I have all these things swimming around in my brain so for your reading pleasure, here is an awesome random post.
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T-Bone and I went and saw Wicked last night. It was awesome! I loved it and thought it totally lived up to the hype. That's the first time we have been to the theater since we've been married and I remembered why I love it so much. I wish we could go more often.
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We left Mr. Smiley with a baby sitter last night (and Boogers too)--thanks Erin! We owe you!--and he was awesome! At least that's what Erin said. I didn't leave Boogers until she was 6 months old so this is a huge step. I had a feeling he would do good, but you just never know. He has fallen into the 7:30-8:00ish bedtime way earlier than Boogers did so it's much easier to leave him.
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Speaking of bedtime. Can I just say how much I love 7:30 bedtime. I wouldn't want it any other way.
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Well I ended up having to get a new phone. Mine started acting up this week. The battery wasn't charging and when it did it would discharge quickly. On Wednesday it only lasted half a day on what it said was a full charge. Then on Thursday night it died again and didn't wake up until 12:30 on Friday even though it was plugged in the whole time. That's when I knew I should just get a new one. So I headed down to the Apple store today. Let's hope I can take better care of this one.
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Speaking of the mall and the Apple store, I can tell you that there sure was no sign that we are in a recession. The mall was packed to the brim. It took me 15 minutes to find a parking spot. And the Apple Store was way crowded. It was a big store but there had to be 75 people in it. It looked like the Christmas season down there.
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I've lost 17 pounds since my last major weight drop and 40 pounds since I had Mr. Smiley. I'm feeling pretty good about that. I had a lot more weight to lose this time around, but now I only have about 10-15 pounds left. I've been walking with friends and I feel so good. We've been going at 6:30am three times a week and though it seems early, it's been a great way to start the day.
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Mr. Smiley has been smiling a lot lately and it's so fun. He's also been giggling and in my opinion there is no better sound in this world than a baby's laugh. I keep trying to get it on video, but as soon as I turn the camera on, the smiles and laughs disappear. I'll keep trying though.
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Well that's the end of my awesome randomness post. You may now comment.

"Ello Gov'ner"

2009-08-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

This commercial cracks me up every time.

Here's a quick video

2009-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

You can't hear the iTunes changing but I took this more for her reaction than anything.

Fun with Apps

2009-07-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

There are a lot of Apps out there for the iPhone and iTouch. There are Apps for budgeting, games, kids activities, you name it. One App I downloaded this week has been the cause of lots of surprises from Boogers and laughs from me and T-Bone. The iTunes Remote.

It connects to your iTunes (and iTV if you have it) so that you can control your iTunes from your phone. We moved out computer out of our bedroom into the kitchen a few days ago so I finally had a real use for it. The other night we were listening to music after dinner and it was a little loud, so I turned it down with my Remote App. The look on Rachel's face was priceless when she realized it got quieter because no one was near the computer.

T-Bone and I jumped on the opportunity to capitalize on her ignorance. She could not figure out why the computer got quieter. T-Bone started messing with her and turning the volume up and down. She was so confused. I was just cracking up inside.

So tonight we were in the same situation. We were just hanging out in the living room listening to music. A song I didn't like came on and so I skipped it. Boogers was all confused again and we were secretly laughing. T-Bone said, "I wonder if we can tell the computer what to do and it will do it." I had my phone in my hand and he told it to skip to the next song. When it did, Boogers was shocked. She was giggling and surprised. It was classic. So next we had her tell the "computer" what to play and of course it changed songs! She even requested a certain song and it picked it. We were just having a ball with it for 20 minutes. She was so surprised every time it did what she asked it to do.

We are so milking this for as long as we can...

Two Month Update

2009-07-28T16:30:00.001-07:00

My sweet baby boy is two months old! (Okay he was 2 months old 3 days ago, but I'm a little slow around here). He's been such a joy to have around. He's been growing very fast too. We went to his check up today and he weighs 13 1/2 pounds and is 23 1/2 inches. I'm really thinking of changing his blog nickname to Chunk or maybe Mr. Smiley. Opinions?

He's super smiley these days and just melts my heart. I feel like a first time mom all over again with how much I dote on him. So far he's been really good to Mama and only gets up once a night and sometimes will sleep 8 or 9 hours and not get up at all. I love those nights.

In true second kid fashion I hardly have any pictures of him. That would also be because our camera isn't taking very good pictures any more. It's like 5 years old. Here's a few recent ones. (Sorry they are so crappy, they were taken on my cell phone)

Pay no attention to the mess my living room is in....

Give-a-Way!

2009-07-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

No not me...I don't have time to do anything to give away lately. Maybe in a few months. Head over to Mormon Mommy Blogs and check out their July Giveaway. Awesome stuff up for grabs!

I spoke too soon!

2009-07-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well my phone didn't work yesterday but lo and behold, it worked this afternoon! It was cycling through powering up and powering down last night, but I thought I'd try it one more time before we went to the Apple store and it worked! It stayed on and hasn't turned off since! I don't know if it was still a little too wet or what, but I am counting my blessings. We still sold my iPod so there's a little extra money if we need it down the road. I don't expect it to last as long as it would have if it didn't have water damage, but I'll take what I can get.

Hooray!

The verdict is in

2009-07-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well it's been five days since the incident and unfortunately I have bad news. The battle of washing machine vs. iPhone goes to the washing machine this time. Thanks for all your good wishes and prayers but it wasn't meant to be.

The phone turns on but only when it's plugged in but it only stays on for 30 seconds and then shuts off. If I leave it plugged in it will keep restarting and shutting off over and over again.

All is not lost though. T-Bone is in the process of selling my 80Gb iPod that I bought two years ago to make some money to replace the phone. Apple has a deal where if something happens to your phone that isn't covered by warranty then you can buy another one for $200 bucks. Much better than the regular price of $599. I should be able to get at least $120 for the iPod. And even if I wanted to give up on the iPhone all together and just get a crappy phone I'd still have to pay $250 because Apple is losing out on their cut of the service fees. So we are going to the Apple store tonight to talk a deal.

It's been interesting not having a cell phone for the week though. I haven't really missed it like I thought I would. The only time I really wished I had it was yesterday as I was driving two hours each way to and from my sister's house. Our radio in the car doesn't work so I had nothing to occupy myself except my thoughts. Oh and the non-stop chatter and singing of Boogers, but she was asleep on the way home.

Anyway getting back to the phone thing. I've known this but was reminded that I really don't use my phone as a phone as much as I use it as a mini computer. I have my email, Google Reader, Facebook mobile, Google maps, the Scriptures, my calendar, music and some games on there that I use way more than I use it for calling people or getting calls.

Sure having a phone makes meeting up with friends way more convenient, but I still was able to do the things I wanted to and see the people I wanted to this week without too much trouble. It's true that I didn't talk to people very much but I could have. We have a Magic Jack VOIP line that I used so I wasn't completely phone-less but not many people know we have that and even less know the number.

Not having a cell phone was strangely cleansing for me. I'm almost not looking forward to getting a new one tonight because I've enjoyed the freedom of not having it. At least now I know I can live without it so hopefully I will spend less time wasting time on it.

25 minutes of agony

2009-07-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

So Monday is laundry day around the Flip household. Because we live in a lovely apartment I have the privilege of lugging 4-5 loads of laundry over to the laundry mat once a week. Luckily I have a little cart that helps me. Once I have the clothes in my handy cart I usually put the quarters, my keys, the detergent and my cell phone on top.

This morning I did just that.

I did three loads at first--because that's about as much as the cart and a basket on top can handle--put in the quarters and detergent and pressed the start button. As I was gathering my keys and quarters up to go back home and get the rest of the clothes I realized I didn't have my cell phone. Panic set in as I pulled open the front loading washers before they had a chance to fill too much and lock and dug through the clothes where I thought my phone might be. I couldn't find it in the washer. I racked my brain, "Did I bring my phone? Did I leave it on the couch? It must be on the couch. Maybe I didn't bring it." So I reselected the cycle and with a hopeful heart headed home to try to find my phone.

Now people, I have an iPhone. A new iPhone. You know, the ones that just came out last month? Yeah, that one. T-Bone and I sold our first generation 2G iPhones for not much less than we paid for the new ones. It was a good deal. I love my phone.

Of course when I got home, the phone was no where to be found. My heart sunk. The front loaders at the laundry mat lock after 2 minutes so it was stuck in there for the remainder of the cycle. I gathered the rest of the clothes and headed back. There was 15 minutes left of the cycle and with agony I watched as all 15 minutes counted down. With every clunk and clank the washer made I cringed knowing that could possibly be my phone making that noise.

Finally the cycle ended and the moment of truth arrived. Sure enough when I opened the washer there was my phone with the cool red cover in puddle of water. I fished it out and hurried home to search on the Internet how to resurrect a drowned phone. I remembered reading on Janelle's blog about rice and my husband and Dad have said in the past the worst thing you can do is turn it on until it's dry. So my phone is sitting in a big bag of rice courtesy of my friend and you can bet I won't be turning that sucker on for two days so it can dry out completely. There are many positive posts on blogs all over the Internet about their cell phone coming back to life after a trip through the washing machine so I hope I can add mine to them too. I'll keep you posted...

Is it sacrilegious to pray for a cell phone to come back to life?

Blessings

2009-07-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today we are blessing our sweet baby boy. Some family has come into town and we have them and dear friends to share this day with us. Because of this event I've been thinking a lot about how we've been blessed over the last couple years.

We've had our trials but in a way I'm grateful for them. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and that he wants to bless me. Sometimes life doesn't work out the way we want but through these trials I have learned so much.

I've learned to rely on the Lord. I've learned that I can pray and actually communicate with my Heavenly Father instead of it just being a one way phone line. I've learned that He knows me individually. He knows my needs and wants and he knows that I'm stronger than I think I
am. I have prayed many a time--especially while I was pregnant--to help me to feel better, to take the pail away (be it emotional or physical). But if that couldn't happen then that I would have the strength to endure; that I would be able to make it the the day. And you know what? I did. I'm still here. The pain didn't go away but I believed that HF either knew I could handle it or he gave me the ability to handle it.

I've learned that life doesn't always work out the way you want but when it does life can be beautiful. The challenges don't go away completely when you finally get what you want--who am I kidding? I'll have more challenges for many years to come now that I have another kid--but I think I have a renewed sense of diligence and determination to do what I know I'm supposed to.

Our son has brought so much joy to our family. It's weird to think he's been alive for almost 7 weeks now but at the same time it's like we've always had him. I have so much to be thankful for on this day. Buckethead will be getting a blessing from his father but I am the one who has truly been blessed.

Poor Guy

2009-07-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

So this morning I nursed Buckethead and layed him down for a nap in this glider chair we have in our room. In the living room I turned on the monitor and went about doing whatever it was I was doing. Oh yeah listening to this. A few minutes later--maybe 10--Boogers says, "That sounds like Buckethead." I look at the monitor and no lights where flashing so I didn't think anything of it. She likes to pretend he's not sleeping so I didn't go and check on him either. After the Declaration was over T-Bone got up and walked down the hall. That was when he heard BH crying and went in to get him.

He found him covered in spit-up-and I mean soaked. He must have puked up everything he's eaten so far this morning. Poor guy! We felt so bad! Of course he picked him up and we got him out of his clothes and gave him a bath. I layed him on the floor and put lotion on his tummy, legs and arms and then turned him over so I could put lotion on his back. He was in the middle of his nap so he was pretty relaxed but I guess that put him over the edge. I was about to roll him back over to put his diaper on but he just looked too comfortable. He fell fast alseep wrapped up in a towel. I'm sure he'll wake up to a wet spot on the floor but I just can't bring myself to move him.

(Turns out Boogers had changed the channel on the monitor so it wasn't picking anything up. That's why we never heard him.)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

This morning I listened to the Declaration of Independence read by NPR. (Thanks Shelley for the link!) I have such a love for this great land that we live in. I'm one of those that cries when I sing or hear the Star Spangled Banner. It's amazing to think what these men did 233 years ago. I have read the Declaration before but today I was especially amazed at how gutsy they were. They knew that the things they said against the King of England were going to get them killed yet they knew that what they were doing was right.

In the past I've posted something from Rush Limbaugh called "Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor" that lists what happened to these men. They truly were men of honor.

I love my country and hope you all have a great 4th of July!

The iPhone really can do everything

2009-06-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot to put in Sean's birth story one of the best parts...how he got his name. T-Bone and I had talked of many names like all expecting parents do. We had our preliminary list that we narrowed down to a few. We knew we wanted either Spencer or James as a middle name though so that was the easy part. When we went to the hospital our front runners for names were Adam and Ryan and a few others. After he was born everyone asked what his name was but we couldn't decide. T-Bone went home that first night to be with Boogers and I hoped when he came back the next day that both of us would have decided on our own what his name would be and it would be the same one.

Well the next day came and T-Bone came back to the hospital. He was no closer to deciding on a name than I was. We practiced calling the baby the names on our list. The one we like best was Adam and I even told a few people that's what his name was most likely going to be. But it wasn't right. Neither T-Bone or I were totally sold on it. So T-Bone decided he was just going to open up his contacts on his iPhone and start reading names. He read a few and they weren't right. Nothing was fitting this new little person in our family.

Then he said Sean.

I looked at my baby and it fit better that anything we had. I said to T-Bone "Hmm I like Sean." He did too. He kept reading names and once again nothing felt right...until he came to another Sean. It was like a weight was lifted every time I called him Sean. All the other names felt weird but when we said Sean it just felt good. The strange thing was Sean was never on any of our lists. We both looked at each other and said "Yep, that's his name." I preferred the Gaelic spelling so that's what it is. So there you have it. The iPhone really can do everything...including naming your day old son.

Booger's "Testimony" and other gems

2009-06-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

The other day Boogers gave me a pad of paper and told me to write down what she said. These are her words:
I love Daddy.I love you.Thank you for this day.I love to say prayers.I love my heart and I love to go outside and play when it's sunny.I love my new baby brother.I love my mom and my dad and my toys.I love our car.I love Heavenly Father and Jesus.I love my games.I love having picnics at the beach and the pool and the park.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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And here are some more gems:
T-Bone asked for a high 5 from her.
B: Dad, I don't give high 5's to no people doing the dishes. You have to be patient. You have to be patient for cups. You have to be patient for people to come. You have to be patient for fish. I get the cups and the people, but fish??----------Mom: Boogers, when your brother comes, things are going to be different.Boogers: How Mom?M: Well I will have to take care of two people instead of just you.B: looks down, kind of sadM: What's the matter?
B: I feel grumpy.M: But I will still love you very much.B: I still feel grumpy.At least she's honest. For the record she hasn't been too grumpy since Buckethead has come. She loves her brother very much.----------B: Dad, you broke mommy's feelings.----------After I had Buckethead-B: Hey Mom, you're laying on the floor on your back! Good job!It's always nice to have someone rooting for you----------B: We should buy a Wii.M: Wii's cost a lot of money that we don't have right now.B: I have money. (Goes to get her piggy bank). I have $101 monies. (Counts all the coins in her bank up to 100) See, now we can buy a Wii!If only it was that easy...