Other Things We Did in September

We washed some things

...and these things too...

We were a little goofy

And sometimes we even got creative

Hey, when life gives you an empty cereal box what do you do? Around here we (or at least Dallin) will tape stuff to the inside to make a carwash. Here's the conversation:

Dallin: I think I need glue to do this craft. No, tape, because I need stuff hanging off

Mom: I'll be happy to get you some tape after you change out of your pajamas

Dallin: But, this is suppose to be a pajama activity

Mom: Uh............. All right.

Floundering

Gotta love the arguments against the Marriage Amendment. Here's the (of course anonymous) comment I received:

Isn't this already illegal in Arizona? Shouldn't this be an individual
decision with their Church and non of the governments business? Why waste the
taxpayers time and money? Regardless, and be honest, how does this affect you if
two homosexuals get married- seems you are responsible to raise your children
with correct values...

Love this. Really. To me what these statements say is "I'm floundering for real arguments!"

Maybe I shouldn't waste my time with this but here you go one by one...

Isn't this already illegal in Arizona? This argument is directed purely at the uneducated and misinformed. Obviously a statute is not enough as we have seen in Massachusetts and California where these statutes have been redefined by judges without the consent of the people.

Shouldn't this be an individual decision with their Church and non of the governments business? Well, the very definition of marriage is that it is a union sanctioned by the GOVERNMENT. If homosexuals want a union sanctioned by a church (as long as the church performs such a ceremony) they are entitled and able to do that regardless of the marriage laws. Plenty of couples have had commitment ceremonies or the like. Many times churches are involved in performing marriage ceremonies but one part you can't leave out is the government's approval via a marriage license. Marriage is a government matter.

Why waste the taxpayers time and money? Hmmmm. What time and money I am wondering? I don't know what to say because this argument is just lousy.

And then we get down to the REAL issue. Opponents will argue frivolously with these types of arguments that have not much to do with allowing homosexuals to marry but eventually they will have to bring up the fact that they WANT homosexuals to be able to marry. Many of the arguments you will hear against the marriage amendment are DISTRACTIONS from the real issue. They want to change marriage. We don't. Is it silly to stick to the issue?

How does this affect you if two homosexuals get married- seems you are responsible to raise your children with correct values... That is exactly what I am fighting for, the FREEDOM to teach my children correct values and not have others teach them contrary things behind my back while they are in school. If same-sex marriage is made legal this is the government's way of saying that homosexual 'marriage' is just the same and just as valuable in our society as heterosexual marriage. Teachers would not only be forced to acknowledge this in schools but some teachers would feel fueled to indoctrinate my children about homosexuality. Churches that preach against homosexuality would risk losing their tax exemptions and could even face lawsuits for 'hate speech' for not marrying homosexuals.

Anyone have any more questions?

Flounder credit here.

The Messy Two-Year-Old

Adam is Two

Oh sweet little Adam. You give me kisses whenever I ask for them--which is a lot. Add to that those cute dimples and fluttery eyelashes and you have all the makings of a miniature heart throb. Use those gifts wisely my little man.

Maybe someday your mom will turn these posts into a book with one of those cool websites and then you will read my birthday wishes to you:

I hope that you love life. . . . Be spontaneous yet wise. Be carefree yet responsible. Be independent yet personable. Be intelligent yet humble. Follow the example of Jesus Christ.

And hopefully, I can be an example to you also, though sometimes you will be the example to me.

Happy Birthday Sweet Adam.

Love you with all my heart,

Mom

Locks

Tonight Mark is having a birthday party, just him and some fellas at his brother's bachelor pad. He has worked hard getting through with school and he deserves a fun night to play video games without any thought to when he will be home.

I needed something to do so I partnered up with Tanya--her husband also out of the house for the party. I spent half of my time at Tanya's lying with my boys on the floor of their master bedroom waiting for them to finally fall asleep. Then Tanya and I watched Little Women and shed a couple of un-embarassed tears.

I came home at a rather late hour, thinking about how I knew Mark would not be home for quite a while yet. Then I started thinking those thoughts that I think when I am home alone, or at least without a husband to protect me. I comforted myself in remembering, absolutely, that I had locked the back door. When I came through the garage door with my second load of sleeping boy I glanced at the doorknob--locked of course. Later I looked in the direction of the front door. "It's just the shadow playing tricks on me," I thought. But no, upon closer inspection I realized it was not locked. How could this have happened? I remember locking it. Or, was it that I was going to lock it then I realized I had never checked the mail? That must have been it. I must have forgotten to lock it after getting the mail. Right?

Why is it that the thought of leaving my door unlocked for hours in an evening frightens me? Wouldn't someone who wanted to get in my house get in whether I left the front door unlocked or not? It seems I should be more frightened at the thought of someone coming up to my front door and turning the handle without invitation, whether the door be locked or not. And why I am I still awake and writing about what should or should not frighten me when I have no one here to interrupt this silly train of thought? Who knows, but I can tell you this: I am sleeping with my contacts in tonight.

Volunteers Needed

Just a head's up to any of you that want to volunteer for the Yes for Marriage campaign. Call me, email me, or leave me a comment if you need and I will help you get hooked up. Specifically here are a few ways you can help:

1. Volunteer at the campaign office. We are looking for volunteers who are available sometime between 9:30 to 5pm Monday through Friday for the next seven weeks before the election. They're specifically looking for people that can make a weekly commitment, come a specific time for a few hours one day a week. You'd do things like call people who've registered on the website and get them started helping, sending thank-you's to donors, etc. Think about swapping sitting with a friend if you have little ones.
2. Mark is wanting to do a couple of YouTube commercials for the campaign. Looking for these things: people with experience with filming/editing/etc; recording equipment/lighting equipment/studio for filming maybe; a young girl, maybe 6 or 7, to be in the commercial.

Let's get in gear and win this fight! There are only seven weeks left.

How to throw a super hero party

Here are the steps to throwing a big hit with both kids and adults alike. Kids like this party because every child--or at least every boy--loves to punch and kick and make "woosh" sounds like a super hero. Adults like this party because it is so darn entertaining to watch a bunch of kids pretending to be super heroes. So parents, this party is really worth going all out for because you can count it both as a celebration for your child and also entertainment for the adults involved.

Here are the ingredients:

1. Master Moves Spider-Man Training Studio

This includes a DVD training video, a floor mat, and a two-sided inflatable perfect for punching practice. We used the video to train a good 12 small people how to be super heroes. This was the most entertaining part of the whole party. 12 children dressed as various supers, spread out in front of the TV screen, with none less than Spider-Man himself teaching them how to do awesome moves like the Spider-Man crouch, the web-sling, or the Dock-knocker offensive strike. The kids were pretty intense, focusing on getting each move just right. We saved the mat and the Venom inflatable for the next portion of the party.

2. Set up an obstacle course in your house.

After their video was over, I ran into the room and told the kids that Venom was at our house! He would have to be found and defeated! They crawled under the table that was covered in blankets (the batcave) and up some steps to climb through the window and out onto the patio (with proper adult supervision and aid). They had to Spidey-crawl across the mat and run around the backyard doing whatever was Mark's whim. Then we released goblins (green balloons with faces) for them to defeat. Next it was time to sneak around the house to the front yard where Venom was waiting for them. They each had a turn showing Venom who was boss.Even the princess got in on the action

3. Super foods

We chose hero sandwiches and super fruits.And of course cupcakes:

I'll have to post some video later once I've edited some of it down a bit. I didn't get too many photos. Happy birthday again, Dallin.

I MADE A WIDGET for Marriage!

Or at least I THINK that's what they are called. Here is the HTML code to use to get the Yes for Marriage link that's on my sidebar on your own blog: Logo credit the Yes for Marriage Campaign

<a href="http://yesformarriage.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp203/gosimplechic/Yes1021.jpg" /></a>

If you've never done this before, go to your layout page, click on add a new gidget, and then click on "HTML/Java script." Copy and paste the code above. Done.

You know you want one! Feel free to share this with your friends that live in Arizona! Let's get this to hundreds of bloggers in Arizona. This could make a big impact if people start seeing this same link on the blogosphere over and over again.
By the way, I'd like some feedback on if this works for you, I've never done this before.

The code above is for a button the same size as the one on my sidebar to the right, if you'd like a smaller version, use one of the codes below.

Code for a smaller version of the button:

<a href="http://yesformarriage.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp203/gosimplechic/Yes1021-1.jpg" /></a>

And the smallest version:

<a href="http://yesformarriage.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp203/gosimplechic/Yes1021-1-1.jpg" /></a>

Enjoy!

Dallin is Four

Four things that are cool about my four-year-old:

1. He has a great memory. I have learned to not question Dallin when he is recalling something that I can't myself remember. I use to not believe him but if there's a way to check his story out he is always right. I've learned my lesson.


2. He has a cute smile. I love the way his cute little chin gets pointy when he smiles.


3. He has an affectionate side. He is boy through and through, but I sure love it that he still will at random say, "Mom, I love you." I've also noticed that when he sees mom and dad sitting close to each other he wants to share in the love, so he'll come cozy up to us also. Sweet.


4. He's smart. Today he got a new helicopter to go with his Mega Rig set. This is the portion he already had:

He pulled out the instructions for the helicopter and figured out that the motor that connects on the bottom of his boat will connect to his helicopter and spin the propeller. He put the pieces together and came up with a motorized helicopter. Cool.

Happy birthday sweetcake. Hope you had a great day. Love, mom
And on another note...

Four years ago I was recovering from eighteen hours of labor and an emergency cesarean. I was traumatized physically and I was an emotional wreck. Yet in the midst of it all, I had been given a miracle. Any mother would tell you the same--no matter the sacrifice, whether it be bringing the child into the world, the struggles with adoption, or the difficulties that come in raising them, that sweet child is worth the price. And aren't we all glad our own mothers felt that way too? It's a very pure and selfless sacrifice because we do it for someone else.

Maybe in a very small way that's how our Savior feels about us. The sacrifice he went through was incredible to endure but oh so worth it to Him. Why? Not because of His own personal ambitions, but because of His love for us. To see when His children grow and learn and love God probably gives Him such joy. And to see us turn from Him must break His heart. He has spiritually begotten us. Now that I think of it this way it gives me a new perspective on this phrase in the scriptures.

I am grateful for my little babies. What else could teach you about Christlike love better than loving His little children?

Birthday Season

All of the males at our house have September birthdays so today I decided on the phrase 'birthday season' to explain these two weeks of our lives. You know when you find yourself speaking about the same thing at different times to different people and you end up repeating yourself over and over? Like today I was at a shower and when people would ask me about my kids, how old they were, etc it was only natural to mention that today is Dallin's birthday and next week is Adam's and by the way my husband's was a few days ago. Eventually you get the best wording down or if you're cool like me you can coin a new phrase and throw it in each time you're speaking to someone new. Someone might think you are awesome enough to make up new phraseology on the spot when you'd actually been working up to it for a few previous conversations. You'll make friends like crazy.

Bet You Didn't Know...

...that the first time I registered to vote I registered as a Democrat.

Surprised?

You see, I'm not generally one to do something just because that's what everyone else is doing. I'm a bit of a rebel in that respect. So even though most of the adults I knew and respected were Republicans I wasn't going to follow just for the sake of following. Nearing my eighteenth birthday I looked into the parties and decided that I liked the Democratic party--mostly because of the concern for the individual. I liked the idea of helping those in need and giving to the poor. And, I must admit, it seemed kind of cool to register Democrat although my friends were most assuredly going to register Republican.

It didn't take too long before I realized that my values and ideals definitely were more aligned to the Republican party. My beliefs in protecting the traditional family, the sanctity of life, and the right for religious freedom were particulary on my mind. So I switched. In time to vote in the Republican primary in September of 2000. That meant my time as a Democrat was a mere six months.

Hopefully that doesn't come to haunt me if somehow I ever ended up running for office as Republican.

Photo credit here

Let's hear it for the boy

(Boy meaning Mark)

Guess what guys, it's Mark's birthday today. So give him a call or something and tell him that you think he's cool. Or, you can celebrate his birthday by voting today, especially if you are voting for Russell Pearce if you are in district 18--that would make him happy.

And feel free to leave some comments here about why you think Mark is so awesome. Because he pretty much is. Right now I am thinking about some of the things that I love so much about him but I am debating whether or not to list some of them for fear of the jealousy.

A note to Mark:

Honey, you're the tops. It was great to spend a long weekend with you--our first real break in about three years! No studying to do. How sweet it is. Love you. Hope you have a great day.

~Marily

Too Poor

Today I saw the bumpersticker, "I'm too poor to be a Republican."

Point well taken. Thank you for illustrating Conservative economics. What you're saying must be this: "I'm too poor to pay for all of my own expenses, so I hope the democrat politicians will get me as much of other people's money as possible." Well, that being said,

I can't afford to be a democrat.

And here's a better bumper sticker slogan for you: