Rollin' Solo - Day One

Trent is traveling to Indiana this week to attend a funeral for his Uncle Bud. He will be gone for six days and we're already missing him like crazy and it's only day one. Since he's got internet access at the hotel, I'm going to try and post every day that he is gone so he can see what we've been up to while he's away.

Tonight we carved pumpkins - we finished 5 for each member our family and one for our dog Roxy :). I think they turned out pretty cute! I'm missing pics of Delaney carving her pumpkin as she was carving during bath and bedtime for the wee ones. And I'm including a couple fun shots of Bodhi and Mia from the other day since they melted my heart. Enjoy!

And Then There Were Three

I'm stealing the title of my cousin Sonja's blog here to announce and document that poor little Bodhi sprouted 3 teeth (all in a row on the bottom) within about 2 weeks! He's just a droolin', gnawin', fussin', teething machine. No wonder sleep eludes me these days as he wakes up several times a night. I just hope he gets some relief soon . . . and me too!

Wildcats and Pumpkins and Pizza, Oh My!

My Christmas Wish

Dear Family,

Last week I was watching a PBS special that gave a factual account of the lives and campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain. In one part they talked about a time when McCain's campaign looked pretty much doomed. He had run out of money and completely changed his campaign strategy around. Instead of traveling in high-profile vehicles, he flew coach. He received rides from supporters. In tough times he didn't give up on campaigning, instead he went lean.

That, coupled with the current economic crisis that our nation is facing got me thinking about Christmas and what it really is about. Every year, our budgets are strained to the max (if not completely ignored, just adding to increased credit dependence). And although it is a time of fun and festivities spent with friends and family, there is a pervasive stress that inevitably takes away from the joy of the season.

We create shopping lists and buy, buy, buy. And much of the time we buy gifts that we hope people will like, not really sure what they want or need. And in the end, although the gifts are much appreciated, they don't carry the kind of meaning and sentiment we would really like.

As I gave it some thought, it occurred to me that instead of just keeping things the same as always, or totally sucking all the fun out of the season by not doing anything, maybe we just need to get creative. Maybe we get the best of both worlds by trying something completely new this year and exchanging gifts that we know people want, need and will cherish.

So, I propose that in lieu of gift cards, candles, lotions, wallets, ties and photo albums, that we give people the gift of our time, talents and skills. I suggest that we keep the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the year. "How?" you may ask. Here's my idea:

We each create a Christmas Service Wish List that consists of various things that we would like or things we need that other family members can fulfill for us. These items would require little to no monetary investment. We could exchange names, or pick and choose items we would like to "give" to others. Then, on Christmas Day, we would come together as usual and exchange gifts and inside each box or bag or envelope would be the service wish that will be granted sometime during the year.

Here's a sampling of a few things that might appear on my Christmas Wish List:

Personal Wish List

• I wish Melissa would do a photo shoot of my family all out and interacting together (I would supply the film and pay for developing, Melissa would give her time and talent)
  
• I wish my Grammy would teach me sewing basics
• I wish Traci and I would take Mia and McKayla out on a special girls outing
• I wish for a babysitter for a Saturday date night
• I wish for hangout nights with my siblings

Group Wish List

• I wish we could get group help to create a dog run area for Roxy
• I wish we could get help removing old plants and planting new plants.
• I wish we could have help revitalizing the backyard
• I wish we could have help hauling large items away out of our garage
  

So that's essentially it! What do you think? Are you in?

My Vote for President

As my family knows, I am a registered independent and sometimes political cynic. I feel very strongly that the best candidate should win, regardless of political party. And more often than not, I get frustrated hearing both sides bicker back and forth while hurling accusations and "twisted" or "polished" statements/statistics/numbers at one another. It seems to me that many times these "facts" are taken out of context to make one person look bad, or alternatively, are used as marketing/PR hero quotes to create a certain image for the candidate when the complete image may be quite different from what is always presented. So, at times like this when I feel irritated, confused and worn out from the constant barrage of accusations and rhetoric, I try to stop and bring my focus back to the basics.

And almost inevitably, as I ponder what principles, policies and experience levels are important to me in a presidential candidate (setting aside party rhetoric), I always come to the same conclusion.

I want a man (or woman for that matter) that demonstrates the utmost integrity, especially in the face of adversity.

I want a man of principle who not only "says it" but also "shows it."

I want a man with tested experience that I trust will make sound decisions in prosperous times as well as hard ones.

I want a man who has compassion for the people within his country's borders as well as those outside.

I want a man who understands and supports the value of family.

I want a man with strong financial acumen and foresight.

I want a man who is genuine and who stands up for what he believes in.

I want a man with an in-depth understanding of our nation's military.

I want a man who knows how to work amicably with others who don't share his same views.

I want a man with a sense of humor.


In short, I want my Grandpa to be the next president of the United States. He embodies all of the above qualities (and then some!) and I can only hope and pray that in my lifetime I will see a man of his moral standing and experience become President of the United States.

SuperDad!

So, last night my Mom, Delaney, Bodhi, Mia and I were cruising around Walmart when we turned down the card aisle. Mia was very interested in the different bags and bows as we looked at other things. Suddenly Mia shouted, "That's my Daddy!" and when we all turned to her, we saw her pointing excitedly at a gift bag which featured a very large, muscle-bound and dashing Superman on it. My heart warmed at how that would make Trent feel. For a devoted and doting Daddy, I don't think it gets much better than that!

I Don't Love You

So it happened tonight. My sweet little Mia told me she didn't love me. As shocking as the words were as they were issued from her mouth, I had to stifle a chuckle because I was completely taken off guard with her sudden discovery of opposites. To my knowledge the words I don't love you have never been spoken together in a sentence in our home. Now she may have picked it up somewhere else, but the expression on her face told a different story. She was testing it out. And she knew it would elicit a reaction. And, I'm pretty sure she didn't expect me to laugh.

Now anyone who knows Mia will attest that she is an extremely bright, verbal child. But every day there is something new she learns, something becomes interesting and exciting - including language discoveries. And today she discovered the opposite of a phrase she hears all day every day from everyone she meets. I am hoping my reaction didn't kick-off an obsession with telling everyone under the sun that she doesn't love them, but with kids there are no guarantees so for now we'll just wait and see.

And if she does happen to adopt I don't love you as her personal catch phrase - don't take it personally when the words are aimed at you - she's just trying on snarky for size :).