It's beginning to look allot like Christmas

We spent tonight buying our tree and decorating it.
We were sad to learn that all the tree farms, and cut your own tree down spots burned down in California. So our only option was to go down the street to a pre-cut lot and buy one that came from Oregon this morning.

Benson was really loving it. He was talking up a storm. I do not quite know what he said but I managed: big tree, wow, poke me, tree, tree, Christmas tree, big tree, baby tree. Jeddy at first said he wanted a Benson size tree. So I took him over to the Benson size tree's. It took about 2.5 seconds for him to be completely disappointed and run back to the 10 foot section of $100.00 trees.

Meanwhile Dad and Madisen found the tree for us (not in the $100.00 section). Dad drilled a hole and got it all set up in the stand while I made dinner. After dinner me and the kids listened to all our favorite Christmas songs and decorated the tree.

You might not know this but I am VERY particular about the lighting on my trees. I always redo what the kids or Ben do. I Start at the bottom and take every strand into the trunk wrap around the branch on my way out then back into the trunk and out etc etc. I was methodically trying to teach my kids to do this. I finally just came to the proper conclusion that they are not old enough to manage the physicalness or to CARE. I also came to a new great awareness that it is our family Christmas tree, not my decoration or craft. So, after coming to close to tears a couple times I just let go and gave them their stands and free reign of the tree.

And you know what it looks great! The kids posed with their favorite ornaments and took their own "progress report" pictures. Benson just posed, over and over. He loved to decorate himself. He would wrap himself in the strand we were working with and try to put ornaments on like earrings. What a fun little boy.

I am glad I am able to learn from my wonderful children. From Benson I learned that several of my ornaments are indeed breakable, he loves the sound of clinking glass. He is perfecting my patience. Jeddy taught me that putting light on a tree is dumb because you cant jump rope with the light strands. My second born also taught me size matters. I showed them my dream tree (noble fur 12 foot for 150$) he was so confused on why I wanted a skinny tree you could see through. He likes his trees like he likes Santa Clause - thick. Madisen taught me achieving perfection is not creating memories, she also taught me the cheapest tackiest ornaments can bring a tear to your eye and a swell to your chest.

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is going through all our ornaments. Madisen asks about each one now and knows that almost all have a story and a history. Family trips, vacations, mile stones, gifts, family and friend parties, R. S. activities, loved ones here and gone and painting our own with the McEvoy girls are all some of the great flashes of memories that come back to me each year as we hang the ornaments.

I love Christmas more and more every year I get to experience it with my kids.

Kim

That's What She Said

I know the suspense has been killing every one. . . .but finally here it is my version of the tri.
sorry this is long, I bolded pertinent information for skim readers.

Many of my readers are moms that know training with three small kids is challenging if not impossible. At least with this race I wasn't still nursing a baby. My swim training was 4 trips to the Carlsbad swim complex in October. Which is a beautiful pool with crystal clear water. My bike training consisted of 8 or so bike rides since the summer. Most were with the kids on their scooters and only 5 miles. Running training consisted of hikes with both boys in the double jogger in Calavera hills trails most Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

That bring us to race day eve. I put on my wet suit for the second time in my entire life. I again jumped into a clean pool and did a few lengths of the pool. It has been several months since i have been in the ocean (wet to my knees) and longer then that since I actually got really wet in the ocean. At this point I made a big realization, I had forgotten to pack my race shoes. Oops! So I searched everywhere on the island (about 9 different stores). The best I could find was men's shoes that were a full size to big. We had a yummy pasta dinner and tried to get a great nights sleep. That plan was foiled by Benson. He did not want to sleep in a hotel room with everyone else. He wanted to explore and party.

It was great that the race didn't start until 9:00 am.

• One we had more wiggle room in our schedule to squeeze in actual sleep.
  
• We could have slept in, minus the fact we have 3 kids, so that is never an option.
  
• It gave us plenty of time to get breakfast, set up our transition zones and get in the zone.
• it was ample time to get on my wet suit. for those of you that have not ever worn a wet suit. It is similar to removing a wet swimsuit but severely magnified because it it thick non pliable material and it covers your entire body.
  
• Plenty of time to pack the stroller with everything Gma would need to keep all 3 crazies entertained during the race.

I met a very nice girl at my transition spot. She was just across the A-frame. She gave me lots of pointers and advice. Once I was all set up and had my wet suit on I went over to the beach to find Ben and await my heat. Ben started 3 minutes before me. I wished it was the other way around, because he would have lapped me and I would have probably felt a bit more calm in the water knowing he was behind me.

Well the whistle blew and Ben was off . . .I waved my last wave and blew kisses and lined up on the beach. My whistle blew . . . I jumped in the water and was off. Then I realized I never put my goggles on my eyes. So I stood back up and did that. I then got back in the heat of the race. It didn't take me long to realize I was not swimming a crystal clear, clean pool . I was quickly reminded of why I do not go in the ocean often.

• I do not enjoy being surrounded by cold water.
• I get really grossed out with the whole wild life thing, especially that you can't see them.
• I am very uncomfortable with not being able to touch the ground or even a ledge.
• I really, really do not like dirty water in my mouth.
• I really do not like salt water in my mouth or hair.

On the bright side after swallowing a bunch of yucky water I flipped on my back and enjoyed the sun and the flags on the boats masts. Every time I bobbed my head up a race staffer on a kayak asked if I needed any help. "Swimmer are you Ok, do you need assistance"? If I got a dollar for every time I heard that it would have paid for the race entry. I never felt like I was going to drowned. I sure did realize, not that I didn't before, I really do not like swimming in the ocean. But, I did my 1/2 mile swim, and in 11 minutes quicker then my 4 times at the pool.

I had a great start to my transition. I had my cap, goggles and wet suit down to the hip before I got to the transition area. I was very disoriented and had no balance. So it ended being a long set. I tried to focus and get a ton of clean water in my system. I got both sets of socks and blister band-aids on, laced up my big shoes as tight as i could . . . and I was off for the bike 15K. It was allot smoother getting out of the water and on a bike then I thought it would be. The bike course was basically 3 loops, so My first 2 loops over lapped with Ben and we waved and called to each other. My last 2 over lapped with a friend from our ward that also did the Tri.

I think one of the most amazing things I have done, is not necessarily the race but that I opened a sealed gator aid bottle while keeping my pace on the bike race. I kept trying to squeeze out the juice and it wouldn't come. I took of the cap and tore of the paper seal. Replaced the cap and downed the liquid goodness. That I tell you is mom skills.

On the 3 loops it is 3 times going straight up hill then 3 going down and level road. The third up hill was hard because I was tired and I kept going into lower gears earlier and earlier. I coasted the entire way down to conserve energy for the run. My hair elastic broke as I took my helmet off, dang it! So I ran with my nasty salt water hair flopping every where. The kids and grandma were at this transition. It was so great to see them, they were all cheering for me. I gave everyone five as I ran past.

I wasn't worried about the running, I know I can run. It was a beautiful run along the harbor and up the mountain to a look out point, back down into town again up to the highest point and then down hill a straight shot to the finish line. here was the test of my shoes. I wore some new shoes and got nasty blisters a week before the race. So I had been nursing blisters and still had open wounds on the backs of my heels. I put real sticky band-aid on my heels. So they would last through the swim. And I stuffed the toes of my big man shoes with cotton balls and wore both pairs of running socks. They worked like a charm. It is probably the most comfortable I have been while running.

I admit I walked up the last hill, but not until I was half way up. And I passed people even walking. It was a relief to turn the corner and see that a 1/2 mile away was the finish line. I could see the kids down near the end. Again they cheered me on and the announcers say your name as you cross the finish line. I have never had that happen.

So there you have it, I am officially a tri-athlete. I can not brag too much considering it was a sprint and I was pretty sore the next 2 days. I was so glad my shoes worked out. After the race we enjoyed fresh fruit and water, then checked out of our hotel and hit the pool and hot tub. link to see some sweet shots of the action. thanks for reading.

1

NO	FN	LN	SWIM	BIKE	T2	RUN	TIME
401	Kim	Mcevoy	19:32	50:54	0:54	32:21	1:49:39

IF you are really interested in more results here is the link and this is a search able results page

A big thank you to grandma McEvoy, we couldn't have done it with out her help. She is so great to fly out her to be with us . . . to be our personal babysitter. The kids always love when grandma comes to town. Thanks Karen.

The Catalina Triathlon

The whole gang, including my mom, left Newport Beach for Catalina Island on Friday. We went to bed early that night so we could get plenty of sleep for our first Triathlon. Okay, we didn't shatter any records, we didn't turn the heads of any road bike or energy bar sponsors. But we started and completed our first triathlon. What an awesome experience for both Kim and I.

My mom came into town to watch the kids while we raced. Before anyone is too impressed, this was a sprint Tri, meaning, we are nowhere near an iron man, or a half iron man, or even Olympic man. We are just mini man triathletes. It was a half mile swim in the ocean around the pier. Next was a 10 mile bike ride up a scenic canyon and around the port town of Avalon. The last leg was an amazing run along the coast, up to a beautiful lookout point, and back to town.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. It was already sunny and around 70 degrees by 9 am, the start time. The water was about 65 degrees, I didn't even need a wetsuit. My favorite part was the swim. The main reason was that neither of us was shark food, but it was also very refreshing. But mainly, before you start your first race, you are unsure if you even belong with what appears to be a lot of highly qualified triathletes. After I actually completed the swim, and actually caught up to people in the heat in front of me, I felt like I could hang and I belonged. (After the race I realized that your main competition is yourself. I haven't done many races, so this was a bit of revelation.) Then the bike part was very nice. I have trained on a mountain bike and got a road bike 2 nights before the race, so I was amazed at how much easier it was to keep a good pace. My least favorite of the 3 is the run, so I was happy that the scenery was able to make up for my weakness in speed. I cramped in the beginning of the run, but kept my goal to not ever stop running, until the finish line.

It was a really amazing experience, I cannot wait to do it next year. My time was 1:19:39.7. There were 95 people that I need to figure out how to beat next year(mainly myself), and my competitive juices are flowing freely. What a great experience it was. If anyone is even remotely interested in doing this with us next year, let us know, we will be there. I will let Kim post her story when she can, but it was a very fulfilling thing for us to train together and both complete this challenge. She was awesome. It was really great to have my children and mom there cheering us on. At the end of the day on the Ferry back home we got to witness one of the prettiest sunsets ever. What a great adventure.

If you want to see more action pics, here is the site. we are number's 400 and 401.

Passing of Prop 8

I don't think the fight to protect our families is over by any means, but we feel so relieved that a major battle was won. Neither Kim nor I have a history of being very active politically, and judging by the experience, neither one of us has much of a future in it. It has not been what either of us would call "fun". But we have been grateful to find that when something is right, even though it is not always comfortable or popular, a greater energy pushes you to stretch past what you may want to do.

To those who may be on the fence on this issue, you may criticize and question us all you want. But please know that I would rather that my 6 year old daughter, and my 3 year old and 20 month old sons not get called the things my wife and I have been called over the last few weeks. This is why we lent our support. My hope for their future is that they will never call someone a derogatory term because of their sexual orientation. They will also be taught to love others even if we disagree with their choices. (Important to note here is that illegal behavior, anger, hatred, derogatory speech and violence has been almost exclusively on the part of those who have opposed prop 8. Are you still wondering what a prophet foresees when he says calamities await us if we allow the disintegration of the family? My fear is that this was just a sneak peak into the future.) But my wife and I will always stand up and listen to vile and hateful accusations, and be cursed at, if it means our children don't have to be. As parents of children who are much more important than the perverse and flagitious themes of the day, we feel our duty is to them first. Maybe I am on a soap box and I know I get a bit passionate about things sometimes, but I am driven by the idea that all it takes for evil to prevail, is for good men and women to stand idly by. I would rather err on the other side.

There have been strong emotions on both sides of this battle, and it has required the participation of countless volunteers. For the first time in my adult life, I feel proud to be a Californ..............Oh wait, never mind that one has been used before. Anyway, in all seriousness, I feel like my fellow Californians stepped up and voted morally on a moral issue. Whoohoo! We are one household of many who are a extremely grateful for the answer to our prayers. Thank you to so many of you who prayed, fasted, voted, went viral, blogged, waved signs, got out of your comfort zones, knocked on doors, put up signs, donated, and put up with forwarded emails. We heard that people in every single state but Vermont donated to the Yes on 8 side. From our little family, Thank you.

Phew!

Here is an email I just received from the governor.

Thank you for writing to urge a veto of AB 2567.  I appreciate your
active participation in the democratic process, and I value your
suggestions on how government can better serve the people of California.

I am pleased to inform you that I vetoed this bill after extensive
consideration and thorough deliberation of arguments from both
supporters and opponents of this issue.  The public impact of
Harvey Milk's efforts should continue to be recognized at the
local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions. 
My veto message for this legislation may be found on the Official
California Legislative Information website: www.leginfo.ca.gov.

Again, I appreciate hearing your opinion on legislation that
affects the future of our great state.  Taking the time to
communicate your views and offer suggestions is essential
to good citizenship and good government.

Sincerely,


Arnold Schwarzenegger

For those of you that do not know what this is about. Harvey Milk was a Homosexual and an activist for his rights He won elections and was mayor of SF (i think). Anyway gay rights people have been fighting for May 22nd to be Harvey Milk day. So on that day Kids will be taught all about him, homosexual lifestyles and activities.

I have nothing against gay people. I think it is a sin but it is their choice and like other sins I can see the person not the sin. But lets get real here. Lets have every activist group submit a report on why their leader should have a dedicated day to honor them. then lets pick from, PETA, Sierra Club, Indians for Casinos, and gay rights to see which one gets it. I think it is ridiculous to single out one activist/interest group. And if this passes then I want a straight day, where we celebrate heterosexual activities.

the fuss is over (for now) and luckily the Govenator vetoed it.

Kim

agree or disagree, but this is my stance

It has been a little while since I have put any time into the blog. After a very inspiring General Conference, I am repenting and renewing my energy to blog. I know how important it is to keep my family in the loop even though they have defected the mother country for the desert oasis. Yes, we Californians love being challenged about our beliefs on a semi regular basis. Unlike Utah, we actually have to overthrow our liberal judges so we can keep the right to call marriage....um....marriage. I know, call us crazy, cuz, well.... you should.

On a side note, I have heard that the Reptiles in Australia are fighting to be named Marsupials. It's a bit of a PR stunt, but Marsupials are so much more popular, they feel like it would help overhaul their less than ideal image. Also, orange is fighting to change its name to blue. It is a bit strange, but you know how it is. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone say their favorite color was orange. They've been down long enough. Time to fight back.

A telling story. We ate dinner at some friends of ours tonight. My buddy, Jason, was telling us that his 6 year old was asking about why he was walking around neighborhoods (for prop 8). Kim and I have had these conversations on how much information our own 6 year old needs to hear right now. So Jason decided to tell him. Here was the conversation.

Jason: "Well, son, some people think that Daddies should be able to be married to other Daddies..."
Son: "Yeah right, real funny, Dad!" And then realizing he was wasting his time talking to a dad who was obviously just completely off his rocker, he ran off to play.

We then had a conversation about how it used to be easy to just follow a moral code, do what you knew was right, and not too many people had too hard of a time with it. Now, you have to be willing to seem intolerant, in order to stand for a moral issue. Those who read this blog, should know, if they don't already, that I believe in a Supreme Being who loves and is willing to forgive any person who has ever made a mistake. The price has been paid for every single one, no matter how severe. I feel that it is harder to be more tolerant than that. I know my Supreme Being isn't nearly as trendy as the one who doesn't care what our choices or are actions are, but I still think mine is pretty good. I've made my fair share of mistakes, and I know I have to improve and strive to live my life in more of a way that would please him. But the intolerant view in my mind is to say that I can not have the freedom of religion or speech to believe or share my view. This issue of marriage, and it is a moral issue, will have unforeseen, destructive consequences, if it is not fought for.

So, with that, I am taking a stance, and anyone in the world (there are only 3 readers of this blog so I realize this doesn't make me that brave) can know I have one. Excuse me for my sarcasm here, but in some ways I feel like I did with my daughters homework the other day. She asked me what 8 times 3 was. I told her to count it up and see what she gets. She then said 27. I tell her she should count again, and she tells me she did and it is still 27. After that, trying to convince her it is actually 24 was almost impossible. I certainly couldn't argue with her, she wasn't going to take my word for it until she had proof. I was just an idiot, until she figured it out on her own.

The time has come. I don't usually use this blog for much outside of family pictures and posts. But I want it to be clear where I stand on what I think is a very important, albeit, in many ways asinine (especially if you live anywhere other than Massachusetts's, San Francisco or Hollywood) issue. I believe marriage is between a Man and Woman. Call me crazy, and intolerant, but I DO.

Editor's note; I also believe that killing, bearing false witness, stealing, worhipping false idols, dishonoring father and mother, taking the name of Deity in vain, coveting, overspending by the people and their government(that is one of them right), and all the other 10 commandments that I can't remember right now should stay as thou shalt not's. If this also appears intolerant, I take full responsibility.

The Bates Nut Farm

Madisen and Dad had a nice 1st grade field trip. I haven't been on a field trip for school in about 15 years. It was a bit warm but the day was full. We had a fun hay ride, straw maze, lecture on gourds and their famous cousins. Madisen even picked out her own pumpkin at the end of the day. Great fun.

The Dark Knight (2008) New Trailer #4 HD

Randomness in August

Our gangster Jeddy! He has the perfect do not mess with me lips and face. Jeddy's Uncle Matt and Sarah came to visit. Matt outfitted Jeddy with this new look.
I am glad we do not live in Vegas anymore. I wouldn't be comfortable around town with him wearign this there.



Benson is so happily getting his first hair cut. He was growing too close to a mullet. We had to do what was right for the American people. We held him down and shaved it off.


I knew exactly what Jeddy was up too. He kept his eyes on me the entire walk into the kitchen. Got his 'surf board'. Came back into the living room keeping a close watch on me. And proceeded to the stairs. I listened to him as he sat at the top. He was talking to Benson down below. You better move this is going to be fun. yet before he went he moved down a step or two. After the first run down the stairs it was over.

Benson was not going to stand by and calmly watch Jeddy have all the fun. this is when i chimed in. I figured it was better for me to injure Benson on our stair surfing the Jeddy. so we doubled up and went for it. He loved it. We had a bunch of fun that afternoon. We went feet first, head first, on our bellies, on parents backs, and learned some great techniques. I was a little scared when Ben came home and wondered why all the pillows were at the bottom of the stairs. I wasn't sure if I was going to get in trouble for being dangerous with the boys. I wouldn't let Jeddy tell Ben what we did, I made him show him. So then We got Ben all involved. he had issues keeping his long legs inside the width of the stairs. but once he passed that challenge Benson picked him as his favorite stair surfing partner.



To any of my friends that are new to parenting or just want to actually sleep in and get a sound night rest. Look forward to this in the morning.

This was all Benson, 3 boxes of cereal. I full box of honey bunches of oats, and 2 half boxes of golden grahams and kix. I didnt even show the sink and kitchen pictures. I wasn't aware that Ben got Benson out of his crib, he said he told me and then left for work. well I must have been tired because I slept right through it. I only woke up when I heard the door close. Yes our front door. Luckily Benson was distracted by now with naked Barbie dolls and Madisen convinced Jeddy to shut the door. Madisen had turned into a Zombie in front of the TV. She gave this insightful advice after Jeddy had interrogated the person, and shut and reopened the door several times.

Luckily I was coming too and came down the stairs, I cant even remember who came over. I think it was a friend. the great thing is We talk about this issue ALL THE TIME. Seriously the one time you sleep in, all craziness happens. The older kids destroyed their room and the living room, Madisen had the TV on and Benson so politely sprinkled my kitchen. All in just a few minutes of rest.

I had no real reason to post all these oddities. Hope you enjoy the little happening around our house in august.

In awe!

Simply amazing. The opening ceremony of the Olympics was beautiful. The best I have ever seen. I loved the vast numbers of the drummers and dancers, the contrast in light dark, masculine vs feminine. I really could go on for 20 or so more run on sentences. I was so touched when Bob C. was telling the story of the c0-flag carrier for the Chinese Olympiads. It was the little boy with scars on his head. He was one of 10 survivors in his school class from the earthquake. He was covered with the rubble and ran for help and returned to uncover 2 more students. When asked about his actions he humbly remarked I am a class leader it is my job. What a wonderful little boy.

If you missed it . . . seriously watch it. I also encourage every one to read about it. the symbolism and historical lesson through out the display is amazing. Like the Chinese scroll that narrated and was the screen, the Chinese invented paper.

and holy cow who ever thought of a torch barer would be running in air to light the flame . . . . seriously so cool.


http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headlines/openingceremony/s214516089/

An official plea for help!

Okay, blog buddies we have a situation. An unnamed person has found himself happily single at 34 with 2 wonderful children. I know many of you are thinking I am referring to Christian Bale. Sorry ladies he is still married. Yes, Christian Bale and I are good friends, and he is 34. But I am referring to someone else. The person I am referring to that needs help has many similarities to Christian Bale. I will call my friend the Dark Knight. He is charming like most of Bale's characters. Other similarities are the same height and wear their hair the same way. Both have many dialects and accents they use for career purposes. Both have daughters the same age. That is as much information as Christian is comfortable with so I will stop there. He is a very private guy.

I have no advice to offer the Dark night on online dating services Or being single and a Latter day Saint over the age of 30. So, I am out sourcing. My plea is those that know will comment on any or all of the below topics and any other you think He will need. Thank you in advance.

on the different services to use?

cautions and warnings?

appropriate online etiquette?

Singles ward? or family wards?

mail order brides from Russia?

feel free to link appropriate blog entries in comments to further educate us.

Surfing fun

Here are a few pictures of Madisen and I surfing on Saturday. We got up at 6:30 so we could beat the rush hour surf traffic. It wasn't a real big day, which was good for Madisen. But the waves are always fun.

My man's best friend

We miss you.

We watched your picture slide show and Ben taught the kids about how like Christ you always loved everyone. Everyone was your friend, and they knew it. You had a great quality to include and give voice to everyone in the room, or group. Thank you for that example.

Happy Birthday Dogg!

Neil Diamond - Coming to America

That Ragged Old Flag - Johnny Cash

I'm proud to be an American - American Soldier Tribute

The America I love!

Me playing tough girl at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Virginia

my sister Britt and Hubby, he is an Officer, . . and I guess a gentleman too.
The top picture does not do justice, we are covered in a nasty tan dirt film from our ride in the vehicle thingy. Maybe Dave will comment and instruct us on the proper term.

I was catching up on the latest news and stumbled on this talk . . . so I copied it. I really loved it. If you know me you know I am very patriotic. I love the fourth of July, I always cry through the National Anthem. I love our past history, our beginning. One of my favorite things about living here (or near my brother in law Dave) is....... At the Movie theater on base before you see any show you stand in reverence. With your hand over your heart you listen to the National Anthem and view a sideshow of the few and the proud that defend all that the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence held sacred. I know My father in Heaven preserved this land for a sacred purpose. I know the founding fathers created a masterpiece; the United States of America. I hope we can all reflect of what the fourth of July really celebrates; Independence from big government, Independence from improper taxation, and the freedom of separation from church and state.

Dad is home from his second tour in Iraq

Dave meeting his darling 4 month old girl for the first time.

A conservative believes that our inalienable rights do not include housing, healthcare or Hummers.

A conservative believes that our inalienable rights DO include the pursuit of happiness. That means it is guaranteed to no one. Unless Medicaid is your pursuit of happiness.

A conservative believes that those who pursue happiness and find it have a right to not be penalized for that success. That means free trade, and not penalizing gas companies for raising prices on us . .when their prices are also being raised.

A conservative believes that there are no protections against the hardship and heartache of failure. We believe that the right to fail is just as important as the chance to succeed and that those who do fail learn essential lessons that will help them the next time around. this sounds an awful lot like a lesson in Sunday school

A conservative believes in personal responsibility and accepts the consequences for his or her words and actions. Wow! What an amazing concept. So if I buy a ridiculously expensive house and lease a brand new car then I am responsible for the payments. Not the government when the going gets tough.

A conservative believes that real compassion can't be found in any government program.

A conservative believes that each of us has a duty to take care of our neighbors. It was private individuals, companies and congregations that sent water, blankets and supplies to New Orleans far before the government ever set foot there. AMEN! I heartedly believe government programs should be dissolved and handled by churches, citizens etc. The less bureaucratic the better the agency, the more compassion. I have experience working on both sides in several government agencies, social services, health care, education and it sucks on both sides.

A conservative believes that family is the cornerstone of our society and that people have a right to manage their family any way they see fit, so long as it's not criminal. We are far more attuned to our family's needs than some faceless, soulless government program. I wonder if this is why our Heavenly Father has the family unit central to his plan?!?!

A conservative believes that people have a right to worship the God of their understanding. We also believe that people do not have the right to jam their version of God (or no God) down anybody else's throat. One anonymous non-descriptive phone call is not legitimate legal evidence for one or 437 children to be removed from their homes. No matter what the religion is.

A conservative believes that people go to the movies to be entertained and to church to be preached to, not the other way around.

A conservative believes that debt creates unhealthy relationships. Everyone, from the government on down, should live within their means and strive for financial independence. Is that a direct quote from General conference?!?!

A conservative believes that a child's education is the responsibility of the parents, not the government.

So as the parent I get to choose when they go- Nope. Where they go, -somewhat. What they learn- Not at all. Who teaches them No, Only certain government trained and certified people can teach (program) our children. I love our public education system where masturbation is required curriculum, and no Christmas songs are allowed in the Christmas concert.

A conservative believes that every human being has a right to life, from conception to death.

A conservative believes in the smallest government you can get without anarchy. We know our history: The larger a government gets, the harder it will fall. OH how it has grown and grown in the last 100 years.

read all about it here

It's Organic! Go ahead and eat up!!!

We Joined the Pendleton Johnson Clan on a Strawberry picking adventure.
We did not realize it would turn into a thieving binge for the youngest of our group.




here are some great pics of the big girls. They filled their own bucket.




Now all the incriminating photo's. Benson and Katherine soon learned it was faster to eat them now, rather waiting for them to be cleaned or even purchased. They both figured out that there is no need to even take them off the plant. Us adults were greatly outnumbered. between keeping the girls within shouting distance, the boys focused on red strawberries and not green ones the little tykes got away with many, many stolen goods. Benson had a special ladybug toy in his left hand so Katherine out stole him.




Look at these yummy Carlsbad grown strawberries. Once at home we washed off the dirt, compost and other nature spices. I offered a few to Bence . .he had had enough. Hopefully he and Katherine do not get sick. We enjoyed our share of them alone for snacks, on French toast, with strawberry shortcake and homemade buttermilk scones sprinkled with powdered sugar (unless your Jeddy and then the sugar load triples). So yummy! So so yummy.



shot of the group in the strawberry fields. If you could see through hills and houses you would see our house behind Dave about 1 and a half miles. Just in front of britt is Legoland. It is always pleasant to see these massive rolling strawberry fileds among our little city. Their lease ends soon and many people want a big fancy hotel. I prefere the fields. I hope this spot stays agro, I hope we can come here and pick (or steal) many more strawberries.

Summer is here, I can turn off my brain . .right!?!

We have officially ended our first year in the public education system.


We said goodbye's and extended our friendships at a picnic at the park with a bunch of our buddies.

I loaded the kids in the van to drive to my sis house for a pool party. I was looking forward to a calm peaceful 30 minute drive. I asked each kid some music they wanted to listen to. Jeddy requested superman (five for fighting, and Madisen Bad (U2). So we proceeded in that order.

We I spent the next 20 minutes explaining the meanings and lyrics to the superman song to the kids, but mostly Madisen. "Why doesn't he like to fly?" . . . "why does he say he is only a man . .he is a super hero.? . . .his life isn't hard he has powers"

Luckily we were able to just enjoy 'Bad', I hope you do also. I tried to post it we will see if it worked. On our car ride home I had to explain the judicial system and why I wasn't going to go to jail due to me driving with out my license. I had to explain to my kids that yes I do criminal things, but I'll still be there Mommy. Madisen wanted to know all the laws you go to prison for, what is prison like, how long do you stay in prison when you speed ("like you always do mommy!").






This is going to be a fun summer, Benson has learned how to unlock and open the dishwasher, and can climb to the top bunk with out the ladder, loves to use the power sliding doors in the van (I think he has a goal to wear them out by constantly opening and closing them), and the best is our secure safe home is no longer a jail for him. He learned that you can open the garage door from inside the car. So if I don't lock the kitchen door to the garage he can open the door, get in the car (open and shut the doors a few times) then climb up to the button by the visors and BAM the door opens. Luckily he cant reach the car door handles yet and the garage door is LOUD opening and closing. So if I just keep my ears tuned we should be able to keep him contained. We are going to have to train the older crazies to actually shut their doors now. It looks as though my Jeddy Saga's have returned in the form of what use to be my sweet baby Bence. Is Benson to young for boarding school. He is a mature 16 months old?
I am not sure I can handle summer if I have to have analytical conversations all day long and keep up with Bence's antics. Luckily he still takes a nap in the afternoon. Wish me luck on my relaxing summer break keeping up with my boys not the jones's.

My great new hiking back pack

sorry this picture showed in the draft but didn't come up on the post

Our Get away

Living in C'bad you have limitless opportunities to sit in time share presentations. We did, and got 2 nights free hotel stay for listening. We were so excited to get away and this was the excuse/resource to make it happen. We did not have high hopes for our (free) accommodation's and we were still underwhelmed. I will add several photos to hopefully give you the full effect. Thanks to Ben's Parents for loving and caring for the 3 rascals so we could have so fun without boogers on our shoulders. We escaped to the marvelous mountain resort of Big Bear last week.


The Good

• Our first getaway since having kids. Yes it's true we have not taken a couple's only trip since our free cruise we won on our honeymoon. I was pregnant with Madisen on the cruise so if you count that as having kids then I think our honeymoon to Cabo is it.
• Not knowing what to do without our planners, cell phones and to do lists around.
• All the wonderful fresh air you can imagine
• beautiful views and nature all around you
• Reminded me how much I do love Utah and its marvelous big mountains.

The Bad

• Pretty much every aspect of our lodging can be listed here. We couldn't get into our initial room so after a pleasant 15 minutes wait the handyman came to let us in. Once in we rested from our long drive in a musty, moldy sauna. Luckily our room was equipped with a ceiling fan. We requested a room on the 1st floor to get some relief of the heat. here are highlights of the Timberline lodge. May I recommend never staying here.
  

1. kick holes in front door. inch gap in bottom of door.
2. jacked locks, and we were not allowed a key for the dead bolt. hmmm nice. They did upgrade our stay and gave us a complimentary lock for the bathroom window.
3. High quality 3 mattress beds. Notice that the center of the bed is a good 5 inches below the head and feet of the bed. that's cozy, luckily the other bed was much nicer.
4. I found one tile in the bathroom that was mold free. And the craftsmanship of the shower was *****, that's five star.
5. The TV was unplugged. So Ben had to move it across the dresser to get it plugged in and then had to remove the tape from the back of the remote to put the batteries in properly.
6. I left my hair dryer at home b/c the pamphlet specifically stated dryer in every room. not so my friends, but I was allowed use of the complimentary quest Iron.
7. Also in the pamphlet was the continental breakfast and pool's. Notice the picture of Ben standing in front of our pool, just outside our kicked in front door. It has 10 gallons of water and 30 gallons of mud and pine needles in it. nice!!! Remember when Daniel Larussa moved to California in Karate Kid. Same effect. We could however walk 2 blocks to the family unit area and go in the indoor pool and spa, just imagine a complete lack of maintenance for the last 12 years. It was gross.

• The local crazy lady that hit us up for bus fare and then wouldn't leave b/c she could 'sense' something was terribly wrong with Ben. We met her again at the German restaurant, It is always nice to make new friends when you're away.
  

The Unforgettable

• Our hike to grand view and lodgepole pine. we spent 4 hours hiking mountainous terrain. In the first pictures you'll notice my new high end hiking pack, it is versatile and light weight, perfect for out door adventurers...... or just the crazy people that did not bring a back pack on their trip. oops!
  
• Forgetting the sound of my whining kids voices. Ben and I missed them, it was nice to get away and focus on their good qualities and the great personalities they have.
  
• The bowling barn, a fine establishment located right across the street from our hotel.
  
• Watching the fish jump, literally jump out of the water to catch flies. way cool.

All in all Big Bear is a great little mountain get away. We cant wait to go back with the kids, and snow shoe, hike, kayak and stay in much much better accommodation's.