We have to do something!

There are many things that I don’t understand but I do understand one thing right now. .. our country is headed down the wrong road….a really bad road that I don’t think it can come back from. We are in a financial meltdown right now and our government thinks that spending another almost trillion dollars is going to help. Their 800 billion dollar “stimulus”/”bailout” package here a few months ago didn’t help. They told us that the sky was going to fall on us if it didn’t pass. Well, it passed after being forced through both houses and the funny thing is…… it did nothing! And the really funny part, actually it is not funny at all its infuriating, is they didn’t even spend it on what they said they were going to spend it on.

I don’t know a ton about economics but I can say that it’s not working. And now our new President wants to spend another almost trillion in another “stimulus” plan. Either everybody that is for this deal is crazy or I am a complete idiot. Are they trying to ruin us?

And what are our elected officials doing up there? Aren’t they supposed to be working for us…listening to us? Are they so selfish to think only of lining their and their special interest group’s pockets with this stimulus money before the good of the country?

I have wanted to use this blog for family history and such but I stray from that in this post. I want all and any who read this to contact their elected officials (right now) at http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml and let them know where you stand. Tell them you don’t want a government bailout. You want a free market economy not a socialist run government. And you don’t want them spending your money #1 and #2 there is no money to spend anyway. We are the people and we need to let them hear from us!

I love my country and I love the freedoms that I have. I do not want to lose them.

Morgan's First Four Months

It is absolutely amazing to me how fast they grow. Here she is only a few days old. My little newborn! I think it has been such a joy with her because she came to me at a good time in my life.

Cole he was my first, so I had all sorts of anxieties of whether I was doing this or that the right way and whether I was accidentally going to break him. (I had zero experience with kids before Cole.) So his baby days I was somewhat anxious all the time. And sweet little Carson was a Big surprise. I got pregnant with him when Cole was 10 months. So Carson's baby days I had to share because Cole was still a baby.

With Morgan I had no worries... this was my third round and I felt good about the space between her and Carson and confidant in my ablities to take care of her.

This is when she was one month old. The days of sleeping all the time, only to wake up to eat. I am thankful that babies do that. It makes the transition smoother to me.

Here she is at two months. This is a special picture because this is her blessing day. Michael gave her a beautiful blessing that day. I could not have asked for a better one. Her Grandma Pressley bought her blessing dress, which she looked so precious in.

I love this one. Three months old and developing lots of personality.

And this is her currently....4 months old. We moved her to her own room now and I am only getting up with her 1 - 2 times a night. I look back on the last four months and see how they have flown. I am happy kids grow up but I hope I can be one that lives in the moment and enjoy them for where they are at. For I know soon I will look back with longing and wish for days that are past. But I hope when I do that I don't do it with regret. So maybe I should implement some prevenative measures of a little less yelling and ordering them about and more playtime and laughter.

Tribute to Carson

This is Carson on his 3rd birthday. Holding one of the things he loves dearly....a Thomas the train. He loves to pack around his trains and cars and tracks in a little brief case and set up shop where ever he is. If you look closely in the picture you see he has a scratch under his eye. (I'm so thankful it didn't touch his eye.) Surprisingly, this is not a war wound inflicted by his brother. This was something he did all on his own.

Carson has always been a little more accident prone than Cole. Even when Carson was little he was always hitting his head on something. He's a little toughie though.

Here is Carson with his cousin Maddox and Cole. Carson and Maddy get along okay. Granted they don't spend a lot of time together because of distance but it was interesting to see how they played together. I think Cole and Maddy get along better than Carson and Maddy. What do you think Cass?

Carson has always been sensitive and gentle. However, I see the gentleness fading a little as he is getting older. He likes to wrestle with his brother now that he can hold his own. And instead of him getting picked on all the time by Cole, its starting to be the other way around.

Here is a picture of us bowling a few months back with some of the boy's friends. It was fun to get together with our friends and all bowl together. Well, the kids bowled and us mothers "tried" to visit amongst the mayhem.

Carson loves to play with his friends. Some of them are Olivia, Felicity, Drew, TJ and all the other kids in nursery with him. In fact, I just asked him who are his friends and he named Maddy, Megan, Kylie, and Ashley too. He loves his cousins.

This is the boys on Christmas Eve in their new PJ's. I think they had a great Christmas. We didn't go crazy but it was still really nice. Carson is really in the habit of getting in these funny poses when its time for pictures.

It is so fun and scary for me to watch him grow. Fun, in that I get to relive through him (and Cole) what it was like to be little again. Its the little things that excite him and that's a good reminder to me. Plus, all the crazy stuff they say because they really don't know any better. When I am not mad at him I can actually laugh at it.

Scary to watch him grow because he is growing up really fast. Scary because I have to teach him so much before he is out of my care. Scary because one day he won't be little and will move away.

But for now he is still my little Carsonator and I love him very much. I am so proud of the little boy he is and look forward to watching him turn into a young man.

Jessica's Baby Shower

So tonight was Jessica's baby shower. (I am so happy that she is almost at the end and going to get her girl!) It was at Marilyn's house and it was really fun. There is nothing more fun than leaving the kids for a little while to go hang out with other women. Especially these women.

Its fun to go hang out and laugh about life and all the little stresses. Its interesting how much we all have in common even though we come from different walks of life. I am thankful for the friends that I have. It makes this journey highly enjoyable.

Whether you think you can or you can't, you are right. (Henry Ford)

I love starting a new year. It's fresh, new and invigorating for me. I know you don't have to wait for the end of the year to start a goal but I always seem to procrastinate till then. The last 2 years we have written down our family goals in the SMART format. (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.) And it has been a really good experience. Have we meet our goals for 2008? No, but that's okay because we tried there for awhile and we are going to try again for 2009 and even harder. It seems that when I have something to strive for it makes things more exciting.

Aside, from the family goals I’m also a proponent for individual goals. Frankly, I am a sucker for any and all self improvement methods. I love what Marvin J. Ashton said, “True happiness is not made in getting something. True happiness is becoming something. This can be done by being committed to lofty goals. We cannot become something without commitment.”

I love that because I believe that! Its about becoming better than we are. Changing the not so great and replacing it with improved behaviors. The key word in the quote being commitment. That’s the part that I have a tendency to fizzle out on. But I believe I know the antidote for that problem ….Christ. If it was not for His atonement none of us could change or be better. Through His magnificent sacrifice I can better myself when I call on Him.

So in 2009 my first and foremost effort will be in involving myself in those activities that will bring the spirit in my life such as, scripture study (daily) and earnest, sincere prayer. Once that is in place my other goals I know will come more easily. I know not without hard work but I am not afraid of work.

One more great quote to keep me motivated is what Elder Russell Ballard said:

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our potential. When one learns to master the principals of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life."