Another Funny Friday!

I was making a salad, but realized ALL of the tomatoes were molding over. Yes, gross. And, we practically just purchased them. I have no idea why food seems to rot SO FAST here in Beaufort!! Wait, humidity. I digress.

Ian watched me shove the tomatoes aside. "Why you not getting tomatoes in your salad, Mommy?"

I crinkled my nose, "They were bad!"

Matter-of-factly, he chided the tomatoes, "Oh no, you wasn't listening, and now Mommy's not going to eat you."

Hold Out Your Hand

Ian likes to pretend to give me things...money, food, and pretend pets to hold.

So I'm editing photos and he's watching Nemo. I thought nothing of it when he walked over and announced, "Mom, I have something to give you. Hold out your hand."

Willingly, I offered my left hand, while I continued working on the photo with my right on the mouse.

I quickly recoiled when I realized he was...

not

pretending

to hand me anything.

He was actually...

wiping

a booger

on my palm.

Mothering tip #5,567: Always hold out your hand when your child needs you. But, make sure you're looking. :)

Funny Friday

Some funnies from the kids this week!

*While I was talking on the phone, Zoe was running around my bedroom putting things in her mouth. I kept asking her to get them out. "Yuck! Put it down!" She ran for the next thing...exasperated, I asked her a question I knew (thought) would be rhetorical. "WHY?! Why do you keep putting things in your mouth!?"

She bounced up and down on my leg, chewing on a crayon and said, "I funny eat! I funny!"

*The car began leaking (gas, long story) when Matt started it up after a repair (and no, it was not his fault!). Ian asked, "What's going on, Mommy?"

I looked at the car that wouldn't start and replied, "Well, Ian, it looks like the car is giving Daddy a hard time."

Ian looked down at the growing puddle on the driveway and quipped, "Oh no! Is the car peeing?"

*Ian walked over to me during a particularly active point of little brother's day yesterday. I held Ian's hand on my tummy, and told him to wait and see if he felt anything. Oh, how his eyes and smile absolutely lit up at a particularly big kick!

"Mommy! My brother just kicked me! He kicked me! There's a baby in there!"

Of course, he knows it...but just like pregnancy takes on a new thrill when you feel the first movement yourself, I know that he's understanding in a new way again!

The funniest part was he then told me, "Mom, I'll be riiiight back. I have to go get something."

SO smart! He listened so intently and was so still, I was just amazed! Brother was kicking him back the whole time, and Ian was loving it! Watch his face change as he's listening...

Not that it needs a caption, but he said, "Oh, I heard him Mom. I did hear him. Now be still, lemme listen." :)

The Power of 45 Minutes of Crying

This morning, I had a 45 minute meditation on the agony of wearing play clothes when you would rather wear pajamas.

Ian had an accident in his pajamas, so we had to move on to the clean clothes that were handy! "NO WAY, MOM! I'm NOT wearing clothes-es!" Calmly I reminded him, well, actually son, you are...and if you want to continue wearing your favorite pajamas, next time you have to make it to the potty...as far as I know, all the pajamas are in the laundry, anyway! So I put him in his play clothes.

Then the crying started. Powerhouse, angry crying. At first, I tried to rationalize with him, but every word out of my mouth was met with an emphatic, "UH-UH! NO!"

Instead of grunting back in argument, I told him to go to his bed, and when he calmed down we would talk about it some more. Considering we just got out of bed, personally, I needed the space before moving on to the next step!

I came back here to the computer to wake up, and wait for peace to settle. Ten minutes passed...twenty minutes...thirty minutes? (Sometimes, I'm not sure how long these things last, but sitting right in front of a clock helps).

At first, it was easy to ignore the crying. Woohoo, I thought...I'm a pro at ignoring this tantrum stuff! I began repeating things to convince myself of things that I know to be true:

-It will end. They all do!

-He is not dying, even though it sounds like it.

-A giant monster did not sneak into his room and is not eating his leg off his body.

-I already established that he can come talk to me when he's calmed down, and he has mastered what this concept means already.

-He is not dying.

-It will end.

But as I listen to him at minute 33 over the baby monitor SCREAMING in his room, I'm wondering...is he EVER going to stop crying?! Surely he's got to figure out very soon that I'm just not buying the dramatics. Do I go in and tell him to stop and threaten further punishment? How can I possibly just make the crying go away?

Are you one of those parents that's thoughts drift to duct tape, dog kennels, or special noise-insulated padded cells for children? I'm not really there until 4:30pm. But this was pushing it.

Did I mention we just woke up?

(You moms know that there is an unspoken rule that any and all temper tantrums must be thrown after breakfast. Before breakfast is simply absurd. Wait, the rule is actually no temper tantrums at all, ever. Hm, something a little fishy with this rule book).

My mind was thinking of a lot of possible scenarios and how they would play out. Then the process shifted from intensity to peace.

God made Ian a boy with an incredibly strong heart! He is so committed and dedicated to the things he believes! You can't just give someone tenacity and a will for standing up for things. Any strength can also manifest itself in a less-than-productive way. This is just an example of that in action. I'm such a blessed mom to have such a wonderful little person in my charge! One day, he will have tools for discerning what things are worth fighting for, and will be one of the world's unstoppable forces for Truth.

Almost in synch with my thoughts, he stopped at 44 minutes and 22 seconds. Please feel free to round up, it did feel like longer.

Completely calmly and with a smile on his face, he approached me with a pair of clean pajamas. "Mom," he touched my arm softly and sweetly, "I'm sorry for throwing a fit. I don't want to wear my clothes-es. Please can I wear these? I found them."

I want to remember this train of thought forever. Because I think it's important that I hang on to what this tantrum, like a lot of other frustrating moments, has shown me about Ian. I love the man he is growing up to be. Passionate about life, I pray for God to never let me squelch that energy, only to point it in the right direction. Oh, the power of 45 minutes of crying. :)

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn't wasted. -1 Cor. 15:58

So, What's Next for the Gaylers?

Matt spoke with the monitor yesterday! If you're wondering...the monitor is the Marine's job placement specialist. They balance a Marine's desired duty station with the needs of the Marine Corps and job openings.

We've been anxiously anticipating this talk to get a better idea of where we'll be going from here. Wow, loaded words. Are you wanting to skip ahead through all my gobble-goop to the good part where I tell you where we're going and when? Well, I'll save you the agony. A lot is still up in the air. It's the Marine Corps after all!

There are a ton of positions open near our house up north. He's the first to apply, so it's looking good! When we get orders (which he will be due up for in the Summer), we should be headed the direction we hoped. We have all 3 bases selected as first choices. Something is bound to end up planting us back in that area. Sounds good, right?

It did until I heard the part about the timing...and I had a small panic attack. There's a chance we could be moving before the baby was born...in the Spring. (Which is not the Summer. Which I didn't plan for at all).

What does this mean? Back to the drawing board with prenatal care...trying to settle in with 2 kids and a big belly in the way. Not exactly my idea of fun, let me tell you. After all, I have had this all figured out and planned out to little brother's arrival. UGH! I never really plan anything, so when I do...it's supposed to go my way. UGH!

So I got mad at Matt. How come he didn't tell the monitor we don't want orders until after the baby is born?! I refuse to move. I'll just stay here and have the baby at the Birth Center while he's up there, and then we can all move when I'm feeling like myself again, and we settle into a routine with the baby. Hello! The world revolves around me!!

If you're not military trust me when I say, I am 100% SOLD OUT to following Matt whenever and wherever he goes. I KNOW the military offers no guarantees and a lot of unknowns. Even with this knowledge and acceptance, I'm still human, and still like to have the occasional panic attack when things don't go how I thought they would go! (I really thought since he wasn't "up" for orders until the Summer, it would be safe to think things out at least until baby came).

I had a conversation with two of my friends that said words that stung deeply. "It will be fine no matter what." This stung because I didn't want to be fine. I was having a panic attack, which sounded like a much better idea at the time. And I know the verse, "Don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself," but it doesn't say that I can't over-analyze, come up with possible scenarios, and completely blow a gasket about my plans not coming through. That's not technically worrying about it, right?

I'm going to thank those friends for knocking sense into me and not joining my pity party. Even though it seems like the nice thing to do, please stop attending pity parties. It's not rude to just say you're busy and have other things to do like be positive and smile. :) Anyway, thank you for not attending my party.

This morning I still woke up grumpy, and had more sense knocked into me. IT WILL BE FINE.

And, I gave myself permission to really believe that circumstances are just circumstantial. How I define what is "good" and what is "bad" really doesn't matter at all. I can choose to be happy, no matter what!

One of my favorite verses, Jer. 29:11 is a constant reminder to me, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Nowhere in there did He promise things would go my way. Or that they would be "good." He says He gives hope and a future, and won't harm me. Thank you, Jesus!

More perspective...I heard something else this past week that has had me thinking ever since. "I hate it when people give God the credit for every little good thing." Yeah, me too. Doesn't this mean that I have certain things pigeonholed as God's benevolence, and others reserved for just "bad luck"? He's in charge of the universe, good and bad...and certainly holds a better definition of what those things really are...I will feel free to quit defining every moment and event in my life.

God doesn't only do things I can explain, and he's not confined by "reality." Certainly, not my reality.

Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes from the book, Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues (a book about a family's journey with autism), by Barry Neil Kaufman. "But suppose, just suppose, we obliterate what we think we should see and make up the wonder and beauty. Pie-in-the-sky? Unrealistic? You bet! We'll never beat the odds and marry our dreams unless we are decidedly unrealistic."

So I'm going to be as unrealistic as I can think to be. I'm going to completely ignore the fact that there's an invisible time-table on my location and the course of our family's future! I'm going to be even more unrealistic and not try to plan for all the possibilities. While I'm at it, I'm going to unrealistically assume that I don't actually know what I want and what's best!

--End panic attack here.--

I know none of this impacts what's actually happened...or what's going to happen. But I wanted to share it, because I know at some point we're all going through something, and want it to go differently. Give yourself permission to be unrealistic! You don't have to figure it out. Really!

So, what's next for the Gayler family? It really doesn't matter. We're already on our way, and it's going to be great! :)

P.S. Seriously, we know we're *probably* headed near our house again, and getting orders some time after January. This post was super helpful, wasn't it?

5 Months!

This month marks the "half way" point! (I put it in quotation marks, because only God knows when little brother will make his grand appearance!).

Today, I had my first "regular" appointment at the Birth Center. I am taking advantage of a special option for care that the center offers. These appointments are called "Prenatal Plus" and are different than traditional check-ups at other facilities.

Perhaps you haven't been pregnant and wonder what I mean! Here's how the typical appointment has gone for me in the past:

-Check in and wait to be called back for your appointment. (Read a few magazines in the office!).

-Have vitals (blood pressure, temperature, and weight) checked and recorded by a member of the nursing staff.

-Answer brief questions about your health that day. (Are you in pain today? Do you drink/smoke? Any changes since your last appointment?).

-Wait for a doctor to visit the room.

-Answer brief questions about your health that day. (Are you in pain today? Have you had a drink or smoked? Any changes or questions since your last appointment?).

-Meet with the doctor and get a fundal height measurement (how big the belly has grown!) and listen to the baby's heartbeat via Doppler.

-Ask any pressing questions. (Or forget them...I have done this before!).

-Go home!

For me, since I had an uncomplicated process, I usually spent a total of about an hour in the office...10 minutes of which was spent with my provider. All in all, very straightforward and "boring"!

At the Birth Center, their Prenatal Plus appointments go a little differently. I am in a group with other mothers that are all due within about a month of each other. Today was the first of these appointments, so the order is a little different than usual, but here's what today's visit looked like:

-Arrive at the Birth Center and begin checking in myself immediately!

-Have assistance taking my own weight & blood pressure...record in my chart myself! (Track my weight on the "growth chart" for my specific BMI. Record blood pressure statistics.)

-Proceed to classroom and visit with other moms in my class while waiting for others to "process."

-Fill out my chart with my "symptoms" for that day. (Pain, diet, fetal movement, etc.).

-Enjoy a discussion/class on the month's topic. This month was healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise, and positive thinking). The class is led by one of the midwives who gives a lot of useful resources. This is also a time where moms share what they have experienced, and talk about information that is helpful for this stage of pregnancy.

-End the class by taking turns visiting with the midwife to track individual growth (fundal height and listening to the heartbeat via Doppler!).

-Go home!

The appointment lasted 2 hours (they always start and end on time), and almost the entire time was spent enjoying the company of other moms in the same phase, being involved in tracking my own health progress, and most importantly gleaning information from my midwife and staff. Far from boring, it was informative and fun! Yes, I learned some things, even the 3rd time!

I enjoy that the Birth Center encourages such active involvement in my own pregnancy/health. I carry my chart with me at the appointments, and can track my own progress! We are provided with a notebook to take home that includes handouts (related to the month's topic) and copies of a couple of the charts for my own personal reference. We are encouraged to write down questions and collect informative handouts and articles for future sharing in this valuable pregnancy resource.

Towards the end of pregnancy, I will have not only the Prenatal Plus class (monthly), but also a few additional check-ups as labor draws ever closer.

Today everything looked great...I am measuring right at 20 1/2 weeks, and little brother's heartbeat was a strong 150 bpm!

I am looking forward to my next appointment already...something I used to dread!

So, here's my 5 months snapshots. It's hard to believe time has flown by so quickly!

In Search of the Perfect Name (Part Two)

I should admit now, I'm not really sure how many parts this will be. But, hopefully you find the journey just as entertaining as we do (at times, anyway)!

We did have some girl names picked out. Many of them rotated on and off the list, but the general "like" list usually contained:

Piper
Ann
Ellie

Of course, that's just for fun...because we know it's a boy now! None of those names quite fits...haha.

Now, we've been going back through the list of boy names. To Matt's chagrin, our original list is full of scratch marks.

Liam - Sounds like Ian with an "L" in front of it.
Connor - Seems like I know a ton of them now!
Benjamin - When you put the nickname in front of our last name, you get Ben-Gay(ler), which sounds like the smelly medicated ointment. This probably isn't a big deal, but I just can't shake the association! I smelled a lot of that stuff as it was Mom's fix to help my growing pains!

So, we're running through the name book again. The primary tactic we've employed to "test drive" names is just reading them out of the book. Mostly I read, and Matt responds. Here's a little sampling of how that discussion goes. For the record, neither of us have anything against any of the names, just not for us. So what we think as we consider them for our little boy doesn't necessarily mean we think it any time we hear the name in general! And, for simplicity's sake, I'm putting Matt's words in italics.

Alec?

Trebeck?
Louis?

Who? How would you spell that anyway?
Maddox?

Great pitcher! Did you know that he had...(insert random sports statistic/rabbit trail here)?

No, ok. No thinking of a pitcher every time you call his name I guess.
Kyle?

NO WAY! SO mean to me in school! Plus, you said no to Kylie for a girl.

Well this is a boy name.

Eh.
Houston?

That's a place, not a name.

Well it's also the name of a place.

He's a boy, not a place.

Bryce?

I don't like the "bry" sound.

Why not? It's just a sound, can't hurt you.

It hurts to say it.

That's just ridiculous.

The name is ridiculous.

You're ridiculous.

Marcus?

That's Ian's middle name!

So?

Uh, we already used it once, isn't there like some rule against that?

I like the name.

That's why we gave it to Ian.

Just kidding.

Miles?

I said I didn't like that name already.

Just checking.

Fernando?

(Poke).

What was that for?

Fernando? Really?

It's a perfectly good name.

Ian, Zoe & Fernando. Seriously, no.

I was just messing with you, stop poking me.

Then stop saying names like that.

Bernardo? (Snickering).

(Poke).

Hey! I said stop poking me!

Sounds like you only changed the first letter. Next.

Owen?

Yeah I kinda like that, you can add it to the list.

It's already on the list.

Oh. Well I like it.

Hopefully you got a laugh out of that. We certainly have had fun reverting to middle schoolers during much of the naming process. It's too bad that every other name Matt can associate with a celebrity of some sort. I think this has been more of an education in pop culture than choosing an actual name at times. But nonetheless, fun!

Speaking of fun...some of the websites are pretty entertaining. I highly recommend Baby Name Genie. Type in your last name and a gender, and "make a wish." Not only do you get a name, but some humorous narrative with it. (Obviously, we're lacking in that department).

At the bottom of their website, they have letters to the genie. I couldn't help but laugh at these.

Judith in WI:

I really like the name Pickle. Can I have suggestions for a middle name? I am definitely naming my son Pickle, so only middle name suggestions please!

Baby Name Genie:
I herby warn you that naming your baby boy Pickle would not be kosher. But since you are against canning it, I reluctantly offer you the middle name Dillon.

Jill in Holland:
I really REALLY like the name Arden Sophia for my daughter. But it seems me and my hubby are the only people that do. How do I convince my friends and family that we love this name and that it WILL suit our little girl? Many thanks in advance.
Baby Name Genie:
First acquire a spool of orange thread, four twisty ties, an empty soda can and two mints. Never mind. Actually, you and they are probably better off if you don't do anything to convince them. Simply name your baby girl what you desire.

Well, I'm off to bed, and will be thinking and praying for the perfect name. No rush, 5 more months! :)

Faces & Sayings

Perhaps this is a semi-Wordless Wednesday. Here's Ian at the beginning of the year (January) making faces & telling us what the family members say. Yes, I am semi-irritating asking him a variation on the same question every 4 seconds, but hey...he's still too cute! :)

The Unavoidable

Well, for all that talk about finding out or keeping it a surprise...if we really wanted a surprise, I would have had to skip seeing the ultrasound altogether. I don't know for sure if it was positioning of the baby, or just having seen enough ultrasounds to know...but I didn't need the tech to tell me it was a boy, or even get the clear angle!

As she was scanning for spine, kidneys, brain measurements, and more, I saw several glimpses and KNEW. So, the entire conversation went out the window as soon as we started looking inside. This little guy was not about keeping a secret! She turned the monitor before asking, "Did you want to know the gender?" I laughed, and Matt said, "Oh yeah!" I'm happy I was already ok with knowing...it was just unavoidable! LOL.

All curled up, it was so fun to peek at the little baby inside.


From head to toe, we love him already! He looks healthy, and everything is as it should be!


It's pretty amazing to get a view of the little one growing inside. We could see him wiggling around just slightly, as he appeared to be napping.


Little Brother, I can't wait to meet you! You've taught me something already...sometimes we just think we're in control, when really some things are just unavoidable! Like, how much love we have for you, even before we laid eyes on you. :)

More Surprises!

So, as soon as I was pregnant, I decided this baby's gender would be a surprise. After all, we found out with Ian and Zoe. It's fun to keep guessing for 9 months! And, I just had this beautiful moment pictured in my head (like on the T.V. shows) where the doctor delivers the baby and announces, "It's a...!" (Insert blissful sigh here).

But, as soon as I was pregnant, Matt had decided we were finding out again.

Matt is a PLANNER. (Notice the all CAPS). He HAD to know. There are many plans that need to be made now...how the kids' rooms will be divvied up, what the name will be, validation (since he insists it's a boy), and what color clothing should be brought to the hospital. To him, there was no other option. We could find out, and we would.

I let it go. He was pretty insistent, and I really didn't care that much. Or did I? Weeks after I agreed we'd find out, I was still telling people that we might keep it a surprise! Or, "Matt wants to find out, but I want a surprise." This just didn't make any sense. After a heart to heart with a wonderful friend, I decided to broach the topic again. I wasn't sold on the deal yet.

We had a wonderful talk about it. I learned more about Matt, and where his heart lies with this baby. I learned more about my own reasoning, and where my heart was, too. In the end, we came full circle...and fully embraced differing opinions of equal importance to ourselves. (This is the fancy way of saying we can discuss and debate endlessly a topic and think the other person is completely nuts...and still love each other for it).

This sounds helpful, doesn't it? Actually it was, really. Not that he agreed with my reasoning, but he conceded to let it be a surprise. (I have mentioned we knew with Ian and Zoe, right? This really helped my case, among other things).

Once I had achieved a moral victory and won the debate, I had the freedom to ponder. And doubt began to sink in...

I've talked with families that kept it a surprise. I've heard from dads that kept that knowledge a secret from everyone (even mom)! There are couples that found out, and didn't tell anyone else. Others really got creative in sharing the surprise. My favorite idea was writing the gender on a slip of paper in a sealed envelope and delivering it to the baker. They ice a cake with white frosting and blue or pink tinted cake inside. At the party, cake cutting reveals the surprise to everyone! How cute! What about the couples that tried to see who could last longer and stared at the sealed envelope waiting for one to break down? Oh, so many options...

With Ian and Zoe it was perfect. I didn't miss anything by knowing that labor's end would cumulate with my precious son or daughter. It didn't pain me to answer, "We're having a boy," or "We're having a girl," for 5 months before delivery. And I didn't love them any less or more for knowing. In fact, I enjoyed calling them by name and talking to them. I loved picking out little clothes for them to wear! Smiling with friends and family about the new little boy and girl was great! I can't imagine things any differently with them!

Every family has their own reasons that are right for them...and at one point in history, this bit of information wasn't even an option! Is it really that important? No, hardly! Besides, the whole conversation will go right out the window if it's not possible to tell...or if it ends up being the opposite. (Which won't matter either! We'll love the little bundle just as much!).

And all of these long-winded explanations bring us to tonight. Tonight is the last night before the big ultrasound...The last night it could be a surprise!

And, if it's possible to tell, we would like to know.

Why? Because I realized that I had built up in my own mind what this beautiful little moment of anticipation would be like. When really, seeing and knowing from the ultrasound didn't take away from the anticipation of meeting this little person at all (for me)!

And because for Daddy, knowing if it's a boy or a girl is exciting and the way he would like to share this wonderful journey of life!

So, surprise! Stay tuned for tomorrow for the equivalent of that one gift you get to open on Christmas Eve. It's your last chance to vote, too! (On the right sidebar). Boy or girl?

Even if we don't find out tomorrow for whatever reason, this is still one of the best surprises ever. :)

Surprises

Did you know that your computer is full of surprises!? I did actually know this, but experiencing it again tonight has been so much fun!

I discovered the integrated editing software on Picasa. It's actually pretty amazing all the things you can do to a photo with no charge! In fact, a lot of the features are pretty comparable to what I do with Photoshop Elements, in a simpler format! If you don't have a Picasa Web Album yet, make one! Yes, I am advertising shamelessly. For personal use, the whole system just can't be beat!

Back to this free editing thing. There is a little button you can click once you upload to an album that says, "Edit." Oh wait! Before I try to explain where this button is, I can show you! Because...I had MORE fun discovering "surprise" keyboard shortcuts for the Mac. Press Shift-Command-4, and you can select what part of your screen you'd like to capture (it saves automatically to your desktop). Perfect for instructional purposes:

I added the little arrow and highlight arrow with Picnik. Cool!? Wow, I really like little surprises a lot I guess.

Surprises...right! That's why I was blogging. I was blogging to write about the surprises Matt brought home for the kids. :)

He went on a "field trip" of sorts to Savannah, and they stopped at a candy store. Two little tin lunch boxes full of treats found their way home...

Zoe was transfixed by Tinkerbell!

Ian was thrilled he got Buzz Lightyear.

Zoe held it up and heard the noise of something inside...

But Ian didn't need any assistance getting to the sugary goodness!

This one says it all.

I just LOVE surprises! :)

Dobby

She ran around in circles in the kitchen...

"Dobby! Dobby! Dobby! Mommy! Want Dobby!"

I watched her increasing pace, raising voice, and frantic search for, "Dobby," with increasing humor...then worry. Was something wrong? Did she suddenly become crazy? I joined her in her hunt.

"Where is Dobby?" I pleaded with her.

She pointed everywhere in the kitchen. "DOBBY! Want DOBBY!" Then, she started crying.

Have I mentioned that I have never heard her say the word, "Dobby" or anything like it before? I walked circles around the kitchen pointing to everything in sight, in the search of the elusive Dobby. She grunted negatively at each item.

Finally, I did what any wise parent would do and gave up. Whatever or whoever "Dobby" was, it was just going to have to wait, because I certainly lacked the ability to figure it out.

Zoe cried for a moment, and plopped herself in the middle of the kitchen floor, thumb in her mouth. She glared at me unhappily. It was really quite funny. Sorry, Zoe.

Then I decided to proceed with my morning. It was cold, and I felt like a little pick-me-up...so I started some coffee. (Even decaf has a little caffeine! And no, it won't hurt the baby!). As I poured the grounds into the machine, Zoe ran over to me and started jumping up and down ecstatically. "DOBBBBBYYYYYY!" She smiled, clapped her hands, twirled in a circle, and bounced up and down again. "Dobby," she almost sighed the word in relief.

Coffee. November 3, 2010, my daughter randomly decided she wanted to start drinking coffee. I gave it to her black, for a taste. I figured a taste of some strong, black decaf would squelch her further interest in coffee.

She liked it. No, loved it. "Mmmm. Dobby. Thank you!"

About this time, Ian comes around the corner asking, "Mom! Can I have some tea, too?"

Maybe we need some more work on this whole vocabulary thing? Nah. Coffee, tea, Dobby...still makes for a pleasant morning wake-up (especially in the company of my favorite little people). :)

I Didn't Vote (Revised)

Branching out a little on the updates, aren't I? Well...it seemed like the thing to do at the time!

I wanted to write this because of some things I have seen going on around me...

Because of insults that are flung at those that didn't vote.

Because of the stigma that you must not care about our country or the people that have died for it, if you don't find yourself at the polls.

Because if there are problems in our country, it must be since the person(s) that could have made a difference with a vote, didn't.

Because you must be ignorant if you didn't vote.

Because it's simply unAmerican not to vote.

Because you just don't understand why anyone wouldn't vote.

There are very important reasons; I think you should vote.

Vote. As an American engaged in the processes of our country.

Vote. To keep the people that represent your values moving forward.

Vote. Because it's not only your right, but your privilege as an American.

Vote. Your citizenship has been hard won, and with it your freedoms.

VOTE.

Yet, I didn't vote this year, for my own carefully considered reasons. I'm not saying it to brag, it's not brag-worthy. I hope it doesn't encourage anyone else not to vote. I'm admitting this to be transparent, and avoid hypocrisy. Maybe not everyone has a good reason for not voting...including me. In fact, some are probably pretty "terrible." Would you consider this is your golden opportunity to teach?

Teach through...

Telling about your empowerment, involvement, and American pride.

Explaining the process patiently.

Suggesting how you're making a difference.

Talking about the actual issues and candidates in a knowledgeable way.

Being an example of enjoying and knowing that you took action...with a focus on the positives.

Maybe, you could encourage them to do differently by showing what a positive experience it is. You might draw in a crowd!

I have run across these people this year. THANK YOU. I'm thankful that they speak only in positive terms, and respect me as a fellow American for my own decision...even if they disagree.

Perhaps you will rise above the politics, and accept your fellow Americans on equal footing...whether they voted or not!

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Revision Note: I had to rewrite this post because I got a little negative. (Ok, a lot!) Politics is easily one of the most highly charged topics, isn't it? I revised my words, because I want to be part of the positives and light of the country. I want to see us as a people, as a nation, becoming more unified and encouraged. It starts with me and you, doesn't it? :)