Election Prep 101

The more experiences I have in life, the more grateful I am for the tremendous blessing of living in this great country. The privilege of voting to influence the leadership and policies of our nation is something most of the world can only dream of. I can understand the cynicism that causes some people to abstain from voting, when they see yahoos doing dumb things in office and they feel that their vote really doesn't make much difference. But I would be ashamed of myself to join that "silent majority" of good men who stand by and do nothing while evil takes root. I can't change the world, but I can do something. This week that little something is to vote.

But I have often been frustrated as I try to be an informed voter and do a good job of researching the candidates. It doesn't always feel like I can find unbiased, truthful information. I have spoken recently with a couple people who expressed these same feelings, so I want to share a few websites that I found really helpful. If you are still working on solidifying your opinions about candidates I encourage you to take a look at some of these.

www.votesmart.org This website has a bunch of great info, but my favorite was an awesome tool called Vote Easy. It allows you to answer questions on twelve basic topics, and then it shows you which of your local candidates' views are similar or different from yours. Snazzy! It also did a really good job of giving a breakdown of those confusing ballot measures, what they mean in plain English, along with some argument statements for and against each one.

www.politifact.com This one is more national and not specific to Idaho, but it had a Truth-o-meter which was really fun to read. It researches comments by leading politicians and measures them with the truth-o-meter, giving lots of them a "pants on fire" rating. It also has a running campaign promises kept/broken list. Kind of fun.

www.uselections.com This one gives nice general info if you need to figure out your voting district, etc. And it also has links to the official website for each candidate. I don't find these as helpful because anyone can make themselves look great on their own website, but is is nice to be able to read their own platform statements.

Best one of all IdahoStatesman.com! They do a local voter guide which allows you to compare the candidates side-by-side as they answer questions on all the pertinent issues. You can then create your own personal ballot, marking your preferences for each office. I print this out and take it with me sometimes.

If you subscribe to the paper, there are ongoing articles about issues, debates, candidates, and stuff. It is hard to find the time to pour over everything, though, and that's why I like the websites that condense it for me and lay them out apples to apples. I normally ignore the Opinions page and try to focus on facts.

Can you believe I made it through all that without telling you who to vote for?! I hope everyone will take the election seriously, research the candidates, and get out there and vote. And if you happen to be interested in my opinion, just ask - you know I'll tell you.*smile*

Carter's New Hobby - Dumpster Diving

Here is my handsome husband in his slightly rumpled church suit. Kind of a funny story... Jayden is thankful it has a happy ending.

Getting ready for our big Disneyland trip our family held a garage sale to earn some extra money. We were able to sell most of the stuff, but there are always the odds and ends left over which need to be packaged up and sent to D.I. The kids and I took on that job one afternoon. As we were bagging and boxing, Jayden came across Carter's good suitcoat mixed in with D.I. clothes. I said, "Whoa! What's that doing out here? Take it into the house right away!"

Now fast forward a couple days... We were getting dressed for my nephew's baby blessing and Carter asked me, "Have you seen my suitcoat? I can't find it." I gasped. All the blood ran out of Jayden's face and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. I said, "Jayden, please tell me you brought that coat back into the house and didn't bag it up." His response, "Ummmm." Ironically, that very morning we had delivered the donation to D.I. When I called over to explain what happened and ask if there was some way to retrieve the suit, the guy just chuckled and said, "I guess you could look in the clothes bin, if you want to..." His tone clearly indicated that there was no chance. Well, after the blessing Carter booked it over to D.I. He said they showed him where the clothes go, and he proceeded to climb down into a gigantic dumpster as big as our bedroom and waist-deep with clothes. When he emerged waving his suitcoat, the employees came running and cheering. They never expected him to find it. He claims, "Where there's a will, there's a way." I claim he lives under a lucky star. He catches planes he should have missed, he finds things he should have lost, and he NEVER gets the speeding ticket. Ah, well. As for the suitcoat, it was due for a dry cleaning anyway.

Shaylie's Birthday

Shaylie turned five this summer and we celebrated by taking her and her cute cousin Hailey for a family adventure at PoJo's. We all had so much fun and I found lots of great photo opps, so I decided to make a slideshow. We love you Shaylie!

My New Washing Machine

This spring my good ol' washing machine finally croaked. We had been expecting this for a while so we had budgeted a chunk of money to buy a new one. I did a lot of research on prices, features, brands, stores, etc. Then one day I happened to notice something for sale on Craigslist that I had been wanting for a long time...something that we couldn't afford. A swimming pool. So I made a plan. I continued to look around on Craigslist and found a used washing machine for half the price we had set aside. Then I used the remainder which was just enough to buy the pool. Sometimes you have to get creative. But I was so excited. I can just picture years of summertime memories and fun centered around this pool. I have to admit that it required a lot of work and some more expense to get the silly thing all set up. We only had two weeks of hot weather left to enjoy the pool this year, but that's okay. We are already dreaming about next summer. And just look at the happy faces on my family. That's better than a fancy washing machine any day!

New Cousins!

We love our cousins!!!

My kids are lucky to have a whole bunch of the best cousins in the world, from both sides of the family. And in the last year they have been joined by three new cuties.

This summer we were so happy to get to spend a few days with Camille and get to know her new baby. They were visiting from Dubai. This is little Evelyn.



She is such a sweet, adorable little girl.





Brennan couldn't get enough of her, and asked to hold her every chance he got. Evelyn seemed entertained by the craziness of all the kids all around her, and she was a good sport. We look forward to their next visit.

Next came little Logan. These are newborn pictures - he's already a whole bunch bigger than this now, and so cute!







And my sister Amy had her fourth baby (first boy) last month. Last week they drove up to Idaho to bless him. We were thankful to be able to be a part of it! This is Aiden.



I love that little half-smile. And below are Amy and Grandma, too.

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's Back to School We Go!

When I was a kid it seemed that summertime always flew by way too fast. Now that I'm a grown-up I think they go by even faster! I love it when school gets out. I love having my kids back home with me. I love being able to create my own schedule a little bit. I always have a big list of cool activities we will do together, terrific projects and chores we will get done. I love those warm, muggy summer evenings when it is way past the kids' bedtimes but we are all hanging out in the back yard goofing around and it isn't even dark yet.

But I blink once and it is time to heave a sigh and send them back to school. Now I also have to admit that there is something exciting about the newness of a new school year. A few new outfits, new shoes, new teachers, old and new friends, etc. Even the return to an imposed schedule feels nice. I can't help but catch the enthusiasm my kids feel. And we couldn't do without the age-old tradition of first- day- of- school- pictures.




Jayden tried to act like he despised the whole idea of starting school again, but I could tell he really did look forward to it. I could also sense the slight apprehension and remembered what it was like in middle school. Jayden is starting seventh grade. It's a tough age, but he's a good kid and he's handling it okay. (Although I wish he'd slow down the growth spurt. At the moment I'm posting this in late September I've already had to buy him new jeans because the ones I got him in July in preparation for school have become high-waters!)



Makenna is starting fourth grade! She was nervous because she had a male teacher for the first time. I shared with her that in fourth grade I also had my first male teacher and it turned out to be my favorite year of elementary school. She seems to be having the same experience. It is fun to see the very big-kid stuff she is learning.

Kyler is off to first grade. The jump to all-day school hasn't phased him a bit. His enthusiasm for each new day is contagious. He loves reading, loves P.E., loves music, loves computers, loves riding the bus...



Miss Shaylie had her own first day of school because of the crazy schedule the kindergarteners are on. Our school district is trying out an all day kindergarten program on alternating days. Just look at that little face! New backpack, new lunchsack, she's so excited to start this new adventure. I've never had any worries about how Shaylie would do - I knew she'd love school. She automatically loves everyone, so everyone loves her back. But I do hate to see my babies growing up! Here are a couple more pictures of Shaylie's big day.





I love this one of her grinning at me over the seat on her first bus ride.

The all day school schedule has been an adjustment for my little girl. On her second day of school she came home and immediately lost her temper with her brother, whacking him with her backpack. I sent her to her room, and then called up the stairs a few minutes later for her to come apologize. This is what I found:



And even little Brennan had a first day of preschool!



I'm participating in a preschool co-op with some friends. Brennan is loving it! He has his paint and scissors and he's ready to go. What a little cutie. It is fun to see his pride in his accomplishments when he brings home some neat little project he made himself.

So we're off and running. I am personally thankful for the wonderful teachers who care for my babies and who do such terrific jobs teaching them each day. And what a blessing to live in a place where my kids can receive a great education!

Summer + Family = Fun

We had a terrific little family reunion this summer which was a nice "staycation" for two of the three families involved. We are so thankful Amy and Todd were willing to make the trek from Nevada so we could all be together! We loved seeing them. We spent one day at Eagle Island Park. It was one of those completely perfect summer days. We swam, we played, we ate great picnic food, and we made some terrific memories!


Bob was enjoying a quiet moment in the shade.



Here's one memory, for example. This is Carter and Todd trying to flip the burgers with a paper plate and a melted plastic fork because I forgot the spatula. Sorry about the singed armhair and eyebrows, guys. The burgers were great.


The cousins had a blast swimming and playing.


I love this shot of my handsome son!



One day we went to the Discovery Center. Mom and Todd were chillin' with the puzzles.


I think Amy was the only one who could get the stinkin' legs pedaling forward. It's harder than you'd think!




We had a lot of fun with this... There is a camera and a green screen set up in the back of the Discovery Center. The kids draped themselves in the green blankets and got a kick out of watching their heads float in space on the moon. Jayden, Makenna, and Kyler were floating here with Anachel.






Our theatrical special effects abilities might leave something to be desired, but we had fun setting up this shot, too. We told Brennan, "Look at your feet and SCREAM!" It made it easy to explain how they do lots of the cool stuff we see in movies, stuff I'm always trying to help them realize is not real.





We love the Discovery Center, and we love our awesome family!



This is Shaylie and Lanay very guilty because we were getting ready to go somewhere and they were told to run out and get in the van. They were NOT supposed to run through the sprinklers on the way. But they were so darn cute I just took a picture anyway.

Quality Entertainment at our House

This is what happens when you don't have cable. (J.K.)

For family home evening recently we acted out the story of Naaman, the Syrian nobleman who contracted leprosy. Here is his adorable servant, played by Brennan.






Jayden took his part seriously. Leprosy is obviously not fun. Personally, I think the dredlocks and the Rosta hat made the whole look. We stuck pieces of masking tape all over his face and arms.

The beautiful servant who encouraged Naaman to go to Israel...


Carter narrated the dramatic performance.


Here we have the King of Israel and the Queen of Syria.


The insightful servant who talked Naaman out of being offended by the Prophet Elisha's instructions to bathe in the river.


A bit more drama...

This is Naaman dipping himself in the river Jordan. Sorry, I didn't manage to catch on the film the miraculous healing, but you can imagine, it was dramatic.

We're a goofy bunch, I know. But these type of FHE lessons seem to be the ones that stick in their minds. In any case, it was lots of fun!

Stanley in July

We took our one and only camping trip of this summer up to Stanley over the 4th of July. We love it there! Carter and I couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief as we passed the spot by GrandJean where our transmission went out last year on this trip. This year we picked up Jayden from Scout Camp on our way up, so he camped for a week and a half straight altogether. I asked him if he was dying for his own bed yet, and he said, "Are you kidding me? I'd live like this all year round if I could!" I have a feeling he'd change his mind about the time the snow starts flying in Stanley. He's cute, though, and he sure does love the outdoors.



We had a fabulous time. Here are the kids in front of our awesome garage sale tent. I love this tent! I love it even more because it cost me $20, but it is heavy and warm. Setting it up is a comical process. Every time we figure we'll finally remember how to do it. And every time we lay out all the bars and then ask each other, "Now, how did this go?" I'm not sure we've ever set it up the same way twice.



Brennan was proud to pack his own heavy backpack.



How's this for camping face?! I don't know how long we'd been camping at the point that I took this picture, but I'm sure it wasn't long enough to justify this much dirt. Where's his mother, anyway?



One afternoon Carter brought out this air-pellet gun (is that the right thing to call it, Carter??) and we all took turns shooting at cans. You can do that when you're the only ones in the whole campground. We had a great time at it.





Shaylie surprised us by being an excellent shot. Surprised herself, too. I don't have any pictures of Makenna shooting because she is a lefty and maneuvered herself akwardly around the gun so that when she fired she got a scope in the eye the first time. She refused to touch it again after that.






I liked this group shot. Such happy kids. The rest of the trip was awesome, too, but I forgot my camera every time we left camp! We attended church in the gorgeous Stanley branch, explored the fish hatchery where Carter worked as a teenager, and cooked some mighty good dutch oven grub. We spent a chilly day at Redfish Lake, one of my favorite places in the whole world. We didn't do much swimming, but we did play in a paddleboat for a while, play in the sand, read, and throw frisbees on the beach. Since it was July 4th, there was music from several live bands performing on the grass by the lodge. Can you picture the scene? I hope so, it was lovely. And we enjoyed Stanley's fireworks from the front yard of the Neider's ranch; they were so sweet to invite us to join their family shindig. They really know how to throw a fireworks party! They had yummy food, a firepit, and glow bracelets! We are thankful to have them as friends. (Not just for their front yard and glow bracelets, though). I'd have a picture, but...no camera.

Camping is soooo much work! To plan meals as well as how to cook each thing, cold-weather stuff, warm-weather stuff, bedding stuff, etc, etc, it's exhausting! And then there's the clean-up of all the equipment and the LAUNDRY when we get home... At some point I always ask myself if it's worth it. And I'm sure there are plenty of other ways to make family memories, but whenever I look back on a family camping trip and the wonderful time we had all together up in the mountains, I never regret it.