Can't get enough of Barack!!

Today Erica and I were lucky enough to get to see Barack Obama again! Yesterday we found out they were having a town hall meeting at the convention center in Austin. They were giving out tickets at a few locations including the Clay Madsen Rec Center in Round Rock. Erica went ahead and got 2 tickets even though we weren't sure what we would do with the kids since they're not in school on Thursdays. Luckily our Mom was able to watch them.

There was quite a lot of traffic. The event was scheduled to start at 9:30 and we didn't make it into the convention center until about 9. Based on what the rally was like (30,000 people waiting for 3 hours) we weren't sure what to expect or even if we would get in. When we got there it wasn't crowded at all. There were plenty of places to sit and we even got to sit in the bleachers behind the podium. It was cool. He was right there in front of us, in plain view. At the rally I had to strain up on my tippy toes to get any kind of look at him at all.

It was great. It was a really different vibe than the rally. More laid back. I feel really privileged to have gotten the chance to see him both times. I found myself today not only envisioning him as president, but mourning for the fact that he would only be allowed to serve 2 terms. 8 short years just don't seem like enough. I know, I know- I'm getting ahead of myself a little. There is just something so calming and reassuring about him when he's speaking. He makes so much sense and you just find yourself saying, "Yes, this is what we need to help us change the world- someone like him."

This is what our view of him looked like!!! It was awesome! In case anyone gets to see the coverage on TV , Erica and I are sitting on the top row behind him in the far right corner (from the camera's viewpoint) 2 from the end of the row. We're both wearing white shirts. Our mom recorded it and we could see ourselves a couple of times (really small). Still cool though!!

Special girl, Ellie

This week Ellie is the special person in her class. Basically this just means that we had to put some pictures on a big piece of paper and fill out a little questionnaire. Then they talk about it to all the kids in her class at school. ( I know the color is off on some of the pics- I printed those on our printer and it's not printing color well).

Here are the questions we asked her:

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite food? Peanut butter and Jelly (Yeah, I know. I was surprised by this answer too)

What is your favorite song? Twinkle, twinkle little star.

What is your favorite book? Cinderella

Who are the people in your family? Stuart, Mindy, Logan and Ellie

Who are some of your friends? Michelle, Reese, Harang, Camryn, Will, Tyler

What makes you happy? Going to Grandma's house.

Cute, huh?

Another funny thing happened with Ellie today in the car. We were driving and listening to the radio. There was an ad on for Barack Obama. She heard them say his name and said, "Barack Obama! You went to see Barack Obama, didn't you Mommy?" It sounded sooo funny to hear that big name come out of her mouth. She pronounced his name perfectly too! Funny girl!

Also, every time Logan hears someone talk about Obama he asks, "Is he the president yet?" I tell him that he's just trying to be the president, but they don't decide until November. Logan said, "November!!!! Oh my gosh, that's forever away!!!" It seems like it sometimes, doesn't it!

Don't forget to vote!!!

The Obama Bandwagon

Toot toot... here comes the Obama Express. Are you jumping on? I am. Yes, I am a proud supporter of Barack Obama, much to my surprise. Many of you may be thinking (as Stuart did) that this is solely due to my sister, Erica and her zeal for him. I'll admit her enthusiasm was quite contagious. But this alone did not change my mind. More than anything it made me curious. What was it about Obama that got her and so many others so excited? She was never a big political person at all. Now she's volunteering and watching every debate, reading, searching websites for any information she can get her hands on. I really didn't have an interest in anyone before, and didn't consider myself a Republican or Democrat ( I don't think you should have to choose). I think you should support the person who you think will do the best job regardless of party affiliation. If I had been forced to choose before though, I would have said I was more Republican than Democrat. This is mainly based on my upbringing and more conservative values. I voted for Bush both times. Both times however it wasn't that I was excited by Bush or anything he had to say, it seemed at the time that he was the lesser of 2 evils. (Looking back I may have been wrong about that.)
At first when I decided to vote in the primary for Obama it was mainly just so Hillary wouldn't get the nomination. My disdain for this woman and her husband runs deep and I didn't want her to be the first woman president. Now that I have become more interested and informed I am very excited by the possibilities that Obama has laid before us. He does seem like he could help us to change Washington and isn't that what we all need and want (Republican and Democrat alike?) Everyone will admit that things in Washington are not working. Maybe breathing some new life into the situation will help. Just seeing the nation come alive with support and enthusiasm for this man (more than any other presidential candidate in my memory) leads me to believe that big things are possible and that it's not a lost cause as I feared before. It still seems weird to me to be supporting a Democrat, but he is the one candidate that has managed to move me. And I'm not alone. Join in, find out for yourself just what he's about and what he can do for our country.

Erica and I went to the rally downtown last night. It was great! Seeing him and hearing him speak made standing in a huge crowd of people for 3 hours seem not bad at all. He gave a wonderful speech (as I expected). I agreed wholeheartedly with everything he said. There is something about him that is getting people's attention. People who aren't normally so interested in things like this (including me). That, I find fascinating and it gives me hope. Hope in a time when there's mostly cynicism. We could all use a little hope, right? If your answer is yes, then Vote Obama!!!

This week and tonight

This week has gone by quickly. Logan woke up Wednesday with a fever. I took him to the doctor right away since I knew that he's been exposed to the flu from a classmate and that if you get it diagnosed early there is a medicine they can give you that helps you get better quicker and lessens the severity. They swabbed his nose and ran the test as well as a strep test but both were negative. So the doctor said to come back tomorrow and they could run another flu test since it can take up to 48 hours sometimes for it to show up on the test. We did, but it was negative again. So we're just dealing with some kind of virus with fluids, rest and TV. It's terrible to see your kid sick. Logan gets those high fevers too. Just a little while ago I took it and it was 105.3. While this would be quite alarming to most parents, it has unfortunately become routine for us. I just got him some cold water to drink and gave him some ibuprofen and it started coming down. Then I made him a fruit and yogurt smoothie.

Now he's painting. He loves to paint. Always has. I have pictures of him when he was 2 painting away. He could never resist the urge to mix up all the colors, so all his pictures were always a big blob of gross greenish brown and his hands were usually covered in paint so he could make hand prints. Sometimes he even painted his feet to make foot prints! I guess he hasn't changed too much!

I feel a little guilty sometimes because I really like him when he's sick. He so nice and calm. He lets me hold him and isn't always running around acting like a crazy person. So even though he's been home with me instead of at school and I haven't been able to do all the things I need to, it's been nice having him with me.

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I also was able to vote this week since my dad was here and stayed with Logan. Everyone better get out and vote. Now is the best time to do it since it's early voting and there's not a lot of people there all the time. Tonight Erica and I are going to the Obama rally in downtown Austin. I'm excited. I feel like I'll be taking part in a little bit of history. If things keep going the way they have been Obama will likely be the democratic candidate for president, and possibly win the presidency. And I can say that I saw him speak once! Isn't that cool? I think it will be really exciting. Everyone always says what a great speaker he is, so I hope to be really inspired and moved tonight. I just hope it's not too cold. I'll take my camera and try and get some good pics to post this weekend.

Hope you all have had a good week! Go vote!! (for Obama of course)

Our fun weekend

On Sunday afternoon we decided to take a bike ride over to the playground and basketball court in our neighborhood. It was fun. The weather was beautiful. There were some kids playing and some people playing basketball. We played on the playground and built sandcastles in the sand volleyball court. We are trying to take advantage of the good weather while we can.

Yesterday the kids had the day off for President's day. We decided to go to the San Antonio Zoo (http://www.sazoo-aq.org/). Apparrently a lot of people had this idea because the zoo was very busy. We had a good time though. We decided to buy a season pass to the zoo. It cost us $32 to get in for the day yesterday and for $60 we could get a season pass which lasts for a year (a great deal if you ask me). So even if we only go once more, it's paid for. I'm sure we'll go more than that though. They are doing a lot of improvements to the zoo. They have a new Africa exhibit which just opened in January that was great. You could see the hippos underwater and it was awesome. They are still working on some other areas. We were in a bit of a hurry so we didn't get to see everything which is another reason I wanted to get the pass. The weather was great too. There was hardly any traffic coming back through Austin and we even managed to get back in time for Logan to go to Karate. It was a nice day to be with our family.

The next 2 pics are some others I wanted to share. The one of Logan is him looking too much like a teenager already! He was actually playing games on the computer like that with his feet up and his cap on backward!

The other is Ellie showing off her Cinderella Valentine Grandma sent her and her crown she got at a birthday party.

Ode to Erica

Ode to Erica and how I love thee...

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My sister Erica has amazing will power,

And even when she runs, she smells as sweet as a flower.

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She made a decision and it really stuck,

She gives it her all and never passes the buck.

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She has got amazing conviction,

She's da bomb, that's no contraditction.

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She's bold and sweet, beautiful and kind,

In a world like this, that's an amazing find.

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You all only wish you could have this kind of sister,

Today she ran a half marathon without a single blister.

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She's really inspiring to all of us,

She helps to inform us without making a fuss.

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She really admires Barack Obama,

She wants to help change the world, you go get 'em Mama!

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Erica, I'm so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. You set a goal for youself and stuck with it, no excuses. I only wish one day I could grow up to be like my big sister.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!

Logan's Notes

My son is constantly making notes for everyone. If he does something wrong he ineveitably writes a note to tell them he's sorry. He also writes notes if he feels you've wronged him. The note may tell you your a "bad mommy" or some such. I took some pictures of some of his latest notes that I thought were worth sharing.












The first is a note to Ellie. It says, "Der Ellie you are the best sister Iv efer had. Love Logan" Isn't that sweet?

The other day he got mad at me for punishing him and purposfully broke a clay pot on the back porch. After I talked to him about it he went in his room and wrote me this note. "Der Mom I am sorry I broce your pot Love Logan"

Then on Friday, I was sitting in the chair and he told me to stand up and then said, "Ok, sit down". I did and sat on a note folded in half. Here's what it said,

This was the front.

When I opened it, it read, "roses are red vilits are blue you are my pupit (puppet) I love you to, your secrit idmirer" I asked who's this from? He said I don't know, you must have a secret admirer. I think they talked about this in his class. I thought it was very cute. He finally did admit that the admirer was him. When Stuart got home Logan told him that I got something from a secret admirer. Stuart was like, "What?". I said don't worry, it was just him. But did he have to be so surprised that I could have an admirer? It's possible, right?

Name signs

A couple years ago (almost 2 I guess) Erica, Lisa, Susan and I took a weekend trip to Salado. Erica and Lisa were pregnant at the time (Lisa was very pregnant). We had a great time shopping around and staying in a B&B. While we were in a shop there we saw a striped name sign. Erica really liked it, so I decided to paint one for Grace's new big girl room that Erica was just switching her over to. I started out with pink stripes, then decided that since her walls were pink it would be better to do green stripes. So Ellie wound up with the pink striped one. It was the proto-type, so don't look at it too closely (the stripes are hand painted with a ruler, I wasn't smart enough to use tape until I did Grace's). I gave Grace hers for her birthday. Then Erica decided she wanted one for Carter's room too. I made his to match his cow over the moon bedding. So now 3 out of our 4 kids had one. Logan was a little upset and really wanted one too. I seem to go in and out of creative energy spurts. Sometimes I just don't feel inspired. I've found it's best not to try and paint when I feel this way. It never turns out well. So, like I said it's been a year and a half since I've worked on one of these. During this time Logan has asked me many times, why do all the other kid's have a sign, but me? Talk about guilt. So I finally made him one. He's been into pirates for a while now, and I hope he keeps liking them for a while longer. His is very different from theirs, but he and I both are happy with how it turned out.

Valentine's day

Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day!! We did. Ellie had her Valentine's party at school on Wednedsay. She wore her new dress and we curled her hair. Isn't she sweet? Yesterday Logan had his party too. I forgot my camera :(

Stu called at about 4:45 to tell me not to cook anything, which is an awesome present in itself. I absolutley hate figuring out what to make every night. If I had any sense at all I would plan out my menu weekly, shop for the items I need ahead of time and that way I wouldn't have to think about it. He came home with some sweet tulips, a pizza from Mangia and a bag salad- we were set! You can pick up half-baked heart shaped pizza and bring it home to finish baking. They've been doing this for years. I know this because he did it once before in like 1996 or something like that when we were in college. It was yummy!!

What else can break?

The last year has been tough as far as repairs go. It all started last January 07. Our fridge broke. It took a few days to get the part in, so by the time we got it fixed it didn't work at all and we were reduced to ice chests. Humbling. You don't realize how much we depend on all our modern conveniences until they're not there anymore. Then in Aug. we were on our way back from a weekend vacation in San Antonio (stopping by Cabela's in Buda) when the fuel pump on our Suburban decided to go out. What a strange feeling it is to be stranded somewhere like that. It immediately makes you feel like you're homeless or something. There we were in the parking lot of Cabelas with our kids and a car full of suitcases waiting on a tow truck and Erica to come and pick us up. It was terrible. I kept telling the kids not to worry that everything would be ok, because I think it's a kind of scary thing myself. I didn't want them to think we were never going to get to go home or something. Then not long after that our fridge started acting up again. I couldn't believe it. It cost us over $400 to get it fixed the first time. I just wanted to forget it and buy a new one, but we decided to call a repair man first. He told us that it was the same problem as before and that if he had been the one to come the first time he never would have fixed it at all. Live and learn. There's nothing like having to purchase a major appliance with little time to decide because all the stuff in your dying fridge is rotting as you search. So we got a new fridge. Then in December we had our washer die, which I've already told you all about. I still kind of consider that a blessing in disguise since I'm so in love with the new washer and it's making my life a little easier. Also in December we took Stu's car in to have some work done that we knew needed to be done. Then we had to take it in again yesterday for an un-related repair. Now my suburban is acting up. The Service Engine Soon light came on a few weeks ago for a couple of days, then went off. It came on again on Sunday. My A/C wasn't cooling as well lately and I had noticed a slightly rough idle so we were going to add some coolant and maybe do new spark plugs and some injector cleaner. My dad was already planning on coming up tomorrow to work on it when what should happen today? I was on my way to meet Erica when I stopped by Logan's school to drop off a jacket. I came back out and the car wouldn't start. OMG!! I couldn't believe it. The school is like a block from my house and I couldn't believe that I was going to have to get a tow for that short of a distance. Luckily it started finally, so I went straight home. That was about 1/2 an hour ago. I'm just tired of stuff breaking! I know that's kind of a chance we take by driving older cars (99 and 98) but it's sooo nice not having any car payments. Even with all the repairs we've had lately the cost comparison doesn't even come close. The breakage streak has to end soon. How many more things do we have that could break, right? I know, I'm biting my tongue and knocking wood right now!! Aaaarrgghhh!!! I shouldn't complain so much. At least I have all this stuff to break. I could have nothing- not enough to eat or clothes for my babies. I have to remind myself sometimes to be grateful to God for this life I have. Still, it would be nice if I could go for just a little while without any unexpected major expenses.

funny kids

My kids do the funniest things. They love to play dress-up. Especially Logan. He has TONS of dress up clothes and costumes. The other day he was dressing up Ellie. He was running around finding all sorts of things for her to wear. She was supposed to be an old lady. They crack me up!

Last night Logan did this drawing of himself. I thought it was so cute!! In case you couldn't tell those things on his neck are supposed to be his collar from his polo shirt. Too funny!!

What's a Kirby?

I think I'm a sucker. At the time it seemed like a good idea and a good deal. Now when I say it to myself, it sounds insane. I do love the vacuum though. Yes, I fell prey to a door-to-door salesman last Monday. I was sitting at the desk doing our taxes unshowered after working out that morning when there's a knock at the door. It's this lady promising that she's not selling anything but that she works for a company that cleans carpets and they will clean one room in my house for free- no strings. It's just for advertising, she said. Normally, I'm very leary of things like that, but the carpet in the playroom was filthy and I thought, why not let them clean it? I don't have to have them come back if I don't like it, right? So I called Erica and told her they were coming just in case I wound up dead or something. (yes, this is how my mind works) So I took as many toys out of the playroom as possible so they could clean as much as possible. The next thing I know there's a lady and man at the door bringing in all these boxes and stuff. It didn't look like regular carpet cleaning stuff. Before I know it they're talking about some vacuum called a Kirby. I tell them I've never heard of it. They look at me like I'm crazy and say I should ask my mom about it. Then they mention the price- let's just say it's in the thousands! I was like ok, yeah, right. I'll let them tell me all they want about it and clean my carpet and then they'll leave because there is absolutely no way in hell I'm ever buying this thing. So the guy leaves and the lady (she seemed like she was early 20's) starts talking and telling me all about this vacuum and all it's features, etc. I think it's probably close to 12 by this time. So she get's out my vacuum and vacuums the floor with it quickly. Then she starts vacuuming with the kirby. Lots of dirt comes up. They have this little contraption on the vacuum instead of a bag so you can see all the dirt that comes up on these little circles of vacuum bag material. She starts laying them out on the tile while she's talking and vacuuming. She asks if I'm surprised about all the dirt. I say, not really. I knew it was dirty and I fill up my bagless cannister quite often. Then she poured some capet fresh in a little pile on the carpet and vacuumed it with my vacuum for quite a while. 2-3 swipes with the Kirby later there was a big pile of dirtied carpet fresh laying there. I was astonished! I couldn't believe how much dirt my vacuum was leaving behind. With a big dog, a cat and 2 kids-plus the kids I take care of afterschool, my carpet gets really dirty. Then she put on a small handle to make it a hand-held vacuum (like for stairs) and she vacuumed the seat of my chair and ottoman (which are only about 8 months old) and again I couldn't believe how much dust/dirt it pulled out. Then she started talking about the dust mites and dust mite feces in the mattresses. She vacuumed some of Ellie's mattress and tons of stuff came out- yuck!! By this time I really wanted a Kirby, but I knew that the price she told me before was waaaayy too much so I figured that I'd just have to wait until I was older and had more money. I was running out of time, so she showed me all the other attachments, but didn't demonstrate them. As she started to shampoo the carpet I told her I had to take a shower really quick, so I did. I came back out and watched her shampoo a little more. I had to leave to go get Ellie, so she gave me the first price option with some money taken off for my trade-in (old vacuum) and another discount, but there was no way I could or would pay this price, so I just told her I couldn't. Then she called her boss and made me another offer. I had to go, so she waited outside for me while I went to get Ellie. All the while I was frantically calling Erica and my mom to see what they thought. It's easy to get caught up in the whole selling thing and the urgency they make you feel. It's really a brilliant selling technique which is obviously why they still do it. I talked to Erica and she told me to give them a lower price and ask them to come back tomorrow. I did that when I got home although I'm not as good a negotiator as Erica is. I was able to get an even lower price, but I had to do it right then. Of course they make you feel like you got an unbelieveable deal, but who really knows? It still seems like a lot of money, but when you look at it as an investment in your home and something you won't have to replace (at least not for a long, long time) it doesn't seem that bad. Of course Stuart thought I was crazy (he didn't see the demonstration) plus men just don't understand stuff like that. I'm happy to know that my house is going to be cleaner though. I still havent had a chance to use all the attachements, but I'm working on it!!

My babies are not babies anymore.

Today was a milestone in my life as a parent and in the life of my kids. Or at least 1 of my kids. Tonight for the first time Logan went by himself into the bathroom and took a shower!! (we've been practicing with him for the last 4-5 days to get him "trained" properly) For the last 6 1/2 years I have been bathing 1-2 children almost every night. I saw tonight as a turning point in both our lives. Most of me was happy, but a small part sees that this is the beginning of the end of my little boy and the start of a new part of our lives. I know it won't be too much longer when I'll actually be missing the little boy splashing in the bathtub, playing with toys and coloring on the bathtub walls, instead of getting mad at the big mess he makes and the time I have to spend cleaning it all up. I was so excited earlier when he went in there, but the more I think about it the more I have mixed emotions. It's exciting to think about all the new chapters of our lives that are unfolding. Logan starting kindergarten last year and being a big 1st grader this year has been great. It's really awesome to see their little minds growing and learning so much. Logan started reading last year, but his improvement this school year has been astounding. It's amazing the things they are capable of. So for things like that, growing up is good. It's just the little things about them being small that I'll miss. The cute way they talk and they funny things they say. They're sweet chubby cheeked little faces and fat leggies. The way they are unabashedly in love with you and you with them before they have learned to defy you and push your buttons. The way they need you for everything and look to you for your approval and unconditional love. Getting to hold them for more than a few seconds before they bolt out of your arms. Before you know it they'll be bolting out the front door to take on that big bad world all on their own, without us to help make sure they look both ways. We can only hope that we've done everything we can to prepare them for life and help them grow into good human beings. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but looking at my friends who are just starting on their journeys into parenthood has reminded me that it seems like just a moment ago that I was just like them with my big belly and wide eyes. And now my sweet baby is almost up to my shoulder. Before I know it we'll be looking eye to eye and then I'll be looking up at him instead of him at me. We all need to learn to take these moments to reflect and appreciate what it means to be a parent. And to realize that these days that may sometimes seem like God's idea of a cruel joke will be over in the blink of an eye, so we had better stop and take it all in while we can.

Baby Logan

Baby Ellie

Just look how big they are today!!

Not vampire material

Okay, so today I had a big day. The other day the blood bank called looking for people to donate. I had just been preaching to the kids about helping our environment and other people, etc., so I thought I shouldn't be a hippocrit and I should just suck it up and do it. So I made the appt. for today at 9:30. I also had scheduled a conference with Logan's teacher today at 8:15 (her conference period is very early). So I had to get up early and get ready before I took Logan to school. It wasn't too bad, I got up at 6:30 and was able to get myself and Logan ready in time to drive him to school and then come home and get Ellie ready to go with us to the conference. We went then came home since I hadn't packed her lunch for school yet. I did that (really quick) then took her to school. I hadn't had a chance to eat yet, so I drove thru Mickey D's to get something to eat so I wouldn't be a weakling at the blood center. I ate while driving to the blood bank, went in and answered all their questions and went back to donate. They started hooking me up, taking my temp and blood pressure (102 over 52) and then the dreaded needle. I do ok with needles as long as I don't look at what they're doing. Things were going ok, I was feeling a little "tingly" but I was surviving. She was moving around the bag of blood and it brushed across my hand. I could feel the warmth from it and it totally freaked me out. I know theoretically blood is a bodily fluid and should be warm, like pee or spit, but I just never thought of it that way, blood seems like it would be cold for some reason and the fact that it was warm really threw me. It was all downhill from there. She mentioned that the blood was slowing down and she was going to "rotate" the needle. I told her I had had bad experiences with people moving needles in my arm. I remember feeling a little dizzy and tired. The next thing I knew someone was tapping my cheek and saying "Mindy, Mindy, wake up, Mindy." I had been dreaming (I'm not sure what about now) and it sounded like the person speaking to me was in the other room, not the strange lady I was looking at. Where was I? Who is this person? What's happening? I had no idea for a little while. It was a very strange sensation. They could have told me I was out for an hour and I wouldn't have known the difference. They gave me a cold cloth around my neck and some gatorade and I started to feel a little better. I sat in the chair for probably a good 30 minutes before they and I felt like I could get up. She kept taking my pulse and blood pressure since it's supposed to return to what it was before in order to leave. Mine didn't get above 92 over 50, but they decided that was close enough. I still felt pretty weak and tired and my stomach was a little upset and I stayed that way for pretty much the rest of the day. There is a reason I didn't want to go into nursing like my Mom wanted me to. I obviously don't do well in these situations. I almost passed out a few times before when people were messing around with needles in my veins. I thought it was just with my left arm, which doesn't have very good veins, but I guess not since today they were using my right one. It had been about 10 years since I donated blood, I guess this had dulled my memory. If I ever mention to any of you that I'm thinking of donating blood, please stop me. I think from now on I'm going to stick to things like recycling, picking up trash or raising money for charity as my contribution to the world!!