Our Week...

Monday - a rainy day when my kids watched too much TV until AB got home and we went to swim practice.

Tuesday - Dropped the 2 middle ones off to school, went to bible study, picked up the middle ones, AB came home from school. Then it got interesting. She had no homework and Billy was out of town. Ben has soccer practice on Tuesday evenings, and on this particular one AB had open house at school. I cooked and fed everyone dinner and off we went. Almost immediately after practice started MC announces that she has to go the the bathroom. The only bathrooms at practice are port-o-potties. I hate them. They make me gag. I strapped Abe in the stroller and had AB sit in the back and told them not to get out, I would be back momentarily. The potty had been cleaned recently, so it wasn't that bad, but I wanted MC out fast. So fast that I scooped her up and out the door without her panties pulled up, with her bootie shining at the other people close by while I got her put back together. Then, I realized I was out of hand sanitizer (of course). I get back to AB and Abe and release them from the stroller. I learned from the first week to take a ball for Abe to play with. He was happily playing when he comes over to me saying "Ugh" and pointing to his arm. He had spit up all over his arm and clothes. Of course they had eaten spinach for dinner, so it was all over him and smelled aweful. I didn't have a change for him in his bag (of course) and we had to go to open house. I wiped him up the best I could with baby wipes and decided he would be confined to the stroller at the school. Race Ben off the field after practice and go to open house, where AB shows us what she does all day. We then had to go visit her old kindergarten teacher and my kids start screaming in the hall. Not because they are unhappy, just because its fun to be as loud as you can in the hallway. Why are echoes so fun to those under 5? Home and in bed around 9 - and the kitchen is not clean yet.

Wed. - School for EVERYONE, I come home and clean. I pick Abe up early for a check up. Pick the middle 2 up home, quickie naps and AB off to swim team.

Thurs. - Daddy's home!!!

Friday - Clean house, Mimi with the fish (my kids call both their grandmothers Mimi thanks to AB and we decipher which one by what pet they have) and Papa come and off to Ben's birthday party at Pump It Up.

Saturday - AB has her first swim meet, Ben has his first soccer game - at the same time. The girls go swim and the boys play soccer. Ben scored 5 goals (but we don't keep score in his league yet). Anna Beth swam in one event.

Sunday - 2nd day of the swim meet. AB swam in 3 events. Home, lunch, naps, and off to church for Sunday night stuff.

Ben's 5th Birthday Party

Ben's Soccer Game

Swim Meet

The team

Ready for backstroke.

Finished!


The coolest thing (for the kids) about swimming is that you write all of your meet info on yourself with a Sharpie marker. E=event - H=heat - L=lane.

Time for a haircut?

Guess who this sweet baby in pink and a bow is?
Dadgum, he would have been a pretty girl!

I have been flip flopping this entire election year as to who to vote for. I typically vote Republican. Most of my life because that's how my dad did, but lately because it fits us a family due to our tax bracket. We fall into the not enough money to give it to the government to fund its programs, too much to take advantage of any of the programs. We are middle class (I guess).

Barak Obama intrigues me. I like him. He is a charasmatic speaker, passionate politician, and has a great success story. He appeals to the idealist in me. The part that wants no war, no one to be hungry, equal rights, etc. I think the other part of me that likes him is because of the flack that ignorant conservative christians have given him. By the way, I am a fairly conservative christian although I don't consider myself ignorant. I have gotten NUMEROUS e-mails forwarded about him being muslim, his African roots, even some that have alluded to racism. All have enfuriated me. Big deal, he's got African heritage. Last time I checked none of the other candidates were native Americans. The almost passive aggressive racist subleties sent blood rushing to my face in anger. About the Muslim stuff...if you read his testimony he walked down an aisle and accepted Jesus as his Saviour. Big deal if he was a Muslim. Christians should be praising God that he was converted (that is if indeed he was a Muslim to begin with).

After the first two days of the RNC, I was thinking he might be my guy. I was not thrilled with the choice of VP, don't know why just shocked and not really excited. The RNC has been BORING up until tonight, and quite frankly I would (still) rather hear Obama over McCain for the next 4 years. But, I was reminded by Palin why I am a Republican.

Taxes. That's why. My husband owns his own brand new small business and it wouldn't be good for him to be taxed more.

Big government. That's why. Many, many people think we the government should take care of everyone - here and elsewhere. Many Christians support Obama for this reason. He has a humanitarian heart and platform. As a country, I believe Biblically we have a resposibility to do this. But, where is the burden of the people? The logic is, pay more taxes to take care of those in need. I say get off your paycheck or bonus and do something for those in need. How many of us (me included) live in nice houses, drive nice cars, eat more than we should, throw away left overs, and give very little to those who have nothing? I think that the Democratic view lets the government take control of taking care of the least of these, when it should be our responsibility as Christians.

The war. Do I agree with us going there, um probably not. Fact is, we are there and if we don't at least try to clean up the mess we may be in for it.


I still haven't totally made up my mind, but I like Palin. Maybe its because I am a mother of 4. Maybe its because she is normal - She has a child going to Iraq, she has a pregnant daughter, she has a baby with down syndrome, she has a working class husband. These are real things that real people deal with. She added excitment to the convention, and reminded me why I vote Republican.

At the end of the day, I really do like both candidates and think either would make a good president. I believe that, while Washington does affect us on a small scale, its up to us to make change if we want it.

I am so not political and can't believe I am posting this, so please show a little mercy if you want to blast me!