Getting Ready for Santa

The long promised videos are finally coming...



Christmas morning videos to follow shortly.

Mutiny

Yesterday afternoon, Lucy is sitting on the living room floor. She stealthily removes her glasses. Sets them on the floor. Looks around. Slides them under the couch.

I guess I'm going to need to remind her that Santa has a naughty list, too!

My Advent

Today I was touched by a lovely post by my friend, Abigail, on the beauty and joy of large families. As I await the approaching birth of our third child with a jumbled mixture of joy and trepidation, it is always nice to be reminded of the goodness of abundant life.

This isn't a new theme for me. Three children in three years definitely qualifies as an abundance of life, and at times I find I cannot help but question if it really is all for the best. Both Andrew's family and my own have faced serious difficulties over the last few years, and I often feel like if we had spaced the kids out more we could have served our families better. We could be more financially, emotionally, and just physically present to our families.

But time and again, I've been shown that our children have been the greatest source of joy for members of both families during hard times. Our kids have given us all what we really needed - joy, innocence, simplicity. The Lord keeps reminding me the importance of being open to life and how life-giving love is really joyful love. The Lord definitely knows what He is doing...much more than we do.

So as I wait for this new little gift from the Lord to be born, I keep striving for the trust, peace, and joy I know Mary possessed as she traveled to Bethlehem. A deep trust in the Lord's plans, a true peace with doing His will, and an abiding joy in the knowledge that He gives us better gifts than we could have ever hoped for ourselves.

Meet an Envriomental Terrorist

Over the weekend, the Congress finally released the year-end omnibus spending bill. As usual, lots of our tax dollars are going to pay for "family planning/reproductive health" services - a cool $395,000,000 to be exact. No surprise here.

What peeked my interest this time around, though, was what seems to be some new language regarding the use of these funds. The family planning monies can be used to "in areas where population growth threatens biodiversity and endangered species." (Omnibus Bill, pg. 36)

Gotta love it. Our tax money is now going to help prevent the creation of new little babies, not because of a mother's health reasons or financial concerns or even emotional immaturity, but to protect the environment. I can't imagine what the Members of Congress promoting this language must think of folks like me...moving past my allotted 1.2 kids with reckless disregard for biodiversity!

Cute Polar Bear Cubs: 1
Cute Little Human Babies: 0

However, there is some good news. Efforts by the Democratic majority to overturn the Mexico City policy were thwarted in the omnibus bill. Our tax monies will NOT be going to help pay for abortions oversees for the time being.

Cute Polar Bear Cubs: 1
Cute Little Human Babies: 1

Not too bad of a day, I guess.


(HT: www.Omnibusting.com)

Just Right for Advent

A beautiful reflection on learning to love unconditionally by one of my favorite blogging moms.

Show Me the Money

So Ron Paul supporters organized another "money bomb" to surpass the recording-breaking $4 million raised via the Internet on November 5th, Guy Fawkes's Day. This was the most money raised by a political campaign on-line in one day. This second "money bomb" went off yesterday, the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. The results?

Almost 60,000 donors raised a staggering $6 million dollars online in 24 hours. About 25,000 of the donors were new donors for the Ron Paul campaign.


(I just showed Paul this photo, asking him who it was....right on cue: "Ron Paul!"

Sadly, I'm Not Surprised

Over the weekend, a conservative Princeton student was beaten unconscious. Two days earlier, the student had received several death threats for his work as a leader of the Anscombe Society, a morally conservative group that has spoken out against homosexual and premartial sex on campus.

The reaction from Princeton's administration and the majority of the student body....chirp, chirp, chirp. Make the victim a homosexual and the attackers evangelical Christians, do you think the response may be a bit different?

(HT: The Corner)

UPDATE: The story looks to now be a hoax fabricated by the student. Looks like the guy has some serious issues.

Sing A Song

Paul, singing to my enormous baby belly:

"Hush little baby no say a word, momma's gonna buy you mockingbird....hum..hum...twinkle, twinkle little star, me wonder what you are...hum...hum...hum..."

Paul, after loading up his Noah's ark set with all the animals:

"Row, row, row, your boat...merrily, merrily..."

I Love Lucy!

Today's a day of celebration in our home. Not only is it little Lucy's feast day, the Feast of St. Lucy, but it is also the one year anniversary of Lucy's successful shunt surgery to treat her hydrocephalus. The fact that Lucy's emergency surgery just happened to take place on her patron saint's feast day will always be a small miracle in my life - a reminder that the Lord loves and knows and cares for my daughter even more than me.




Thank you, St. Lucy, for keeping our little Lucy under your loving patronage. Please continue to intercede continually before our Lord Jesus Christ for the physically and spiritually health of our beloved little Lucy.

I think he's on to something...

Deep insight from the comboxes here at Ordinary Time:

If we could get a Paul/Norris ticket we'd be on to something. Paul could take care of domestic policy and his foreign policy of pulling us out of everywhere around the world wouldn't matter anymore because hey...Chuch Norris!

- Josh Cordonnier

Politics: Chuck Norris Style

For non-political junkies or simply further amusement, you can also check out this great list of Chuck Norris Facts.

A New Obsession

Andrew has been indoctrinating Paul lately with Ron Paul campaign ads, trying to create Ron Paul's youngest and most enthusiastic supporter. Andrew's work seems to be paying off.

After calling a few family members with Paul and leaving cute messages, Andrew asks: "Who should we call next, Paul?"

Paul enthusiastically responds: "Ron Paul!"

Andrew: "I don't have his number."

Paul: "Call Ron Paul! Call Ron Paul!"

Andrew, slowly and deliberately: "I don't have Ron Paul's phone number, Paul."

Paul thinks a moment. "You lost it?"

Please accept my apologies...

for the lack of posts in the past few weeks. Instead of going into the messy details of my rather messy life right now, I'll leave you with this thought:

"Never ruin an apology with an excuse." ~Kimberly Johnson