Taiyari is UNO!!

We had Taiyari's birthday on the 14th of December he had quite some fun with his pizza and his new toy I will have Carl post a picture of the toy and him playing with it later. He is now walking all the time and he is so much fun. He loves to growl as his way of communication, but he does say No, No! I guess that is what I get for telling him no so much :)

Learn to Laugh

I was reading the General Conference edition of the November Ensign and came across this quote from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin. It made me laugh so hard I wanted to share it.

"Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim? There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh."

Elder Wirthlin has always reminded me of the good times I had as a primary kid in Mexico. When I was only 6 or 7 years old he came to visit our stake in Puebla. I can still remember the excitement we felt in knowing a member of the Quorum of the Twelve was coming to visit us. The joy Elder Wirthlin brought to us remains with me to this day. I was saddened to learn of his death, but have found great inspiration in his teachings these last few weeks. He was a humble servant of the Lord. May our Savior be with his family during this difficult time.

Giving Thanks to our Troops

Xerox has created this wonderful website where individuals, free of charge, can send cards to our overseas troops. Although, you cannot choose a specific recipient you can write a personalized message on a card of your choosing. Take the time to visit the site and let those serving our country know how much we appreciate them, especially during the holidays. After all its free.

Article: "Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy"

In her article, Lisa Miller argues the Bible has more passages supporting gay marriage than it does condemning it. Her misguided position is that a Christian must rely entirely on the Bible because it is all that God has given us. She misinterprets vague, incomplete, and possibly badly translated passages of the Bible to show the Savior accepts and even encourages gay marriage. She finishes her article quoting a Priest, “if Jesus were alive today he would reach out especially to the gays and lesbians among us, for Jesus does not want people to be lonely and sad."

Her article is convincing and if I had to rely entirely on the Bible I would be inclined to agree with her, there are passages which when read alone suggest gay marriage might be acceptable. Thankfully, we have more to guide us than just the Bible, namely the Book of Mormon and latter-day revelations. One can read The Family: A Proclamation to the World and know definitively that neither our Heavenly Father nor His Son support gay marriage. Having this knowledge prevents us from erroneously agreeing with misinterpretations of Bible passages. Our Father in Heaven loves us and He knew how difficult these last days would be. He knew how twisted society’s morality would become. Thus, he has given us latter-day prophets to ensure we will not be misguided. We are blessed that we do not have to rely solely on the ambiguities of the Bible, but have righteous men on the earth to whom our Savior continues to speak.

Lost Halloween Photo

We just found this photo of Taiyari's Halloween costume this year and realized we forgot to post it. He decided he wanted to be Grandpa Anderson for Halloween.

Anti-Christ

Marco, there are a handful of email hoaxes circulating which claim Barack is the Anti-Christ. Unfortunately, some people Ericka and I care deeply about have found some indicia of reliabilty to these hoaxes. If you are interested, here are a few of the ones we have received.

The Apostle John prophesied the Anti-Christ would have characteristics very similar to Barack.

Nostradamus prophesied Barack would destroy the Country after being elected through the power of Satan.

Ironically, this one happens to be true. Nonetheless, it does nothing to establish Barack is the Anti-Christ. The winning lottery numbers of Barack's home state the day after the election were 666.

Tired

I am so tired of people trying to convince me that Barack is the Anti-Christ. Please, please, please, do some research, which at the very least should be to read the Book of Revelation, before you assume that some illegitimate email prophecy, that does not exist in any book of scripture, is truth. By doing so you will avoid the embarassment of telling another individual, "the Apostle John wrote in the Book of Revelation that the Anti-Christ will be a man in his forties of Muslim descent who will decieve the nations with persuasive language and a massive Christ-like appeal that the people will flock to him as he promises false hope and world peace until when he is in power he will ultimately destroy everything," when in fact the Apostle John never wrote any such thing.

In fact the Apostle John never even used the word Anti-Christ when he wrote the Book of Revelation. The term Anti-Christ is only used six times in the LDS canon of scripture. A thorough reading of those six verses establish that in order for a person to qualify as an Anti-Christ they MUST preach that Jesus is not the Christ. Maybe I missed it, but I don't remember hearing Barack's "There is no Christ" stump speech.

Disagree with Barack's policies, disagree with those who support him, even take it as far as saying you think it is a mistake in judgment for someone to support Barack. But do not tell me that because I believe Barack Obama is better equipped to lead this country than John McCain that I have given my allegiance to an Anti-Christ. If you do, you also tell me, that I have denied my Savior, the True and Living Chirst. To that I take great offense, for I have NOT, nor will I in the future deny that Jesus is the Christ. Do not confuse your disagreements with the President of the United States with my faith and relationship with my Savior and Redeemer.

Día de los Muertos

Pues este fin de semana celebramos a escala el Día de los Muertos. Pusimos nuestra ofrenda en honor a mi abuelo Roque, mi abuelita Juanita, Grandpa Anderson y Grandma Roundy.
Esta muy chiquita la ofrenda y la verdad fue difícil encontrar todos los elementos de la ofrenda pero lo intentamos, los niños ayudaron a poner la fruta, las hojaldras, el pan y los tamales en la mesa y a pegar "el papel picado" que segun yo hize. Nos faltaron las calaveritas y las flores de a deveras. En ocasiones como estas es cuando me gustaria vivir mas cerca de la frontera para poder adquirir todo lo que necesito para ocasiones como esta. Ni modo. Pero si quieren ver una buena foto de una ofrenda bien tradicional aqui esta un ejemplo. Tambien una link para que puedan leer el significado de las ofrendas y los elementos de una ofrenda.

Christmas Music

Unfortunately, I have not found any lists of good Thanksgiving music. Therefore, you all get the wonderful opportunity to listen to Christmas music for the next two, maybe three, months while you visit our blog. If you have any favorites you would like to add let us know. If not, then please enjoy listening to our favorite music during our favorite time of year.

Here you go Grandma. Happy Halloween!

Baby News

Well, it appears as though we haven't posted for a while so I guess we will share some news with everybody. Ericka is expecting our fifth child. Her due date is June 16th. I have to admit that what I am looking forward to the most is taking the title from Brian and Erinne as the granchildren with the most children, unless of course they also have some news they haven't shared.

You have your hands full!!

Over the last three days I have been visiting the doctor's office rather frequently, either for myself or for the kids. With doctor visits come visits to Wal-Mart to pick up prescriptions. Trips to Wal-Mart require I take all my kids, which guarantees two things. First, there will be some sort of melt down from at least one of them but, that is another story. Second, at least one person will say to me, "you have your hands full" and at least one other will say, "todos son suyos?" No matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise Latinos refuse to belive that my blonde hair blue/green eye children are mine, I thank my Heavenly Father every day that he was gracious enough to bless me with at least one Mexican looking child. Back to the "you have your hands full comment," it started to get on my nerves. I have been trying lately to come up with a polite response. I guess now-a-days it is unusual to see a mom with four kids under the age of 6. If anyone has any polite responses I am all ears. However, all this thinking has brought to me the realization that yes, I do have my hands full.

Full of dirty diapers,
Full of dirty laundry,
Full of dirty dishes,
Full of dirty cups, (they always get dirty immediatley after the dishes are clean),
Full of preschool and kindergarten papers (which I feel guilty throwing away),
Full of formula,
Full of baby food,
Full of wipes,
Full of various baby fluids but mostly,
Full of LOVE!

I know I am guilty of getting upset too much and I lose my patience more than I like which ends up causing me to yell more than I should. All of which leave me wondering why I am not a better mom. But in the end, I really feel my hands are full:

Full of gratitude to our Father-in-Heaven,
Full of love,
Full of prayer,
Full of hope.

Que chula es Puebla que linda, que chula es Puebla!

Últimamente he tenido muchos sueños de mi niñez y de mi ciudad. La nostalgia me ha agobiado bastante ya que extraño el paisaje, las calles y la arquitectura de mi amada Puebla, y aunque no lamento mi amor por los Estados Unidos hoy me siento triste porque hace 10 años que no regreso a México. Así que si alguien tiene la oportunidad de visitar México antes que yo, definitivamente les recomiendo visitar Puebla, es una ciudad única porque tienes la arquitectura colonial en un lado y las zonas arqueológicas a unos 10 minutos de camino. También puedes disfrutar del constante estrés de tener a un volcán activo en el horizonte (El Popocatépetl) que de repente te despierta con un terremoto o una nube de humo y ceniza para crear aventura en tu vida. Es una ciudad que es más segura que otras ciudades en este momento y hay muchos lugares modernos y similares a los Estados Unidos sin estar completamente invadido por el turismo y la cultura del turismo que plaga otros lugares de México (Cancún). Además se encuentra a solo 2 horas de viaje en camión de la Ciudad de México y también tiene un aeropuerto internacional que recibe vuelos desde los Estados Unidos. También puedes ver y probar la gastronomía de Puebla que es mucho más interesante que en otros lugares de mi país. Puebla es conocida como la capital gastronómica de México. Así que solamente quería poner unas fotos de Puebla e invitarles a visitar Puebla y si no se puede pues disfrútenla por medio del internet.

So this is Ericka trying to translate what I wrote above. Once my brain starts thinking in Spanish, it is hard to translate, so it might not be as good as it is above but you'll get the idea. Also Carl has been too busy to translate it for me and it has been a while since I tried to post it. This is mostly about me missing Puebla and all the streets, churches, buildings, food and views. I have felt a lot of sadness for not being able to return in 10 years. I just wanted to recommend to you all with monetary abilities to go there if you are planning a vacation soon, Mexico is like no other. The best part is, if you are into really enjoying the culture, sounds and food: it is not a very touristy (if that is a word) place, like Cancun but still very enjoyable with awesome hotels in old haciendas and convents. To end this I wish today that I could be there and maybe you can enjoy the little video I found on YouTube. I cried when I saw all those places I used to walk, the cold nights and even the earthquakes produced by the volcano called Popocatepetl.

Slumber party!!

Normalmente no presumo de mis hijos a menos que Carl le hable a su mama para decirle que es lo que han hecho los niños y para recordarle que tiene nietos en Nebraska. Pues hoy no pude resistir y tengo que presumir de mis niños. El fin de semana pasado no pelearon y decidieron que iban a ver una película con Emma y sacaron sus bolsas de dormir y sus cobijas y se prepararon para disfrutar juntos lo malo fue que como ya era tarde no vieron nada porque se durmieron y quedaron asi. Cute!!

This translation is for the people (Ellie) complaining about it. The kids wanted to watch a movie and they decided to take their sleeping bags and blankets and "spend" the night in Emma's room. They watched their movie for about 3 minutes and they were sound asleep after the previews so all that trouble for that much movie was kind of funny but I just love this picture of them. You can't see Taiyari but he is there in his crib sleeping too. Cute!

Thanks Justin!

Props to Justin for directing us to this wonderfully written article unveiling John McCain's true character. For those of you who have not read it, even though Justin and Diana told you to, Ericka and I also recommend it. In my opinion, John McCain simply cannot be trusted.

Funny Video of Palin and Hannity

Personally I believe both to be a joke. The funny Infomercial part is towards the end.


Fox News lobs Palin softballs

AB 2567

AB 2567 was introduced in the California Legislature on February 22, 2008. Since that time it has passed both the California Assembly and Senate. It is currently waiting for Governor Schwarzenegger's signature. AB 2567 has been officially designated as Harvey Milk Day. According to the text of the Bill AB 2567 would

"require the Governor to proclaim May 22 of each year as Harvey Milk Day, and would designate that date as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions and encourage those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date."

Harvey Milk was

"the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in a major city, serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1977-1978. He was assassinated in 1978 at San Francisco's City Hall by a political rival. Perhaps more than any other modern figure, Harvey Milk's life and political career embody the rise of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement in California, across the nation, and throughout the world."

In a nutshell AB 2567 encourages, but does not require, public schools to conduct commemorative exercises each year on May 22nd. According to Equality California the hope is that public schools would teach children about the

"social contributions that Harvey Milk made to our nation as a civil rights leader. It would also allow schools to conduct activities that would foster respect for all, and educate students about an important figure who is often omitted from history lessons."

I firmly believe in treating gays and lesbians as equals. I do not believe that just because an individual chooses a lifestyle that I happen to disagree with that I should treat them differently. After all, God loves them just as much as he loves me, so why should I love them any less. With that belief, I applaud Mr. Milk’s efforts in championing equal treatment of those with different lifestyles. However, I also firmly believe that God does not condone nor honor homosexual relationships. I believe homosexuality to be a sin. I do not applaud Mr. Milk’s lifestyle choices.

Thus creating my dilemma. I have no problem with a public school teaching children equal treatment for all, but I have a huge problem with the public school teaching children to accept and possibly encourage homosexuality. I do not believe a public school can commemorate Mr. Milk’s achievements in equality without also commemorating his homosexuality. Unfortunately, it appears to me that this Bill is meant to accomplish the latter more than it is the former. So what do you guys think, is AB 2567 a good idea? As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is it wrong to applaud Mr. Milk’s efforts towards equality. How do we teach our children to respect and love gays and lesbians without also teaching them to accept homosexuality?

Happy Independence Day

I am sure that most of you are already aware of this, but today is the Mexican Independence Day. Now Mexican Independence Day should not be confused with cinco-de-mayo. They are two very different dates.

Mexican Independence: On September 15, 1810, in an attempt to end Spain's sovereignty, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla declared war on Spain; arguably this was Mexico's fourth attempt to gain independence with the first unsuccessful attempt dating as far back as 1521. On September 16, 1810, Hidalgo y Costilla attacked the Spaniard mining town of Guanajuato where the Mexicans obtained their first victory over the Spaniards. Unfortunately, less than a year later Hidalgo y Costilla was captured by the Spanish and executed. However, Agustin de Itrubide would continue to fight the war against the Spanish until August 24, 1821 when he and the Spanish Crown signed el Tratado de Cordoba officially recognizing Mexico's Independence.

cinco-de-mayo: In 1861, in an attempt to collect debts owed, France decided to invade Mexico. The French attacked Veracruz where it gained its first victory. It then moved in to the State of Puebla where on the Fifth day of May, 1862, one of the largest French armies equipped with firearms faced the Zacapoaxtla indigenas in the State Capitol, also named Puebla. They were lead by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin and had only rocks and machetes to defend themselves. After much bloodshed, the Poblanos defeated the vastly larger French army. However, to the Poblano’s misfortune France was eventually able to overtake the Mexican capitol in Mexico City. The Poblanas then had to horrifyingly watch as Maximillan I was declared Emperor of Mexico. Although, Mexico ultimately fell under French rule, the defeat of the French army by the indigenous people of Puebla was a very defining moment in Mexican history. For over 150 years it has been celebrated as a source of Mexican pride.

Now it is important for everyone to understand these distinctions for one very crucial reason because Ericka was born and raised in Puebla, Puebla, in the very city where the great battle of cinco de mayo was fought. She spent the first fifteen years of her life walking up and down the very streets where not only the Zacapoaxtla indigenas, but also her ancestors, spilt their blood to defend their Patria. Along with a heritage as remarkable and magnificent as the one Ericka has, there also comes a sense of pride. This pride creates a sensitivity to people mistakenly referring to cinco-de-mayo as the Mexican Independence Day or to people ignorantly mocking cinco-de-mayo as some kooky holiday that them Mexicans celebrate. So to all of you reading this Feliz dia de independencia.

Congratulations!

I know it is kind of late, but better late than never, no? Congratulations to Casey for finally getting engaged. Seriously dude congrats, we thought it would never happen, but I guess this proves it could happen to anyone. However, there is one thing that we can't quite understand. How does a guy like this:

convince a foxy lady like this:

to marry him? OK fine I agree my little brother has come a long ways in his attractiveness since the '97 photo, but humor me. Now, although I don't really have the authority to do this, you are ALL invited to the wedding. Grandma Anderson is in charge of food and she assures me she would love nothing more than to spend the entire two weeks before the wedding cooking enough food to accomodate everyone. And if you need a cheap place to stay you are more than welcome to crash at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Good News!

I have been married to my incredibly beautiful, loving, and spiritually guided wife for nearly seven years. We have been given four beautiful and precious children, whom I love with all my soul. We have endured seven years of school, three of which were spent 900 miles away from our family and friends. We have suffered through six moves. We have been members of seven different wards and have accepted various callings. We have born the weight of insurmountable student loans. We have dealt with poverty and the embarrassment of collecting public assistance. We have had several different jobs, some that paid well and others not so much. We have even considered selling our bodies for money (the plasma only of course). We have learned to applaud the successes of others and have overcome setbacks and disappointments. We have been shown our weaknesses and follies. We have met a whole host of new and interesting people and have made dear friends and unfortunately, some enemies. We have laughed, loved, cried, and learned. But we have never doubted God's love. We have always known that our Father in Heaven would not have sent His only son to Earth to suffer incomprehensible pain if He did not love us. We have always known that everything was experienced for a reason. However, we found ourselves regularly, like Tevye, questioning God's omniscience. We wondered regularly whether He really knew what was best for us. I was in this state-of-mind when I wrote my post about frustration.

When I graduated from law school we decided it was time to move closer to our family. We settled on Western Colorado. We were convinced we would find a nice District Attorney position there, that we would buy a house, and finally, after six long years, be able to start our home. However, eight months later we found ourselves in Lexington, Nebraska, still some 700 miles from our family, struggling to barely survive financially. We were lonely, frustrated, and poor. We knew that our Heavenly Father brought us to Lexington, but we could not figure out why he would do such a thing. We once again found ourselves like teenagers questioning whether God really knew what was best for us.

After ten months of living in Lexington, we finally decided it was enough. We told our Heavenly Father and the County Attorney that if we did not get a raise by August we would be moving our family to Colorado. We knew that if He wanted us to stay in Lexington, He would soften hearts and provide a way. However, we also knew the County was in a budget crisis and the raise we were asking for had not been granted by the Board of Commissioners in several years. Considering my paycheck is funded by County taxes, we were convinced we would be moving to Colorado very shortly. Last week we were given a raise higher than what we had requested.

We still struggle living in Lexington. Having grown up in towns like Layton and Puebla, we get bored frequently. And we still regularly wish we lived in a bigger city. And we still miss our family and friends dearly. And we are still only making two-thirds of what most of my fellow law school graduates earn. Nonetheless, we know that Heavenly Father wants us in Lexington. This small piece of knowledge brings a peace and happiness to our lives that no amount of money, friends, family or entertainment could bring. We still find ourselves wondering why God chose Lexington, Nebraska, but at least now we know this is where He wants us to be.

El Idiota que Invento el Hard Taco

El otro día en Wal-Mart encontré unos paquetes para hacer tacos a la Tex-Mex, unos venían con tortillas de harina y los otros con tostadas dobladas o taco shells como le llaman. Y pensé, esto le va a gustar a los niños ya que soy culpable de que en ocasiones les compro tacos en Taco Bell.

Bueno pues, para hacer el cuento más corto, esas tostadas dobladas son el invento más ridículo que puede existir en el mundo. Se me ocurrió que la persona que los "invento" era alguien que no sabía cómo comer una tostada o un taco y pensó que esta sería la solución. Pues, malas noticias, amigos, NO SIRVE¡

Primero, ni siquiera se pueden llenar bien todo se le sale, tienes que usar un cuchillo o un tenedor para atipujar todos tus ingredientes.

Segundo, cuando tratas de comerlo se rompe por la mitad y ahí va tu relleno en el plato sin la tostada y con las manos batidas de todo lo que supone debía estar "dentro" de tu "taco”.

Tercero, mis parientes y creo todos mis compatriotas en México se reirían de ver como inútilmente una persona trata de comer uno de esos "tacos".

Pues en conclusión, si alguien que lea esto tiene la dificultad que yo tuve pues déjenmelo saber y otra solución es que le pregunten a cualquier mexicano como yo, como es que se come y se agarra un taco para evitar los problemas mencionados arriba. Una buena lección de esta categoría es muy apropiada para cualquier aficionado a la comida Mexicana tradicional.

Y recuerden que una tostada es una tortilla doradita y crujiente a la cual se le agrega frijoles que son lo básico y cualquier cosa que se les antoje sin olvidar la salsa, y un taco es una tortilla de maíz o de harina SUAVE calentada en una sartén o pasada por aceite con el relleno que sea de su agrado. El Fin

The other day in Wal-Mart I found some packages to make tacos a la Tex-Mex, some came with flour tortillas and others with folded tostadas or as they are called hard taco shells. I thought the kids were going to like them considering I am guilty on occasion of buying tacos at Taco Bell.

Well, in order to make the story shorter, these folded tostadas are the most ridiculous invention in the world. It occurred to me that the person who invented them was somebody who couldn’t figure out how to properly eat a tostada or taco and he thought that this would be a good solution. Well, I got bad news my friends, they DON’T WORK!

First off you can’t even fill them up properly because everything just falls out. In the end you have to use a knife or fork to stuff all your ingredients inside.

Second, when you try to eat them they do nothing but break in the middle. Then naturally all of the fillings end up on your plate without your tostada and you hands covered with everything that you assumed was supposed to remain “inside” your “taco.”

Third, my parents and all of my fellow Mexicans do nothing but laugh when we see someone unsuccessfully trying to eat one of these “tacos.”

Well in conclusion, if somebody else who reads this has experienced the same difficulties let me know. One solution I can offer is that you ask any Mexican how it is that you can hold a taco to prevent these problems. A demonstration on the proper way to eat a taco would be very appropriate for any authentic Mexican food aficionado.

Remember that a tostada is a hard, crunchy tortilla upon which you put beans, which are essential, and then anything else that sounds good, but don’t forget salsa. A taco is a SOFT flour or corn tortilla that is heated up or fried on the stove and then filled with whatever you desire.

First day of school!!!

Andy started Kindergarten at the "big kid" school on Thursday. He participates in this amazing all day dual language program. He has two teachers, one is a native Spanish speaker and the other is a native English speaker. One week he is with the Spanish teacher and everything is taught in Spanish. The next week he is with the English teacher and everything is taught in English. In order to prevent the children from becoming accustomed to a certain subject being taught only in one language, the teachers switch subjects so that the children learn each subject in both English and Spanish every week. This is the fifth year the program has been available and their plan is to offer it from Kindergarten to Twelfth grade. Their testing has repeatedly shown that the children in the dual language program have test scores 30% higher in all subjects than their English only counterparts. Both Carl and I as well as Andy are very excited about this program. However, I have to admit that I am scared and sad to see him grow up so fast, it seems like just yesterday that he was the 4lb baby in the NICU fighting to survive.

Emma also started her second year of pre-kindergarten yesterday. She was really happy and excited to start. So much so, that she could not fall asleep the night before. Her program is not as intensive as Andy's, but is still taught in both languages. She was very concerned about whether her first day outfit matched and whether her hair looked pretty. She too is growing up so fast, which seems to scare Carl more than it does me. She is very outgoing and Carl is very worried about her future social life, i.e. boys. However, Andy, who normally is very shy, loves to protect her. If anyone bothers her he does not hesitate to take matters into his hands and launch a full-scale Kung-fu Panda retaliation on the offending child. He even becomes brave enough to take on Joseph when Joseph bothers Emma. If you refer to Carl’s linebacker post below, that can be a very dangerous situation for Andy. Nonetheless, he does not hesitate. Hopefully he maintains that desire to watch over her.

All in all it was a good time for all. After Carl had left for work and my family had been cut down to only two, Joseph and Taiyari, I had the opportunity to cry a little, o.k. fine, a lot. It is these experiences and memories that make our dirty diapers, clean clothes in the laundry (Andy loves to change clothes about 4 times a day), and disorganized home more joyous.

Holy Cow!

The other day while I was at Wal-mart I found this Holy Cow cleaner on sale. I bought 2 bottles and was totally impressed. It is completely organic and biodegradable. We use it on everything in the kitchen, bathroom, our cars, carpets, and walls. It cleans far better than any other cleaning product we have bought.

I have been so impressed by it that I mentioned to Carl last Wednesday that we should buy a case of it online. That same night Carl was in Wal-Mart and found 22 bottles of it on clearance for $1.00, regular price here is $2.48. He bought all of them. :) Needless to say I was very excited. We have it stockpiled in our pantry.

Well, to make the story even sweeter we had our missionaries over last night. One of them saw the Holy Cow bottle and shouted out, "Holy cow, you use Holy Cow." Come to find out his Young Men's President in Sacramento, California, invented and manufactured it with his wife. So not only are we saving money, we are keeping our house cleaner and our kids safer, and helping another LDS family at the same time. WOOT!

I promise I am in no way affiliated with Holy Cow. I will receive absolutely no compensation when I suggest that you look into and purchase if possible this product. Here is a link to their website. Holy Cow

By the way, if you have used this product or if you do, let us know what you think.

Who's Who?

Ericka wants to have a little contest. Below are three pictures of our three boys, Andy, Joseph, and Taiyari. See if you can identify who is who?

Inspirational Thought

Always remember, it could be worse.



For those of you interested Snopes did confirm this as actual video footage.

Fun in the Sun

Thanks to a great deal I found on Slickdeals, the kids were able to have a little fun outside in the sun yesterday. For those of you interested, this fine little contraption only cost $5.97.

Here You Go Casey

Casey, here is a present for you. Heidi, are you sure you don't want to reconsider?

The Same People

Anna Quindlen’s article “The Same People” can be summarized by the following statement, “[i]f two women in white want to join hands in front of their families and friends and vow to love and honor one another until they die, the only reasonable response to that is happy tears, awed admiration and societal approval." Ms. Quindlen used the word reasonable. She acknowledges there are responses to gay marriage other than approval and admiration, but in her mind none are reasonable.

Contrast her statement with that issued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God… we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”

If one believes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to be Christ’s church. And if one believes that His apostles and His prophets are ordained to bring forth His teachings. Then one must accept the proclamation to the World to be Christ’s doctrine. One must also accept that God has ordained marriage only between man and woman and that marriage in any other form will bring about the calamites foretold. If my logic is accurate, and please let me know if you think it is flawed, can a member of the LDS church respond to gay marriage with happy tears, awed admiration and approval? Most importantly is a member of the LDS church unreasonable for not doing so?

Ms. Quindlen also writes "[s]cream, shout, jump up and down. No matter. The gay-marriage issue is over and done with. The upshot: love won." She continues "[s]omeday soon the racas surrounding all this will seem like a historical artifact, like the notion that women were once prohibited from voting and a black individual from marrying a white one." What do you think about that assessment?

My New Wheels

So I recently decided to upgrade my auto and bought this bad boy (please take notice of the incredibly cool splash guards). Figured the best way to spend some of our rebate was to make a purchase that would allow me to break the flaxen cord that the oil companies had on me. Gas mileage is awesome. After doing some figuring on gas, oil changes, maintenance, and gym memberships we decided it would save us about $1,000.00 a year. Not too bad an investment. It has been a real fun way to get around. Traveling to Kearney can be rather tough though (80 miles round trip), but luckily I don't do that more than once or twice a week. Only problem has been trying to figure out how we are going to carry our food storage when it comes time to move to Missouri.

Oh yeah, in answer to my Mother's pressing question, I am incredibly hot and sweaty when I get to work, but when you hang out with criminals all day, who cares.

I Told You So

My family didn't believe me when I told them it was flooding. So here are the pictures. And this is with less than 24 hours of rain with another full week of rain expected. As further proof check out all the warnings on this page. Need to Buy a Boat

My Linebacker

Joseph, our two year old, has been showing some real potential as a linebacker. Let me explain. It is common in our family for Joseph to stand in the back of our hallway and then to start running as fast as his uncoordinated legs will allow. When he gets about a foot away from his target (usually Andy) he jumps and tackles the unsuspecting person. He then stands up and walks away while yelling "I got you" and laughing his unusually large head off. Although he has persistently tried and failed to take down the "Big Dog", that is what he insists on calling me, there have been times I have found it necessary to quickly grab something so as to prevent myself from falling.

You can imagine how elated I was when Ericka told me the following story: She took the kids to a local playground. Andy, our five year old, was playing with another boy about his age when the boy hit Andy in the face. While Andy was standing there perplexed as to what just happened, Joseph started charging toward the kid from behind. As is his custom, when he got about a foot away he jumped towards the kid. Before Andy or Ericka knew what was happening the kid was flat on his back with Joseph on top of him yelling "I got you." Needless to say the kid quit playing with Andy.

Ericka's Birthday Present

For a while now Ericka has wanted to make a loan through Kiva.org. For her birthday we decided to invest some money in el Grupo Delicias 3. They are pictured above. If you are interested in reading about who they are or what they do, follow this link: Delicias 3

Ignorance Alive and Well in America

The following statement was uttered by the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Joe Arpaio, "It isn't racial profiling," the sheriff said. "We don't arrest just anybody on a street corner." Proving the old wive's tale, it is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Here You Go Grandma

Well, since you refuse to come to our children, I guess we will have to bring the children to you. I hope this makes you feel sad enough to motivate you to move to Nebraska. Oh by the way, don't forget to read Ericka's first ever blog post below.

Second Richest Man (Obviously My Husband is the First. He Married ME!)

Carl has been complaining a lot about my refusal to post anything on the blog. I have tried to help him understand that I have nothing to write about; I am sure no one is interested in my daily routine of being a mom. I really do not do anything exciting so I had decided that the blog writing would be left to Carl. However, I found myself to be very passionate about this topic. So I decided to give into my husband's persistent peer pressure and post my first blog.

A week ago I saw on MSNBC the infamous Forbes list of the richest men in the world. Out of curiosity, in reality it was probably more envy and greed, I looked at the list. I was a little surprised to have seen that Mr. Buffet had replaced Mr. Gates as the richest man, but my biggest surprise came when I saw that the second richest man in the world is a Mexican by the name of Carlos Slim Helu.

As I pondered what it meant for a Mexican to have that kind of money, approximately 60 Billion dollars, I began to feel angry. It bothers me to know that 18% of Mexicans live in extreme poverty, defined as less than $2.00 a day. It upsets me to know that 21% of the population lives in moderate poverty, defined as roughly $4.00 a day. That means that nearly 40% of the Mexican population, or more than 40 million people, are forced to support their families on $4.00 a day or less. It bothers me to think that so many of my paisanos are forced to live on so little and are in so much need and this man, another paisano, has his billion dollar stash. As I began judging this man I then thought whether, if it was me, would I be capable of giving away my wealth in order to enter into the Kingdom of God as Jesus prophesied to the young rich man. I don't know whether I would be capable of doing so, luckily the Lord has not seen it necessary to try me on such matters. This then let me to the law of consecration and how difficult of a law that is too live in the financial sense. But then how much more difficult it becomes when one realizes it is also a law that in its fullest requires that I be willing to give not only all of my possessions, but also all of my time, all of my thoughts, all of my desires, and all of my soul in order to build up the Kingdom of Zion. As I ponder on that and I realize how much more work I have to do I begin to come to the understanding that instead of spending my time judging what Señor Helu has or has not done with his money I should be figuring out what I can do to help my paisanos in Mexico and what I can do to help build up the Kingdom of Zion. So off to work I go!

Oh by the way, we found this very cool webpage that gives people the opportunity to try and help poverty throughout the world. You basically give micro loans to help other entrepreneurs in third world countries. It only requires a minimum loan of $25.00 and you can choose exactly who you want to give the money to and find out updates as to what they are using the money for and how it has helped them. The impact that that amount of money can have on these people is amazing. You should check it out. Kiva

Frustration

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST INCLUDES NOTHING MORE THAN MY FRUSTRATIONS. IF ANYONE DOES NOT WANT TO WASTE THEIR TIME READING MY COMPLAINTS THEN YOU NEED TO QUIT READING RIGHT NOW.

I just started the process of consolidating my private loans with my public loans. I owe nearly $100,000.00. The average interest rate on those loans is about 7%, which means every year I add around $7,000.00 to that already mammoth number. In order to pay it off in 10 years and only accumulate about $50,000.00 in interest I have to make at least $1,000.00 payments each month, which at this point is basically impossible. Thus, everyday as I watch my debt grow, like one of those jackpot signs in a casino, I feel completely helpless to control it. As these feelings of helplessness come over me I wonder whether it was a mistake for me to go to law school. Now I absolutely love my job and am incredibly content with what I do every day. And I consider myself very blessed to have a Juris Doctor degree. Nonetheless, I think it might have been a mistake.

I always thought that by going to law school I would be able to provide for my family in ways that I could not with a Bachelor's degree. I knew it would be expensive, but I told myself that I could have the loans paid off in no time; after all I would be a lawyer. But it has been nearly one year since I graduated from law school and I have not been able to make any payments. It frustrates me that I cannot make payments on my loans. It frustrates me that I am going to pay so much money in interest. It frustrates me that I am still renting. If frustrates me that we have to plan six months ahead in order to save money to buy a birthday cake for one of our kids birthdays. It frustrates me that we can only survive paycheck to paycheck if we borrow money from my little brother. It frustrates me that we cannot save any money for our future or for our children's future. And thus, amid all this frustration I cannot help but wonder, was it a huge mistake for me to go to law school? Would not my family have been better off had I chosen not to go?

Jimmy Fallon

Twice now Ericka and I have heard this song by Jimmy Fallon on the radio and have absolutely loved it. It is amazing how accurately he mimics these bands. We thought we would share it with all of you. Tell us what you think.

Watch this one first.

And then this one.

And if you are still interested there is this one. It is pretty much the same as above, but adds a ColdPlay and Dave Matthews impersonation.

Kids and INXS

Well we decided to post our first video. We realize that this is not near the excellent quality that we have seen from the Rammell's and Roundy's, but hey "throw us a frickin bone here," its our first attempt. We hope you like it.

P.S. the first part of the video got cut off. It is of the kids saying, "we dedicate."

A Sad Day for Our Family

Well, obviously we are behind the times, but you have to give us credit, after all we live two states away from Utah. One of the things that Ericka and I missed about Utah was 107.5 the End's morning show. Chunga and Mister were so freaking funny. We absolutely enjoyed their show. We were both excited the day Ericka found it broadcast online. We, Ericka more than myself considering the fact that I have to have my pajamas off and be out the door by 8:00, listened every chance we got.

Today my Mother informed me, which is an entire blog in itself: Mom what the heck are you doing listening to alternative music???, Mister had been fired. I did a quick Google search and found that apparently Chunga's anger is not as funny as it used to be and Chelsea only wants to talk about alcohol and sex. From what I have read there no longer seems to be anything worthwhile about Chunga's show. As much as we hate to, it appears that we are going to have to sever one of the few remaining ties to Utah that we have left. It really is too bad.

This might seem odd to some, but we desperately miss our friends and family in Utah and we look forward to the day in the distant future when we can return. In some strange way listening to Chunga and Mister helped with those feelings of loneliness. It made us feel as though we were back in Utah.