Stand Firm

I have so many Christian friends right now who are afraid to speak their opinions.  Afraid of being called “hateful”, when they’re not.  Afraid of people misunderstanding them, because they speak the Truth in love.  Afraid that if they say anything that sounds like it comes from their moral beliefs, it’s automatically invalidated.  “Christians need to stay out of politics”, they hear, and wonder if it’s true.  Even Christian friends will tell them to stay quiet because they think that taking a stand on moral issues will make people less receptive to hearing the Gospel. 

 

I've got news for you, anytime a Christian stands up for ANY moral issue, they will be called "hateful" and "bigoted", even when they're respectful, tactful, and loving about telling the Truth. Darkness hates the light, and will always spew venom when it's shined in their eyes.

What if we were to lay down on moral issues and let them have their way. Would that make them "like" us more? No!  They'll still always see anyone who believes in God as ignorant, narrow-minded, and an obstacle to "progress". Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive.

Remember that the aggressor here is not people, but the spirit of this world: the Enemy who has been battling for the hearts and minds of Americans (and winning ever since the Sexual Revolution). If we don't stop the tide of moral decay, our nation will be destroyed from the inside out, just like Rome and great societies of the past.

The Enemy wants us to believe that the only way to be truly loving and not threaten our ability to share God’s love is to be silent. It's a lie. Watching people throw themselves over a cliff, while insisting that the rest of society go with them, is not love!

The Gospel is offensive and foolish to people who don't understand it. The idea that there is a loving God who made the universe and has a paternal right to tell us what we should and should not do is offensive. The idea that we will all someday answer to Him for our actions is offensive. The idea that there is a moral standard apart from our own invention is offensive. You can say it in the sweetest way possible, and it will offend. That's the price we pay for telling the Truth.

People say that the Church should not be involved in politics. That's a lie, too. Every citizen has the right to vote their conscience, whether that conscience has been formed by the Bible or their favorite Humanist college professor. Christians have just as much right to express their views, engage in the debate and influence the direction of our country as any other group.

 

Don't let people intimidate you by saying, "this is why the world hates Christians". They hated Jesus, no matter how loving He was, because He told the Truth.

I'm not saying we have permission to be obnoxious and rude, start pointless debates or force our opinions where they aren’t wanted (if we do, we deserve to be hated!), but we must never be fooled into silence for the false promise of the world somehow "liking" us more or being more open to the Gospel.

 

“Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world. That is why you need to put on God's full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.”

Ephesians 6:12-13

This Moment

February 2008: Valentine's Day, Aunt Nanci's visit, the Columbia Gorge and Multnomah Falls, getting the new house ready to move in!

10/29/08 - Making Messes

Amanda loves to pull all the DVDs and books off any bookshelves within reach.  She likes to pull all of Eva’s shirts off their hangers (from the lower closet bar).   She likes to dump her bowl and eat the pieces of food off the floor.   Amanda is fascinated by toilet paper, and never misses an opportunity to go into the bathroom and tear off little pieces to play with.  We try closing the door, but that’s pretty much impossible with a potty training older sister. 

 

Eva is fascinated by scissors.  I bought her a preschool safety pair to practice with, and she loves to cut up computer paper into tiny bits of confetti.   So between Eva’s scissor confetti and Amanda’s toilet paper shreds, I’m always finding tiny bits of white paper on the floor all over the house, no matter how many times I’ve picked them up!  So if you’re ever wondering why our house will never be completely clean, now you know!  J  

 

Night Life

I’ve been having trouble with insomnia lately.  I’ve always been a night owl, rarely getting to bed before midnight, but lately I end up tossing and turning until 1 or 2am.  The upside is that I get a lot of reading done at night while I’m trying to wind down.  The downside is I tend to be groggy and cranky during the day.  I found a homeopathic treatment called Calm Forte by Hyland’s, so I’m hoping that will help me fall asleep earlier.  

 

Both the girls have colds right now, so they’re not sleeping very well, either.  They fall asleep easily, but wake often.  We’ve been using the humidifiers and Vicks vapor rub, and a Hyland’s cold remedy for kids to try and give them some relief.

Autumn Breezes

It’s been dry and sunny all week, and the fall colors are glorious.  The winds can get pretty intense this time of year.  They remind me of the Santa Ana winds in SoCal, except that they’re cold.  They sweep off of snowy Mt. Hood and blow through the Columbia River Gorge, sometimes up to 50mph or more.  I’d try to fly a kite in our backyard if there weren’t so many trees. 

 

We’ve been getting outside as much as we can before the rains come back.  It’s so cute to see Amanda bundled up in Eva’s 2T coat from last year.  She looks like the kid from “Christmas Story” who couldn’t put his arms down.  LOL! 

 

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?

Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.  As a former journalism student and college newspaper editor, I found this very interesting!

http://www.linearpublishing.com/orsonscottcard.html

 

Too Cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our new camera finally arrived, and I LOVE it!  We went to Costume Day at the indoor play park today.  Amanda's little pirate costume hasn't arrived, so she's wearing Eva's ladybug costume from last year.  Eva loves her hat and tells people "Arrgh!" when they ask, "Are you a pirate?"  LOL!

10/18/08 - Harvest Fest

We drove down to Hood River for their annual Harvest Fest today.  They had a tent for a beer garden and entertainment, and another for artisan booths, but the rest was outside.  There was a huge farmer’s market, and we found the same fresh pressed apple cider and cinnamon roasted almonds we enjoyed last time.  Last year, I carried little Amanda in the Moby Wrap, in the pouring rain.  This year was clear, but the icy wind was enough to blow you off your feet.  We saw a wind surfer on the river get picked up and carried at least 20 feet off the water, white caps foaming all around him.  It looked fun, but COLD!  

I wish I had pictures to post, but our digital camera finally gave up the ghost after a year of toddler abuse, and the new one I ordered online hasn’t arrived yet.  I had to dust off the old 35mm and learn how to use a viewfinder again.  And now I have to find a place that develops film.  Do they still do that?  LOL!  How spoiled I am now!  I am seriously going through photography withdrawals!

Baby Talk

Amanda says “Dada” and “Mama” now, though she sometimes gets mixed up about which words to use for whom.  She’s used to calling “mama” when she wants something, so sometimes when Dave goes out in the garage and won’t let her follow, she’ll sit and call “mama” at him through the kitty door.  And she’s used to yelling “dada!” when Dave comes walking in the door after a hard day at work, so the other day she called me “dada” when I got home from grocery shopping.  LOL! 

Eva’s vocabulary is abundant now, and she’s very expressive.  It’s so funny to hear her frank little thoughts.  Today she was sitting in my lap and suddenly started pulling on my shirt, trying to look down my blouse.  I made her stop and asked her what she was looking for.  “Mommy’s milk!” she said.  When Amanda came crawling over, she said, “That’s Amanda’s milk. Want to nurse, Amanda?”  Dave and I were cracking up, and suggested she “nurse” her baby instead.  So she took her dolly and stuck it under her shirt, rocking back and forth for a few seconds.  Then she “burped” it and said “All done, baby!”  Too cute!

Eva can name her letters, shapes, and colors now.  She dotes on Amanda, and likes to try and “mother” her sometimes, often to little sister’s chagrin.  Yesterday I caught her making Amanda lie down so she could try and “change” her diaper.  Good thing I caught her in time!  J  Eva is intent on trying new skills, too, and lately has been putting on my shoes and trying to “tie” them.  Very often I’ll go to put them on, only to find the laces in a hopeless tangle. 

Safe Harbor

Eva is copying a lot of what she hears, and some of it is downright adorable.  She’ll tell Rebel “How you doing, buddy?” after hearing Dave say it, or tell Amanda, “Don’t cry, sweetheart” after hearing me comfort sister.   Eva likes to sing along to the radio when we’re in the car, and very often gets the words right.  She now loves Veggie Tales and Cars.  Eva is very observant and catches on to things quickly, so we’re very careful about what media messages we allow her to be exposed to.  We wait until she’s in bed before watching a non-kid movie, and we make sure the music they hear is family-friendly. 

 

Some people may consider that “sheltering”, but Dave and I believe that sheltering young children from too much, too soon, is appropriate.   Small boats that get pounded by waves outside the breakwater tend to sink. That's why we provide harbors for them. Young children need a safe harbor from which they can learn, grow, and eventually launch out into the world. They don't need to be pounded by the waves at such young and impressionable ages.  The purpose of "shelter" is not to hide from reality, but to protect a child's innocence until they are old enough, mature enough, and have a strong enough foundation to stand strong against society's unhealthy media onslaught. Kids only get to be kids for a few brief years, compared to the multiple decades they'll spend as adults. What's the rush to grow up so fast?  I’d rather let our kids enjoy being kids for as long as they can!

 

We believe there’s a difference between innocence and naiveté: the naïve have no clue about the world around them, while the innocent are perfectly aware of the ways of the world and its values, but have the moral foundation to withstand negative influences.   Having had a lot of experience with this growing up, I wrote an article (of course) about “How to Preserve Childhood Innocence”: http://www.ehow.com/how_4481646_preserve-childhood-innocence.html  I can’t thank my parents enough for letting us enjoy our innocence when we were young, and then teaching us to think critically about the influences we were exposed to as we got older.  This is the heritage we hope to pass on to our girls.

I Love You More

Jan 2008: Eva was 2 1/2, Amanda was 6 months old. Uncle Tim & Aunt Ayrian came to visit with cousins Asaph, Jirah and Haddie. Later we drove down to Southern Oregon to visit Grandma & Grandpa Stone, Uncle Caleb and Aunt Barocha.

Parental Rights in Jeopardy

Wow!  There are two sides to every coin:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815825713?bctid=1819819843

10/16/08 - Testing Boundaries

Now 15 months, Amanda’s bright personality is starting to shine through.  Up until now, we’ve been mostly redirecting her attention to keep her out of trouble.  But now, I can see that glint of understanding in her eyes when I say “no”, and that ornery smile when she starts to do it anyway, just to see what my reaction is going to be.   We’ve officially reached the stage where she can understand boundaries, and wants to test them!

 

One of her favorite activities right now is to see how many reactions she can get out of big sister.  I’ve taught Eva not push or kick Amanda away when sister bothers her, but instead say, “Please don’t, Amanda”, move away, or come tell me.  Lately I’ve been hearing Eva yell “Don’t push me, don’t push me!”, over and over.  When I go in to check, sure enough, there’s Amanda trying to push Eva, and when Eva moves away from her, Amanda will follow and try to push her again.  LOL!  OK, I shouldn’t laugh, but it IS funny.  Amanda knows the minute she sees me that she’s not supposed to be doing this, but she’s testing the boundaries.  Sometimes she’ll even hit Eva, or grab a toy from her and run away with it. 

 

Now is the time to make it clear where the boundaries are, and that unpleasant things happen when you cross them.  Lose the toy, get taken away to another room, have me grab her hand and hold it tight until she can stop hitting, etc.   I’m also teaching Amanda to sign “please” before she gets anything, because I don’t respond to whining.  It’s so cute to see her eagerly gesturing with her little hand, asking for something. 

Adventures in Parenting

Lately Amanda and Eva have been struggling with the concept of sharing.  Amanda automatically wants to play with whatever she sees big sister playing with, and is apt to try and grab it.  Eva often responds by yelling or pushing sister away.  Amanda understands the word "no", but that's about it so far.  Eva has the tougher part, because very often I ask her to share the toy, or take turns.  It's a hard lesson, but it must be mastered.  

 

Sometimes I'm tempted to just separate them and spare myself the hassle until they're more willing to share, but then I realize that's never going to happen.  They'll never suddenly want to share, unless I teach them.  There are just some concepts that do not come naturally to our sinful human nature: sharing, waiting our turn, gratitude, self-control, respecting authority and boundaries, putting other's needs before our own, doing what's right rather than what feels good, etc.  There will never be a developmental stage where my children will suddenly have the desire to embrace these virtues.  These have to be taught, and it's my job to teach them.   The discomfort of today is worth it, if it spares her the heartache of NOT understanding this lesson later on. 

 

When I find myself getting discouraged because Eva's been challenging me in the same area all day, and wondering if correcting this behavior is really worth the battle, I remember every awful problem customer I had when I worked in retail.  You know the type: they howl for a manager and throw a temper tantrum like an oversized toddler, and you swear they must have never heard the word "no" in their lives.  There were a few times I just wanted to smile and say, "I'm sorry to be the first person in your life to inform you that the world doesn't revolve around you."   What a miserable existence it must be to go through life, constantly thinking you’re being victimized whenever things don’t go your way.  When I think of these people, it encourages me to keep going.   There are some behaviors kids don’t "grow out" of - they have to trained to think and move beyond them.  I don't want my kids to be the ones still throwing temper fits at 30.

Squirrels

Eva is fascinated by the squirrels that scamper around our backyard.  Two of them live in the big tree right outside our window, and she’ll stand there and narrate their adventures to the rest of the family: “Squirrel running! Look, squirrel eating!  Oh, squirrel chase him (the other squirrel)!  That’s silly!”  She likes to break out the “noc-lars” (binoculars) for a better look, too.  I hope the neighbors don’t get the wrong idea!  J 

I think I'm going to be sick...

I came across an article this morning about babies who survive abortions and how they are legally treated.  Here is an excerpt:

"On July 20, Allison Baker, a former employee in the Labor and Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, testified that she personally witnessed three babies who had been born alive during such abortions. On the first occasion, Ms. Baker said, "I happened to walk into a 'soiled utility room' and saw, lying on a medical counter, a (22-week) fetus, naked, exposed and breathing, moving its arms and legs. The fetus (she was cautious and used the medical term for a pre-born child) was visibly alive, and gasping for breath. ... I did wrap the fetus and place him in a warmer and for two-and-half hours he maintained a heartbeat, and then finally expired."

Jill Stanek, who is still employed at Christ Hospital, told the panel, "It is not uncommon for one of these live aborted babies to linger for an hour or two or even longer. ... One of them once lived for almost eight hours." She said that one night she personally rocked a 21 to 22 week infant to keep him from dying alone in the soiled utility room.

Ms. Stanek related stories she had been told by other nurses. One was haunted by the memory of attending one of these procedures where the baby "came out weighing much more than expected, almost two pounds." Another "told me about a live aborted baby who was left to die on the counter of the soiled utility room wrapped in a disposable towel. This baby was accidentally thrown into the garbage, and when they later were going through the trash to find the baby, the baby fell out of the towel and onto the floor."

Stanek was taken aback when another nurse told her about how this procedure was done on a patient who was 23-plus weeks pregnant. She told members of the committee that, according to statistics, this baby had a 39 percent chance of survival, but since the patient chose to abort there was no neonatologist, pediatric resident, neonatal nurse or respiratory therapist present for the delivery. "Instead, the only personnel present for this delivery were an obstetrical resident and my co-worker." The baby, who, according to Ms. Stanek showed early signs of thriving, was not taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for specialized care, but was left to die in the Labor and Delivery Department."

Read on, if you've got the stomach: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=612 

http://www.abortionfacts.com/

10/11/08 - Old MacDonald's Farm

We took the girls to Old MacDonald’s Farm and pumpkin patch in Corbett this morning.  At first it was so cold that my hands ached without gloves, but it started to warm up throughout the morning.  Eva was so excited to see the animals, like chickens, geese and sheep, and would tell us the noises they make: “Look, pig!  Pig says ‘oink, oink’.”  She got to pet a donkey, and even brave Amanda tried to stick her hands through the bars to pet it.  At one point the cow walked to the middle of her pen and peed, and Eva started laughing, “Look, cow have accident!  That’s so silly!”  On the drive home she told us, “Accidents happen.  That’s OK, cow.”  (Quoting a song from her Elmo potty DVD: “Accidents happen, that’s OK…”)  LOL!  It’s so funny how a 3-year-old’s mind works!

 

Equality For Little Women

I’ve got a new challenge on my hands.  Amanda insists on having or doing exactly the same things as her big sister, and Eva wants the “baby treatment” that Amanda gets.  So when I change Amanda’s diaper, Eva wants to be “changed” in training pants.  When Eva is on the potty, Amanda wants to put toilet paper down the bowl, too.  If Amanda is in the stroller, Eva wants to ride or be carried.  If Eva is walking next to the shopping cart, Amanda insists on being allowed to toddle alongside her.   When Eva is eating fruit snacks, Amanda howls until she gets some too, but since her molars aren’t through yet, she can’t chew them.  I either have to cut them into sticky little pieces, or try to fool her by offering the softer, Gerber Graduates version (nice try, Mom!).  

 

I finally got rid of the high chair and put the toddler table in the kitchen so the girls could eat together, but that brings up the challenge of “equality”, too.  I have to give Eva a sippy cup right now, because if Amanda sees Eva drinking from a “big girl” cup, she wants to try it and ends up dumping it all down her front.   If I give Eva ketchup with her chicken nuggets, Amanda wants some too (to finger paint with).  If Eva gets a regular fork, Amanda wants one too, to stab herself (and sister) with.

Mischief

Eva can now reach the faucet and wash her own hands now without help.  She’s so proud of herself!  I still have to watch her to make sure she doesn’t use up all the soap or let the water run for an hour, since it’s still such a novelty for her.  Amanda has a new accomplishment of her own: she figured out how to get into the garage by crawling through the kitty door.  She likes to watch the clothes tumble in the washing machine through the front window.  Frankly, I’m surprised she didn’t figure this out earlier.  But now I’ll have to be more careful about making sure she doesn’t crawl through it anymore. 

Pumpkin Fun Land

Rasmussen Farm, Hood River

10/06/08 - Fall Fun

My parents drove up to visit for a few days.  Grandpa Ernie was attending an ACSI convention in Portland, so he’d ride the max into town each day while I would entertain Grandma Glynna, Uncle Caleb (14), Aunt Barocha (16), and their two exchange students, David (12), and Julie (10).  

 

The Philip Foster Farm was having a special Homeschoolers Day on Friday, so we went up there for some fun.  When the kids signed in, they each got a bag with a scavenger hunt guide, two apples to press into cider, and an ear of dried corn to shuck and grind into meal in the barn.  Hosts in 19^th century period dress milled about each of the activities.  Guests learned how to wash clothes with a washboard and wringer, and build a log cabin.  The old farm house was open for tours, while a woman demonstrated how settlers made apple fritters on a cast iron stove.  The kids could climb into a covered wagon, and try to load another wagon for the Oregon trail (not everything fit, so you’d have to decide what to keep and what to leave behind).   

 

They also had a blacksmith demonstration, a woman spinning wool, and a trapper’s cabin where you could learn about frontier tools and firs, and pet live rabbits.  It was drizzling rain almost the entire time, but that’s just life in the Northwest.  If you stay home when it rains, you’d never leave the house 9 months of the year. 

 

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday we drove to Rasmussen Farms at Hood River for their Pumpkin Fun Land.  They had created character scenes using painted pumpkins and gourds, such as “Star Wars”, “Robin Hood”, and “Pirates”.  Very creative!  They had pumpkin bowling, a haunted haystack house and a corn field maze, too.  Much of it was under tents, so the pouring rain in the morning didn’t bother us much, and by the time it cleared up, we were able to enjoy the pumpkin patch, though it was a bit muddy. 

 

Eva needed to use the restroom before we drove home, and actually found the courage to use the outhouse.  She needed her little padded toddler potty seat from the car, of course, but I was so proud of her for insisting on using the big girl’s potty.  We’re making progress!  Now, if I can just convince her to use the toilet for #2, she’ll be free of diapers for good! 

 

Chillin'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s a familiar chill in the air now, and I’ve brought all our winter wear out of storage.   It’s funny to see Amanda wearing Eva’s coat from last year already.  They’re two years apart, but Eva was still wearing 24-month/2T clothes last year (now she’s in 4T).  Amanda is 15 months old, but now she’s wearing 18 to 24-month clothes.  Eva keeps trying to claim the familiar clothes as hers, but we have to remind her, “No, Eva’s a big girl now.  She has new clothes.  These are Amanda’s clothes now.”  

 

The rain, cold, and fall colors bring back memories of when we first moved here a year ago.  Amanda was a tiny newborn, barely 8 weeks old, and Eva was still a precocious 2-year-old.  I remember how intimidating it was to adjust to a new state and climate.  I was still just learning how to handle two kids instead of one, so it was an added challenge to handle bundling them up and hauling them around in constantly rainy weather. 

 

Thank goodness this year will be easier!  Handling two kids is normal for me now, I’m used to the weather, Amanda knows how to walk (though she still gets carried around a lot), and we’re no longer in those seedy apartments.  It’s such a blessing to pull up in my own driveway instead of trying to sprint through a parking lot in the rain, carrying everything in one trip!

Workin' For A Livin'

Dave has been working his tail off for weeks, but the good thing is that his building has been at or near capacity for the past month.  He got to 100% occupancy several weeks ago, but then lost a resident before we had a chance to celebrate.  Within a week the building was full again, then back down to 98%.  It’s been hovering back and forth all month, but at least he doesn’t need to worry about occupancy for now.  That’s a real blessing!   Now, if he could be free of the needless drama created by petty employees…hey, a guy can dream, right?