Tea Party

April 15, tax day in America, provided a great learning opportunity for Mark, and a chance for Cindy and me to express our concerns over the direction our great country is moving. After dropping the younger children off at preschool, we proceeded to the Mall in Trussville to participate in the Tea Party protest. In the fashion of the original Boston Tea Party, where the colonists were protesting taxation by the monarchy with out any representation, we too, gathered to protest unfair taxation.

Although we do have locally elected representatives, they seem to have lost sight of their responsibilities of seeking to enact the will of the people. Government's primary purpose is to provide for the "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness" of the people. The government does not have the right to unfairly tax those it thinks make too much money, and spread the wealth to others. It should not be in the business of providing free health care nor stripping God out of our lives. Forgive me for ranting... I'll stop before I get too excited. I should be attending to the historic sunburn I obtained by standing in the sun all day.

I think it is important for Mark to understand this, and take part in a peaceful protest where he can see other people with the same beliefs we have. He was able to hear speeches from Senator Hank Erwin, and local talk show hosts Matt Murphy, and Lee Davis. Several other prominent conservatives spoke, and we even got to see former President George Washington, and his wife Martha speak.

We had a great time, and saw several friends and family. Ken McKibben, Cindy's cousin, was one of the organizers. Mark was able to see copies of the Declaration of Independence, and the Consititution of the United States. I've attached a few pictures from the event. Hope you enjoy!

Easter

Our Easter weekend started Friday with Caitlin's class party. We ended up having it at the school instead of her teachers house because of the weather. Mark and Caitlin had so much fun they didn't want to leave.

Easter Sunday we got ready for church before the kids looked in their baskets from the Easter bunny. After church we ate lunch at Cracker Barrel with family and then headed home to relax for a bit. While I cooked dinner and made a "bunny" cake the kids had an egg hunt in the backyard with George. After dinner I let the big kids dye eggs.

March Synopsis

A lot has happened since our last post..... Mark had his piano recital on the 8th. He did an excellent job on his duet with Mr. Dave playing "My Dog Has a Flea". As a surprise for him I made him a "piano" cake.

On the 13th was dance picture night. Caitlin and I had a blast this year. She did a lot better this year over last year when she had a complete melt down on picture day. She walked up for her pictures like there was nothing to it. It was a good night of fun with friends.

The week of Spring break we stayed home. We were able to sleep in and just relax. It was one of the best Spring breaks that we have had but I was so glad for school to start back.
And last but not least, today Caitlin got her ears pierced. She did so good. She sat there so still for them and didn't even cry even though the the things they used to pierce her ears got stuck on the earrings. I was and am very proud of her.

The Blizzard of 2009 - at least for Alabama

As many of you are aware, God blessed us with a gorgeous snow event today. There were times I could barely see the house across the street from the near white out conditions. The winter wonderland that only He can create was marvelous. I updated the blog background with one of those shots. Caitlin came downstairs this morning with eyes wide in amazement, exclaiming “Daddy, it snowed last night!” Little did she know, the best was yet to come.

We could barely contain the excitement of the children wanting to go outside. After sufficiently stuffing them with pancakes, the entire family went outside to play. Mark and Caitlin started making snow angels, while John practiced collecting and throwing snowballs. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was not quite sure what to do. She just walked around the yard with her hands held out wide. When the children’s noses and cheeks starting turning bright red, we came inside to warm up with fresh hot chocolate. To our surprise, Elizabeth threw a fit, and would not stop crying until we assured her we would go back outside shortly.

Our second trip outside was after the sun came out, and the snow started to melt. Caitlin was first up. After observing our neighbors making a life sized snowman, she mimicked their snow rolling and building techniques, and within minutes had a 3 foot snowman that was surprisingly well formed. Mark and John were next, but they had to top their sister by making two snowmen. Elizabeth was prepared this time around. She followed Caitlin all around the yard collecting snow and sticks for their creation. Even Cindy made a snowman (see the last picture). The melting snow dripping from the trees soon forced us back inside to warm up and dry out.

There is little snow left now, but the memories will never fade. God is so good! How can anyone attribute such masterful beauty to anything other than our Divine Creator? I hope you enjoy a few of the snapshots…

Dance Costumes

On Tuesday night Caitlin got her costumes so I decided to let you have a sneak peak. They are so cute.

(Mary Poppins)

Dumb Stick

The other day the kids were acting crazy and, for lack of a better word, "dumb". George turned to me and asked if the kids had been hit with a dumb stick. Of course Mark asks "Daddy, what is a dumb stick?" and Caitlin turns to him and says "It is right there on the couch with daddy." Mark kept telling her no it wasn't. It took George and me a few minutes to figure out what Caitlin was talking about. She was referring to the yard stick that has duck tape holding it together. We looked at each other and laughed before George told her what he meant by being hit with a dumb stick.

Origins of Stuff

Have you ever wondered where stuff comes from? "What stuff?", you may ask. After many years of careful observation and study, I'm convinced the "what" is irrelevant. My studies have determined "stuff" refers to any group of objects that you inexplicably have too much of. In the case of today's commentary, I refer to clothes. Specifically children's clothing.

Over the past several days, Cindy has been going through the clothing that our children have outgrown. You should see the kitchen and dining room. The stove is still clear, but every other conceivable surface is covered. The counters are full. The dining room table has disappeared. The floors have morphed into a strange maze of boxes. I went to make a glass of tea, and emerged three hours later, having become lost in the plethora of garments. This is just the 6-18 month sizes. God help us when she tackles the larger pieces.

Many years ago, my Dad offered this theory... In the dark of night, or simple hours of quietness, when no one is home, the "stuff" comes to life. It then moves from room to room, fertilizing the other stuff. After this frenzy of propagation is completed, it takes only hours for the new "stuff" to emerge. I am beginning to believe his theory may have valid foundations.

This new found life form must also be intelligent, as items I am specifically searching for find unique ways to remain hidden, only to be found after a replacement has been purchased. Many times I have placed something in a certain location so it can easily be located when needed, only to have it move unaided to another place. Maybe there are some time space continuum accesses available to these life forms. I even set up a night vision camera to catch these after hour activities, but their intelligence and awareness enabled them to move about undetected by my high tech surveillance.

Whatever the cause of such strange activities, we will continue to combat this tribble like phenomenon in what ever ways we can. Please remember us kindly should we ever loose this battle, and fail to emerge from our house one afternoon.