Reagan's Busy Holiday Season

Now that Reagan's a big five-year-old, she really needs her own day planner to keep up with her schedule. Besides all her school activities (parties, reindeer day, gingerbread day, holidays around the world, etc.), she's involved in several Christmas programs at church. She's doing "Fear Not Factor" with the big kids. It's a musical--all the kids are angels--and Reagan has a duet with Reece (Curry's older brother). Then, because the Pre-K class is full of boys and no girls, Reagan was asked to be in their mini-musical, "Joyland." She gets to be a Shirley Temple doll--so cute! Finally, Mama is organizing a group of kids to do a nativity scene and sing "Who Would Imagine a King" with her, and Reagan is singing in that and will probably be an angel. And did I mention that she and I would be singing that song together at Grandma & Grandpa's church this weekend? Busy, busy!


Reagan got her performance season off to a great start Saturday night, when she danced at the Hanging of the Green at church. Reagan got to dance with her beloved teacher, Mrs. Donna, and her friend Gracie and another "big girl" Jacqueline. Reagan did such a great job, and she took the whole thing very seriously! Unfortunately, our video camera did not work. But, fortunately, Gracie's parents took photos. Here she is, our tiny dancer:

Half of Our Christmas Card

We spent a couple of hours at the Opryland Hotel on November 1. According to their calendar, the Christmas decorations should have been up at that time. And while some were, the really iconic ones (like the poinsettia tree and the big tree in the Delta section) were not. Nonetheless, we put Christmas sweaters on the girls and attempted to get a picture suitable for our Christmas card. My dad had his fabulous camera (I would compare it to a semi-automatic weapon, in terms of shutter speed) and took over 100 photos. It was pretty hard to tell what we had until we got home and uploaded them to the computer. But with that many shots, we were sure we had something that would work. But we were wrong.

Most of them looked like this:

Or this:

And not one of them was picture-perfect enough for our Christmas card. :(

If I were a master of PhotoShop, maybe I could cut/paste one together. This one of Scott and me isn't too bad. It was actually of all four of us--I cropped the children out. Think anyone will miss them on our card?

Reagan's Sweet, Sensitive Heart

I didn't get to witness this story (got it second-hand from Scott), but it made me tear up a little when I heard it.

Scott had planned to take Monday off work, and I mentioned to him that it might be a good chance for him to have lunch at Reagan's school since he had been wanting to. Her school encourages parents to come anytime they'd like. When your parent has lunch at school, you get to pick a friend and eat with your parent and friend up on the stage area of the cafeteria. A few weeks ago Reagan got to have lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, Presley, and Mama--and she invited her good friend Azur along.

Tonight when Scott took Reagan to bed, he asked if she'd like him to come have lunch with her on Monday. Of course she was excited. She said, "And I'm going to invite Drew up on the stage with me." Having been around Reagan's entire class on numerous occasions (including an all-day field trip), if there was one kid in the class that I would expect her to never want to be friends with, it would be Drew. The kid clearly has ADHD--and heavy on the H for hyperactivity. He's in trouble A LOT! He has bloodied a kid's nose on the playground (and this is Kindergarten!!!). Even Scott had heard a few Drew stories, so he asked, "Really? You want to invite Drew?" And Reagan said, "Well, nobody ever invites Drew up on the stage. So I'm going to invite him."

What a sweet, tender heart! Mama is so proud--and glad it's Daddy and not her who gets to have lunch with Drew.

Do You Mind?

I hated to make Presley's adorable JoJo pics drop down on the page, so I added another one to this unrelated post. But I just had to write about Presley's latest language development. For the last couple of weeks, Presley has been saying pretty much whatever she wants--and we can actually understand most of it. But she said something yesterday that cracked me up.

We were watching TV--specifically football--when Presley asked, "You mind changing the channel?" (No, I didn't. But apparently Daddy did.)

Then again this morning, as she had joined us in bed before 6:00 a.m., she asked, "You mind turning the TV on for me?"

I love her new "Do you mind?" way of asking for things! So cute!

TinkerBell

Reagan continued with her TinkerBell obsession by dressing as her for Halloween.






Apparently, her cousin Ashley likes Tink too!

JoJo the Clown

Here's Presley in her JoJo costume for Halloween. It was quite a hit!

And with her cousin Ashley and Reagan (both as TinkerBell).

Halloween

Aren't JoJo and Tink the cutest?

Slippery Slopes

It amazes me how desensitized to things I can become. When I was a kid, if you heard "crap" or some similar word on a TV show, it was the exception--not the norm. Now, you can say all manner of things on TV that I won't print here, because I like to keep my blog G-rated.

But there's a far more troubling area that our entire country seems to have become desensitized to: abortion. When I was in college, I remember wearing my "As a former fetus, I oppose abortion" shirt with pride and vigor. There certainly weren't many who openly supported abortion. It was more of an ugly little secret. I mean, nobody wanted to get an abortion, right?

Sadly, abortion is no longer shocking or even shunned in our society. Nope, regular early-term abortions are a mere fact of life, although still unpleasant. Now we've moved on to debate partial-birth abortion. If you've never researched what this is, and have merely heard the term on a newscast, you simply must Google it. This is heinous, by anyone's standards. And yet Barack Obama has refused to vote against it, instead voting "present." A "present" vote is a coward's retreat--a meaningless vote that allows him to continue to say that he hasn't supported partial-birth abortion. Obama has voted "present" 129 times in the senate on various issues.

So we see the slippery slope: We become "okay" with abortion--nobody likes it, but it's an unpleasant necessity. Then we accept partial-birth abortion--because apparently not everyone knows they want an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. Now it has come to this: we are actually faced with the decision of what to do when a baby survives an abortion. (Yes, it does happen.)

How could that actually even be a question? If a live baby is born, how could any doctor who has pledged to "first do no harm" let that innocent child die? And yet, it would seem that Barack Obama would allow that to happen (http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=7030bd098cca768e72d111&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url).

We've all heard Obama say that nobody likes abortion...that he would take measures to limit abortion...but the truth is that his voting record does not back up those statements. He has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, is openly lauded on the NARAL Pro-Choice America website, and his own words continue to reveal his stance:

• "Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, it's never been more important to protect a woman's right to choose... I've been a consistent and strong supporter of reproductive justice, and have consistently had a 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America."
• "I am pro-choice. I believe in Roe v. Wade..."
• "I've got two daughters...if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. "

Here's a copy of his voting record:
http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490

Granted, the Republican candidate's stance on abortion isn't as strong as I would like. But at least it appears he hasn't gone down the same slippery slope as the Democratic frontrunner.

Is there anything more important to life as we know it than life itself?

Reagan is Out Standing in Her Field

Get it? Outstanding (out standing)? OK, bad joke. This is a pic of Reagan at Walden Farm.

Our Little Pumpkin

Presley got to visit Walden Farm last weekend. She saw lots of pumpkins and got her face painted--cute!

Pumpkin Patch

Now that I'm on Facebook, I sometimes upload photos or videos there and forget that I haven't posted to my blog. These photos are from last weekend at Walden Farms. The girls had a great time petting the animals, walking through the cornfield, getting their faces painted, and just enjoying the outdoors.

Celebrity Sighting

Scott and I had dinner for his birthday tonight at the Cheesecake Factory in Green Hills Mall. (Thanks, Sarah, for offering to watch the kids!) After dinner, Scott wanted to walk to the Apple store and check it out. I, personally, wanted to get back to the kids and had very little interest in the Apple store--or the mall on a Saturday night, for that matter. But we took the little detour and, after consulting a directory, finally found the Apple store. (It was totally geeked out, btw.)

On the way back through the mall, we both did a double-take as we spotted James Marsden. In our house, he is best known as Edward from Enchanted. He's also been in the X-Men movies as well as one of my favorite shows from a while back, Second Noah. He had a little girl, about two- or three-years-old on his shoulders (I assume that was his daughter), and absolutely no one seemed to be bothering him. You gotta love Nashville, perhaps the only place on earth where a bona fide movie star can walk through the mall on Saturday night and nobody seems to care.

Pumpkins!

Last week Scott and the girls carved the two pumpkins that Grandma & Grandpa brought us. Actually, I traced the patterns and Scott did the carving. The girls mostly watched. This year, we found Disney patterns--how perfect for our little princesses! Cinderella turned out beautifully:

but her castle actually looks like a "spooky" castle--not a "princessy" one. What can I say? I was working with a lopsided pumpkin!

Here's a pic of what Cinderella looks like all lit up (pretty--but maybe a little creepy, too):

She's Got the Right Attitude

This week we said good-bye to a dear friend, our former neighbor Ashley, who lost a six-year battle with cancer. (More details at: http://valsmomblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/ashley.html) Reagan has known Ashley since she was an infant, and Ashley was the only non-family babysitter Reagan had as a baby.

When I got the news on Monday that Ashley had passed, I was worried about how to tell Reagan. Reagan knows about death and heaven because she has lost three great-grandparents in the last few years, and we explained that their bodies were worn out and tired, and they were going to heaven to get new healthy bodies and be with God. But this is the first time Reagan has known a young person who died (Ashley was only 23). And, most recently, Reagan has been praying, "Thank You, God, that You are healing Ashley." I wondered how she would respond to God's choice of ultimate healing, rather than earthly healing, for Ashley.

I guess I underestimated her. When I told her Ashley had gone to heaven to be with Jesus, Reagan didn't get sad at all. In fact, she kept asking me why I was so sad. (Honestly, I found it a little disturbing that she wasn't more upset.) But then, as the day went by, she did say a few times that she was sad and would miss Ashley.

Then, last night as we were getting ready to go to Ashley's visitation, I was giving Reagan the behavior talk: "We need to be respectful. And quiet. There might be some very sad people. Some might be crying. We're not sad because Ashley went to heaven; we're just sad because we'll miss her."

Then Reagan said with earnest excitement and amazement, "I wish I was Miss Ashley! I want to go in heaven! They have streets of gold--that's metal!"

Wow, if we could all have that attitude.

Presley's New Skill

I have video of Presley demonstrating her latest skill, but since I try to keep this blog G-rated (or at least PG), I'll have to offer a description and keep the video for private viewing (but, wow, is it ever funny!).

So one morning when Scott was out of town, I was taking a shower when Presley burst in and said she needed to use the potty. I told her I couldn't help right now, but if she could get her shorts and diaper off, she could do it herself. She managed to do that, and within seconds she had used the little potty. I did the whole, "Good job, Presley!" routine and told her she'd have to wait a minute for me to help her. But she said, "I do it myself." She promptly pulled the removable bowl from the potty chair, opened the big potty, and dumped the contents in. (Good start!) She then stood on the step-stool and pulled herself up on the sink, balancing with her bear bottom in plain view. She then turned on the water and filled up the potty bowl, dumped it, filled it, dumped it, etc., to rinse it out. Then, she got some soap from the dispenser and washed her little hands!

This process was so amazing to me that I had her repeat it for Daddy that evening, and then for Grandma and Grandpa when they visited. In fact, Presley was so proud that she told Grandpa, "Get your camera!" so he could tape her doing it. If you're ever over to our house, we'll show it to you...we could probably win $10,000 from AFV with that one--but our daughter's modesty is worth more to us than that.

Ashley

Our dear, sweet friend Ashley went home to be with Jesus Sunday afternoon, surrounded by friends and family. Her last words were, "I love you" to those who had gathered to sing hymns and pray at her bedside. Her service will be this Wednesday at Judson Baptist Church.

If you are not familiar with Ashley's story, you can read about it in this post: http://valsmomblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/pray-for-ashley.html

Our hearts are breaking for her family, but we know that their hope is in Jesus too. Please pray as they continue to deal with this devastating loss.

My Little Cookies

A while back, I entered a contest to win a vacation to Disney World. Well, more like, I entered dozens of contests to win various Disney vacations or prizes. (I have a website I visit periodically and enter the ones that don't take up too much time or effort.) Anyhow, one of these contests was from Cookie magazine. I believe I had to write a fifty-word essay about my idea of a perfect day at Disney. Honestly, I couldn't have put much effort into it, because I forgot I had even entered it. But, I was chosen as a finalist! And, no, I didn't win a Disney vacation, but I did win a CD of children's music and t-shirts for me and the girls. Mine was just a red shirt with "Cookie" on it. The girls' shirts were considerably cuter. I didn't request any particular style--just gave them the sizes and they sent these:

Looks like they nailed their personalities! Presley is definitely the "tough cookie" while Reagan is more of a "smart cookie." Couldn't have chosen better myself! (BTW, these were taken just after the girls got out of the shower; thus, the wet-n-wild hair.)

Another Plea for Ashley

I just received the most recent update on my neighbor Ashley, and the news is very grim. While they still carry hope in their hearts, I believe the family is coming to terms with the notion that Ashley has very little time left on this earth. I'm no mind-reader or doctor, but from the last email, I would guess days, not weeks.

I'm asking those of you who have followed her story (or are simply prayer warriors who have stopped by) to bathe Ashley and her family in prayer at this time. I don't know what God's plan is. Certainly He could choose to heal Ashley, even now, for we know that with God all things are possible. But it would seem He has made another choice. Despite how sad that makes me, I know that even in Ashley's death, God will be glorified and lives will be blessed.

Specific things to pray for: Ashley's pain is great, and she struggles to breathe. Pray for physical relief and continued optimism. And pray that she'll be able to leave this world peacefully, if that is God's will. Many family and friends have gathered; pray for peace and comforting times and sweet memories to be shared among them. Pray especially for Ashley's mother Judy, who is dealing with unimaginable grief and has not completely healed from her own breast cancer surgery. And also for Alli, Ashley's sister, who has been an amazing nurse and confidant for Ashley. Then, finally, pray that God's hand would be evident in every step of this journey. Let everyone who came near be a witness to God's great power and mercy and strength, as displayed in this family. Amen.

Yet Another Reason...

...I will be voting Republican in this election.

Here's a new number I just heard on the Today show: $995. That's the MOST money Joe Biden has given to charity in the last ten years--the MOST!!! I won't go into specifics of my own numbers (not because I'm ashamed, but because I know my friends read this blog and it's tacky to talk about money among friends), but Scott and I give considerably more than that. . . considerably. (The bulk of it goes to our church, but we also support a number of local and national charities.) Now, I consider us a pretty average American couple. Certainly we have more than many, but we are by no means wealthy. Yet, when I compare our numbers to those of Joe Biden, I am astounded. The average family in America gives 2% of their income to charitable organizations. The Democratic nominee for Vice President gives less than one hundredth of one percent.

Here are the numbers (year, adjusted gross income, charitable donations, percentage of income):

1998--$215,432--$195--.0009%

1999--$210,797--$120--.00056%

2000--$219,953--$360--.0016%

2001--$220,712--$360--.0016%

2002--$227,811--$260--.0011%

2003--$231,375--$260--.0011%

2004--$234,271--$380--.0016%

2005--$321,379--$380--.0012%

2006--$248,459--$380--.0015%

2007--$319,853--$995--.0031%

(An aside: Republicans are often criticized for being greedy and Democrats are certainly on record as supporters of our welfare system. It strikes me as ironic that studies have shown that conservatives give more than liberals. Here's one story, but a simple Google search will yield dozens: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2682730)

Here's another number: $15,000. That's how much Biden spends on train tickets each year, commuting between his $3 million home in Delaware and Washington, DC. But don't worry, he doesn't pay for those.

Do you think this man can really relate to the economic issues of middle America?

Oh, by the way, here's a report on John McCain's giving (a very different story): http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/4437/john-mccain-discloses-data-on-his-charity-giving

And here's the Obama info (better than Biden, but nowhere near McCain): http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2008/03/obama-releases.html

Here's Palin's (not as good as I had hoped, but still outshines Biden by a country mile): http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/5900/gov-palin-releases-tax-returns-reveals-charitable-giving

Can You Hear Me NOW!!!

Presley has developed an annoying habit of asking for something over and over and over...even after we have said no. Only, she doesn't just make her demand the same each time. She slows down, articulating each word as well as her little two-year-old language skills will permit, emphasizing then final word. It goes a little something like this:

Presley: I want treat.
Mama: Not right now.
Presley: I want treat!
Mama: No, you have to eat something healthy first.
Presley: I...want...treat...right...now.
Mama: You're not getting a treat.
Presley: I. Want. Treat. Right. NOW!!!

Obviously, this little tactic doesn't work (I'm tougher than that, people!), but it does keep us entertained.