It’s been a while.

Our day trip to Priest lake a few weeks ago:

Kyrie and Noelle enjoy a ride in the raft with Grandma Lisa and Uncle Matthew:

Back to Antonio:

Kyrie in her lifejacket:

Bathtime!

Big sister feeds baby brother:

Kyrie, adoring her Aunt Esther:

You can see where Kyrie recently chopped some of her hair:

It’s fun to wear Mommy’s glasses.

…into a good book. I haven’t read anything of substance for such a long time, and right now I’m feeling like it would be really helpful if I could just dive into a book and not think about anything else, for maybe an hour a day (haha, yeah right). What is a really good book you’ve read recently that you think is good enough to recommend to someone else? Fiction or non-fiction, though I’d prefer fiction, not too light or fluffy, but not too dry or slow.

8 months - started clapping his hands
8.5 months - started playing peek-a-boo with a blanket
nearly 9 months - started cruising everywhere

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

Okay, so just another political beef. I am getting so annoyed at pundits saying McCain chose Palin to get Hillary supporters. That’s just plain stupid. I wonder if they’re saying that just to make sure to turn off any stupid Hillary supporters. Palin was chosen to solidify the base. I, for one, had been praying McCain would choose Palin. I didn’t think that would make me vote for the ticket, but I might. I just might. Three major issues (which I won’t name) seem a bit fishy with this ticket, and I’d like to see them talk more.

I don’t see myself voting for Obama, and I think Palin did a good job tonight of naming some of the reasons. I’ve always liked Obama. I like his charm, his oratory skill, and I have to admit I like that liking him makes me feel less racist. But most of his positions are ridiculous, and the ones I like, I think he’s dreaming if he thinks he’s going to enact him.

I don’t want to come off as ungrateful or anything, and I think everyone knows how thrilled I am to finally be living near my family again, but there are some things that make me really miss Louisiana right now. First of all, my family is completely awesome and I’m so glad we can depend on their generosity and hospitality right now while we’re saving up for a house, but I really miss our home in Louisiana (yes, even with all the problems it had — it was our first home together, and I miss it). Also, my friend Hollie is going to have another baby and it makes me very sad that I won’t get to witness the pregnancy and see her baby as a newborn in person. Wah. Lastly, Matt is getting married in a few days and I’m going to miss the wedding. I think that’s what’s making me the saddest. And it would have been really fun to be “couple friends” with Matt & Megan. So those are my little complaints. Those are what I’m missing out on right now. I have a lot more things to be happy about, and I should focus on those things.

Ever since Kyrie was an infant, on the way to receive the eucharist, I’ve whispered into her ear, “The bread is Jesus’ body, and the wine is Jesus’ blood. Whoever eats Jesus’ body and drinks his blood, lives forever.” In the past year, we’ve also talked a lot about how Jesus died for her sins so that when she dies, she’ll get to come back to life in Jesus. She’s understood the concept of death for probably a year now, and she often randomly talks about how she doesn’t want to die. Being who I am, I always say something like, “I’m sorry. You’re going to have to die one day, but since Jesus died for you, it’ll only be for a little bit because, after that, you’ll live with Jesus forever.” (Rachel smartly just says, “I don’t want you to die either.”)

Anyway, we were looking at the stations of the cross today, and I was talking to her about the station where Jesus died on the cross, and how in the next station, his mommy was sad because he died, and how in the next station, we see that he comes back to life.

After explaining all this, she said, “But I don’t want to die.”
I replied, “Well, hopefully, it won’t be for a very long time.”
She replied to me, “But I don’t want to die.”
Finally, I said, “Well, you probably won’t die until after you get old and your hair turns white.”

She seemed to think this was both preposterous and hilarious and that I wasn’t being serious anymore, and our conversation ended promptly.

Okay, so Obama’s speech was great last night (except for the annoying misquote of scripture at the end). I really enjoyed his humor, eloquence, and somewhat empty promises. I’m still annoyed he picked someone who whitens his teeth for his VP though. If McCain’s objective was to take away steam, he did it by picking Sarah Palin as his VP. That’s a home run. It just emboldens his image as a maverick. I’ve been thinking and hoping he might pick her just because it would make things interesting, but then all the stuff they’ve been saying in the last two days made me think he might go more traditional. Anyway, I am glad he picked her. Southerners will like her belief in state self-sufficiency It will add a little spice to his campaign. Plus, she’s from Sandpoint, which is like an hour away. Speaking of stupid reasons to like a candidate…

Rachel and I have a pet peeve in the current election. The people they are interviewing sound like they come right out of Idiocracy:

Commentator: Why are you voting for Obama?
Response 1: I want change!
Commentator: Why are you voting for Obama?
Reponse 2: Eight is enough!
Commentator: Why are you voting for Obama?
Response 3: Our troops need to come home right now!
Commentator: Why are you voting for McCain?
Response 4: He’ll drill for oil!
Commentator: Why are you voting for McCain?
Response 5: He’s a true conservative!

Oh my goodness, I swear these people just listen to campaign slogans and don’t stop and think for five seconds.

My mom just handed Antonio to me and he totally fell apart into pitiful sobs. She picked him back up and all was well again.

I guess he loves his grandma.

This video drives me nuts. An American girl was in South Ossetia visiting her aunt when Georgia started bombing South Ossetia. As she starts to tell her story, you can hear the producer telling the newscaster to cut them off. What cracks me up is when the newspaper tells the aunt there is an impending commercial break, the aunt replies, “I know you don’t want to hear that.”

* Finish Kyrie’s scrapbook of the first two years
* Catch up with Antonio’s scrapbook and babybook
* Get started on a scrapbook of me and Rick
* Get some prints of the zillions of photos I take; frame some, put some in a photo album
* Make something like a mei tei or sling for Kyrie’s baby dolls (for her birthday)
* Make diapers and/or outfits for Kyrie’s baby dolls (another birthday gift)
* Try my hand at making fleece soakers/skirties/shorties
* Re-learn to knit, learn to crochet