42 ...

days until the Presidential election, and I, for one, don't think it's coming soon enough. Can I stand 42 more days of political commercials, biased media coverage, and attacks being slung from one side to the other? I think not!

42- an interesting number and one I've learned a lot about in the last few days. I recently spent an afternoon at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Because of my love of history, I have vowed to visit as many presidential libraries as I can before I die. My first visit was to the LBJ library in Austin, TX. There are definitely some I'd prefer to visit over others, but proximity plays a big role in determining which libraries I get to first. Being that we live in Little Rock, I have no excuse for not visiting Clinton's.

William Jefferson Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States. The Clinton library is of particular interest to me because it highlights the events surrounding the presidency of a man who held office during a significant time of my life- my adolescent and college years. I remember, first hand, so much of what happened during that time. And I also realize how little I paid attention to what was going on in world events- outside the "world of me". Sound familiar to anyone else?

I have visited this library twice now and each time I go, I learn a bit more about who Clinton was and what his presidency was all about- there's still much to figure out...

My first visit left me with a more positive opinion of him than I had previously had in terms of some of his economic and social policies. Much good was accomplished during this time and, as with all of his predecessors, there were some mistakes made along the way. I really tried to keep an open mind and learn all that I could. This second visit left me with a much different view. Perhaps all that I've seen and heard recently from our candidates, congressmen, and political analysts, has reaffirmed my original take on the politics of the 1990s and some of the leaders of the democratic party- namely, the Clintons. Or perhaps I'm just soured on politics altogether. I'm not naive enough to believe everything that politicians say. I rarely believe anything they say- and that is on both sides of the coin. But nothing irritates me more than outright dishonesty and skillfully crafted contradictions. It irritates me to no end to hear them make excuses for themselves and crucify those on the opposing side for the same behavior. I no longer care that we have individuals in government that I don't agree with. I DO care that we have individuals (and glorify them nonetheless) that I can't even respect. We must have more than a few hundred spines laying around somewhere because there are Democrats and Republicans in Washington functioning without them.

With all the talk and criticism we have heard about the war over the past couple of years, I have started to sit up and take notice of both sides of this issue. No one can deny, not even our Democratic presidential nominee, that the surge is working and victory is finally in sight. Does that mean there haven't been mistakes made along the way? Absolutely not. History may very well prove that Iraq is indeed the wrong battlefield- anyone who can see 10 years into the future, feel free to stand up and make your case. Otherwise, we will just have to wait and see. It amazes me, though, that there is seemingly an entire party of politicians that claim to be against the war- some didn't think we had any right to go there in the first place. Does anyone remember what happened here on September 11th, 2001? Right, wrong, or indifferent, the one thing we can be sure about is that for the past 7 years, there has not been another attack on American soil. As a wife, mother, and an American- that matters to me!

Don't get me wrong, there are many other issues of concern that will effect the elections this year, but this one keeps coming back to mind. It is so closely linked to all the others. My weekend visit to the Clinton Library has once again left me pondering the war and what is fundamentally wrong with our government. Unless you visit Little Rock and spend some time touring the Clinton Library, you will not have the privilege of hearing these words (spoken by Clinton himself). Should you be planning a visit, spend the extra $3 for the audio tour. It is SO worth it! Former President Clinton will guide you through the library offering insight into what you are seeing and sharing some of his heartfelt convictions.

While gazing upon the "Foreign Policy" wall, Clinton's voice resonating in my ear, I was shocked by what I heard him say. He discussed the progress his administration made in the Balkans and Northern Ireland and then turned his attention to the Middle East. According to President Clinton, the Democratic party's golden child, little was done to secure this area of the world, although there were "7 years of progress toward peace" (we must not use the same dictionary because my definition of progress and his differ significantly). However, in response to his own foreign policy in the Middle East, he had this to say in closing...

and I quote-

"When America is involved, less people die. Sometimes, it's good to fight for peace, even when you don't fully succeed."

I'm sorry...what was that again?

Can I get that in writing #42? I think you have some colleagues (not to mention a wife) that might be interested in knowing that's where you stand...

Ode to Fall

Fall is officially here and I, for one, am thrilled. We finally get to experience Fall in all its splendor here- it is one of the things I love the most about living in Little Rock. There is so much to look forward to and love about this time of the year.

What I love about Fall...

• Changing leaves
• Cool, crisp mornings
• Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks (although they always get trumped by the Peppermint Mochas that arrive with the holiday season)
• Apple cider
• Pumpkins
• Warm sweaters
• Hot soup on cold days
• Watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"
• Spending the evening in front of a roaring fire
• Dressing up my kids for Halloween
• Trick-or-treating
• Meals prepared in the oven
• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
• Thanksgiving dinner
• Black Friday shopping
• the onset of the holiday season

This Fall will bring many other blessings as we celebrate more of Sofia's "firsts" and, Lord willing, receive news of our future with or without Verizon and another possible relocation. Yes, Fall brings a lot to look forward to and I'm so glad it's here!

Sofaloaf

Four months has gone by in a flash- or rather, a blur. :) I cannot believe that Sofia is 4 months old! We have entered the wonderful and explosive world of spoon-feeding. I think this time around, I may head to Home Depot to invest in some large plastic tarps and a pair of protective goggles. This next stage does mark my favorite baby age- the period between 4 and 6 months. And, despite the challenges that come with spoon-feeding and increased mobility, the next few months promise to be fun, fun, fun!

Sofia received a big "thumbs up" from her pediatrician today and is a textbook baby as far as hitting her developmental milestones- in fact, she's a bit ahead of the curve- which comes as no surprise to us! As far as her growth is concerned, here are her most recent stats:

Weight- 14 lbs. 5 oz.
Length- 26 inches
Head Circumference- 16 1/2 inches

I was shocked to learn that Sofia is in the 70th percentile for weight and the 95th for length. Those of you who "knew me when" remember the days of trying to get Daniel to weigh out of the 5th-10th percentile- to no avail, I might add. So, having a baby rank in the 70th is a huge change. No pun intended.

Regardless of how much she weighs or how long she is, we are so thrilled to have her and blessed to watch her grow!

We love you Sofaloaf!

Praising God!

No matter where you are or what you are facing, on September 11th, you are always a little extra thankful to God for his hand of protection and all that he has done for you and your family. Today, we are particularly grateful. My heart is still pounding a bit from what I found when I opened Daniel's door after his nap this afternoon...

On the floor, was a picture that had been hanging on his wall. The picture was about 2 feet from the frame and next to the frame were large pieces of broken glass. I immediately got a lump in my throat and frantically checked Daniel for any cuts or bleeding. He seemed to be fine, with the exception of a tiny cut on his toe. One kiss and a band-aid and he recovered. I then sent him out of the room so that I could clean up the mess and thoroughly vacuum the carpet.

My eyes filled with tears as I got a closer look at the pieces of glass on the floor and I immediately began thanking the Lord for keeping my baby boy safe. Here are some of the pieces I found. It is ONLY by the grace of God that Daniel did not get seriously hurt.

Let's just say that the rest of the pictures have been removed and placed well out of reach. I will happily live with blank walls and will begin my search for foam and/or rubber home decor items!

I'm Now An Expert

I consider myself a source of countless pieces of completely useless information. Today, I learned something that even amazed me. It is possible to clean an entire bottle of Mr. Bubbles out of carpeting- just in case you were wondering.

We are potty training...again. You parents of two and three year olds understand the "again". I can see you nodding sympathetically. I'm happy to report that we've been much more successful this time. Daniel has actually managed to "go" in the potty. This is quite an accomplishment considering the months it took for him to learn to sit on the thing. Two years and 4 potty seats later, we might actually accomplish this task! At any rate, he has managed to go, but prefers to do so with some privacy. Inevitabley, as soon as he's seated he asks us to leave. Pointing at the door and saying "Mommy, you go" is the three-year-old equivalent to asking, I suppose. This morning, I left as usual. Moments later Daniel appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. I put on my best "you did it!" face and prepared to overreact to his accomplishment. But, instead of telling me he did it, I was informed that he needed new socks. I immediately aniticipated the worst, or so I thought, and expected to find a puddle on the floor. I did, but it was not the puddle I was anticipating. It was a thick, slimy, soapy puddle and it was far worse than I assumed. One hour, 48 oz. of water, and an entire linen closet worth of towels later, I had gotten enough of it out of the carpet to consider my attempt a success. Praise God we are in a rental! :)

Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Baby?

We have a mysterious, albeit adorable, imposter in our house. The imposter arrived last week just days after Sofia's 3-month birthday. This new precious little bundle sleeps on a regular schedule, eats normally, smiles uncontrollably, and is generally content. Many wise friends and family members reminded us that the first three months were often difficult and that, once they were over, we would see glimpses of life as it could be. We honestly didn't expect the change to occur almost to the day, but we've seen a noticeable difference and we are so thankful to have our sweet little girl back. We've missed her. :) Whether or not the change in her is due to her age or the fact that we are simply adjusting better doesn't really matter. Whatever the case, it appears the aliens that were previously inhabiting our little girl have vacated the premises!

Family Pictures

We recently had some family pictures taken and were thrilled with the results. The kids looked great, but our very favorite picture of all was of just the two of us. In fact, we loved it so much that we immediately had it matted and framed.