A Glimpse Inside My Random Brain

Just some observations.

I have a love/hate relationship with Little League. I love watching the boys (all three of them) play in the perfect spring weather. I hate how disruptive it is to family dinner time and how bored silly Sophie is at the games.

I hate the Steelers, and I just can't get behind a team who's fans wear cheese on their heads. I guess all that's left is the commercials for me.

Speaking of the Packers, how is it that team can have a season ticket waiting list longer than the actual number of men, women, and children in the Green Bay metro area? Where are these fans coming from..the Arctic?

I'm not sure it is possible to feel smaller than when you chew out your child for something that you later discover was actually your (my) fault. Today's lesson: how to admit you were wrong and say sorry.

President Obama's State of the Union speech reminded me of the kid who was running for student body president at my junior high. He promised us soda pop in the drinking fountains, no homework, and three day school weeks. He said exactly what we wanted to hear and we ate it up like candy. Sometimes I wish I was 13 again.

Learning to welcome change and caring a lot less about what people think have been one of the more liberating aspects of being almost 40.

I wish I could figure out how to turn down the volume on my biological clock. It's giving me a headache.

Why do some gas stations have "Exact Weight" scales. Is there a market for knowing your exact weight right after you just purchased a 44 ouncer and are finishing up the second Twinkie in the twin pack? I'm not stepping on that thing even if it didn't cost a quarter.

Is there anything on this earth nastier than Jack in the Box tacos? Oh never mind, I forgot about the stuff they put in the middle of Arby's sandwiches and try to pass off as roast beef.

One of the crappier parts of life is when someone you care are about is suffering and you feel helpless to help them.

Please nobody watch Joan Rivers' new reality show so that they will cancel it. Seriously, I'm begging.

Modern Family is the best writing on a sitcom that I have seen since Seinfeld. It is the only show that makes me laugh out loud every week. Except for maybe Jimmy Kimmell.

Please still be available when the Suns draft pick rolls around, Jimmers. This years team is unwatchable.

Why I Love Jake.

There are at least a million reasons why I love my kids. I have great kids. Not a day goes by that I don't get on my knees in thanks for the kids I was blessed with. (or "for which I was blessed"..for Karla) But I've noticed that other people's obviously inferior kids are also loved by their parents, so I'm not going to claim that I can be unbiased in this regard. I'm just going to warn you that this post will fall in the category of  "shameless blathering" that I warn of on the top of this blog. If you find that offensive, boring, or an otherwise wasteful use of your time, you should stop reading now. But if you are also a fan of Jake, feel free to read on.
(And for the record, I also have a legion of reasons why I love my other two kids, but it doesn't happen to be their birthday this week..)

Reasons I love Jake in no particular order..

I love that his voice changes to a more gentle tone when he is addressing his little sister.

I love that he was born with an uncommon drive to achieve. He doesn't need or want us to give him motivational speeches. It is just there, and has been from Day 1.

I love that despite this drive, he is gracious in losing.

I love that  he  reaches out to the friendless.

I love that his little brother is his best friend and that he always has his back.

I love that he has never celebrated more widely than when DB scored a touchdown.

I love that he has more football statistics in his head that I have thoughts in mine.

I love that he know precisely what  a "slant route" is and can execute it perfectly.

I love that he has such a keen sense of justice and of what is right, wrong, or inappropriate.

I love that he will eat whatever I put on his plate without a complaint.

I love that he will tell me when he has had "too much junk" for the day.

I love that he can defend things that matter to him with laser beam focus, but is so easily distracted otherwise.

I love the gap between his two front teeth.

I love that he will say things like "This is not your best dinner." rather than "This is gross." when asked if he likes it.

I love that he can be one of the first in his class to pass off his math facts, but cannot remember to wipe down the toilet seat or pick up his towel to save his life.

I love that he is almost always hot and sweaty, even in the dead of winter.

I love that he didn't even get one pay out before disavowing the tooth fairy as nonsense.

I love that his wardrobe consists of all basketball shorts expect for one pair of church pants that are worn precisely three hours per week.

I love that when he is shooting hoops, he will never end on a miss.

I love that he has a wide variety of interests and friends, and has the ability to get along with almost anyone.

I love how sensitive he is to my emotions, and aware he is of what is going on in the family.

I love that he is happiest when he is in motion.

I love the closeness he has with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I love that he is universally adored by his teachers, scout leaders, and coaches. I consider it the highest compliment of motherhood, although I realize I can take very little credit for it.

I love that he is generally respectful of authority figures.

I love how quick he is to say "thanks".

I love that he has no use for girls, has strong opinions about his hair, and refuses to wear tighty whiteys.

Most of all Jake, I love that are my son.

Happy 9th Birthday!

Perspective On The Shooting

A terrible tragedy occurred in Tucson on Saturday. It is unthinkable that a person is capable of such an act. Making this so much worse and personally disturbing is the fact that a 9- year old girl was shot and killed, a nine year old. I'm not going to exaggerate my knowledge of Congresswoman Giffords, but I will say that the things I've learned of her since the shooting have earned her my respect as a thoughtful,  fair minded, and good person... the kind that ought to be in Washington representing her constituents.

As the story began to unfold my thoughts turned to my childhood friend who lives near the scene and has a daughter close to the age of the one killed. We've made it a point to keep in touch all these years, and by chance had our first children within a couple months of each other. The kids and I attended a birthday party for her daughter in Tucson at the very Safeway  retail center where the shooting took place a few years back. I was relieved to talk with her today, confirming that they were safe and unaffected by the incident. They did have one neighbor stuck in Safeway for hours as the crime scene unfolded, and another who was shooed away as they arrived to shop just minutes after the shooting. My friend had planned to go grocery shopping that morning, but instead slept in late avoiding the scene. Talk about hitting close to home.

I have a range of emotions on this topic as most do when tragedy strikes, and it is fascinating to me to hear reactions from media folks and regular folks as well. If the news is to be trusted, (which admittedly is questionable at times) a suicidal nut job with a history of disturbing behavior came unhinged and showed up and proceeded to unload a magazine from a semi-automatic pistol into a crowd. According to some rambling You Tube slide shows, the suspect was angry about the government controlling grammar, of all things and a smattering of other incoherent rants and grievances.

So when the County Sheriff gets on what has now become a world stage and proclaims Arizona as the "mecca of prejudice and hatred" as part of his news conference, pardon me for taking issue with that assessment. Did the shooting at Columbine prove that Colorado was the "mecca" for dangerous high schools and mentally disturbed violent teenagers? Of course it didn't. No more than a crazed lone gunman's assassination attempt on a congresswoman makes Arizona a "mecca" of hate. Do your job and give the facts, sir and use a little discretion on when is an appropriate time to politicize.

And speaking of incoherent rants, I will continue here to say that to blame talk radio or Fox News or conservatives for this incident is equally ludicrous. As some one who loves this country, is a conservative who also happens to be open-minded and fair on the issues and problems that plague this country, and who is very aware of the political conversation going on from both sides, I can say with certainty that no politician or commentator on either end of the political spectrum has or would ever suggest, condone, hint at, or glamorize violence.  Is there room for more civility in the discourse? Of course. Would that have stopped this mad man? Probably not. Let's keep it in perspective.  And also let's hope that the suspect does not have the same disdain for run on sentences as he does for grammar errors, or I may in danger of being his next victim.

My thoughts and prayers are with Gabby Giffords, as well as the families and other victims. I sincerely hope that intelligent, principled, good people who care about this country, and listen to the people who elected them as Congresswomen Giffords was attempting to do, will not be dissuaded from getting involved politically. If there was ever a time when this country needed people like her, it is now. May God speed and bless her with a full recovery.

1-1-11

I'm a fan of numbers and first days of the month. I can't say why, other than it is just pleasing to me. So I can't let 1-1-11 go by without a post. And the fact that I haven't posted a thing for the entire Christmas and New Year Holiday is justification enough. There are lots of goings on here in the Whittaker household.

Coco.
We began entertaining the idea of adding a dog to our family a few months ago. Dogs are a lot of work and I simply have not wanted one more living thing to demand my attention for awhile now. But we have begun to soften our stance on the issue seeing how much Dylan and Sophie especially love animals. We did not want to spend a lot of money on a dog, and were very particular on the characteristics we would find acceptable in order to actually take the leap. It couldn't be yappy, too aggressive, too timid, too big, or shed a lot. It needed to be house broken, somewhat smart, trained, protective, even tempered and playful. I liked the idea of getting a dog from the pound, I guess because it's sad that so many get put down, and it makes me feel heroic to be able to save one. But we have been scanning Craiglist ads a lot too, and even called on a few and saw one of them. After several visits to the County Shelter, we finally found a dog everyone bonded with. He was a sweet Golden Retriever that had been brought in as a stray. We gladly would have brought him home that day, but there is a 4-day waiting period to allow any possible owners to surface first. Fair enough, so we were told to come back first thing in the morning two days later, which happen to be Christmas Eve. We came prepared with all our paperwork filled out to take him home only to discover that he had been euthanized that morning for not passing the "aggression test." There was not an ounce of aggression in that dog towards us or the kids, so the story is a bit suspect, but it was not as if we could bring him back to life. That's what is so tough about that place is that any dog locked up in a cold, hard, tiny kennel 24 hours a day is going to be frustrated, angry, confused and terrified.  So it is hard to get a good read on what any dog is really like. All we could do is look around at the other dogs who had passed the "aggression test" and were available, but none seemed right. We were walking out through the lobby trying to explain to the kids why once again we were leaving without a dog when a lady with a dog on a leash turned around and began to tell us all about her dog. We were polite at first and listened to her tell her story of how sad she was that Coco had not worked out and how distraught she was about having to bring her back to the shelter and how desperately she just wanted to find a nice family for her. I could tell Wes wasn't really interested, but Coco turned on the charm and it wasn't long before we were loading her up in the van to spend Christmas with us. She is a sweet dog and despite some poor decisions for chew toys (namely Barbie and the remote) we couldn't be more pleased with our new addition.

 I say we got the dog for the kids, but Wes may be her biggest fan.

 Coco likes Jake..he is less prone to teasing than her other young house mates, but she'll cuddle with anyone who will let her.

She is very interested in the kids and is every bit the companion we hoped she would be.

We also had some fun Christmas festivities the past couple weeks.

 The kids acted out the Nativity at a Family Home Evening party with the Palmers. Jake was Joseph, Dylan was a donkey who strangely was also an ASU fan (see if you can find him), and Sophie was an angel. The kids had a such a great time that we did it the next night for the Hatch Family.

 Milan was a shepherd, Dylan a wiseman, Sophie promoted herself to Mary, and Jake had mastered the role of Joseph by the second time around. I'd like to think the kids know the true meaning of Christmas by now.

 We've recently started a new tradition of spending Christmas Eve at Macaroni Grill with Wes' family, courtesy of the Munks. I love it because I get a break from kitchen duty and I get to enjoy time with the world's best in laws.  The kids love it because they adore their Kelcee.

 Christmas morning was quite the surprise for the boys as they take a look at the quad that Ken and Kacee got for them.

They even let Jake and DB take it for a Christmas day ride. It took about two seconds before they were riding like pros. They can't wait for more fun outings with Uncle Ken and Aunt Kacee, who have seriously elevated their standings in the favorite relative category.

 Speaking of favorite relatives, we always have lots of fun when Bruce and Becca come to town for Christmas.

 The kids love to reconnect with their cousins. (Sophie, Kate, Kiki)

 We also got to hang out with adorable little Hudson, the newest cousin to join the gang.  The kid is ridiculously cute and melts our hearts with his ready smile, complete with the irresistible dimples. He's definitely a keeper and Tiffany knows I'd totally take him if she ever grows tired of him. In fact I've told her that so much that I think she is beginning to fear that I may kidnap him.

Hudson could not contain his joy when he spotted Sophie and Lani's new baby dolls they got from Grandma Ruth. He's proved himself to be a lover, not a fighter when he showered this plastic beauty with affection.

And a final note from an already long and rambling post..
It was a great holiday with lots of little Christmas miracles along the way. I'm just so grateful for the blessings in my life. I spent New Year's eve at the funeral of Vern Watkins. He was a neighbor, home teacher, bishop, stake president and sealer who married Wes and I eleven years ago. He was an amazing person, one who I strive to be more like and was moved by the chance to be reminded the impact that one good life can have. It'was a great way to start a new decade. Thanks President Watkins.