two kids and some babies

One thing Brian and I never do, that a lot of parents with young kids do, is occasionally go out on dates together! So, we decided to start. We’re gonna try to go out once a month. Any more than that is difficult because we don’t have any babysitters close by.

About a week ago, we dropped the kids off at Brian’s parents’ house and went out to a restaurant called Jake’s. It was a very nice place!

Brian

Brian’s BBQ chicken burger and fries. The fries were incredible!

Me

My Philly steak with portabello mushroom ciabatta wrap with chipotle ranch sauce. It was excellent!

Brianna sleeping on Grandma’s lap. She was like this when we got back from our date.

Brianna ate almost a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger while we were gone. No wonder she was snoozing!

As an American, I am obviously concerned about the health of our President. We disagree politically, but if something happens to him, it would be disruptive upheaval both politically and socially for the country (remember JFK). Let’s not even mention the Biden factor. For his own sake, and to keep his body and mind in top shape for running the country, he should stop. Yesterday.

As a role model for children, some of whom maybe want to grow up to be President of the United States, it doesn’t send a very healthy message. It also doesn’t portend his success in reforming health care, bringing about peace in the middle east, and stopping global warming when he can’t even kick the habit.

I realize that being President is stressful, and it would be very easy to slip back into old routines when the squeeze is on. I can sympathize with that… for the average man. But this is our President. It is at these times that a man of great character, a leader, rises above his own base desires and does what is best for others.

Honestly, I expect more.

I’m sure that when your daughters grow up, Mr. President, they’ll still want daddy around to see his grandchildren. I pray that those thoughts guide you the next time you begin to instinctively reach for your trusty pack of Marlboro’s in a pinch.

This is what babies love to do with containers of penaten cream that are left laying around:

And this is what your living room furniture may end up looking like:

Notice the little hand prints on the floor.

This all happened with me only a few feet away, cleaning up the kitchen.

Thank you Brianna, for teaching Mommy a lesson on why to put things away immediately after using them!

CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is a gathering of like-minded conservatives the nation over once per year. The usual suspects give speeches: Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin. They bash liberals and rally ’round the conservative agenda.

But there was a new voice joining the chorus this year. GOProud, a “gay conservative” group, was in attendance. A man opposed to them, named Ryan Sorba, was allowed to speak. He spent the short time given him chastising the conference for allowing the GOProud crowd to attend. He was booed off the stage by the conference attendees, and labeled a crazy homophobe.

You’d think he had been speaking at the Democratic National Convention.

Obviously there are many facets to conservatism: strong national defense, limited government, traditional moral values (social conservatism). If a gay person, who believed in strong national defense and limited government, wanted to attend the conference, I would have no problem with it. Conservatives believe in personal liberty and responsibility, after all. But, when an organized group attends, whose main identity and cause is in direct opposition to one of the basic tenets of conservatism (social conservatism) by supporting gay marriage, then I have an issue. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Either conservatives must reject this group, or abandon their socially conservative principles.

It looks like a tactic to subvert modern American conservatism from within, if you ask me. I consider myself a conservative because it is the closest political affiliation (in spirit) to what I have faith in, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the church I attended began to oppose itself, its founding principles (the scriptures), and ordained gay ministers or performed gay marriages, I would find myself a new church.

As a Christian, social conservatism is at the top of my priorities list. What good is working on fiscal and foreign policy issues to save a nation that has abandoned is moral traditions, corrupted socially within?

If this is the future of modern American conservatism, then there is no room for Christians in American politics anymore. Perhaps it would be for the best. Instead of looking for an answer from the political system, we’d be more interested in the solution found in Revelation 22:20:

“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Last week, I made a guacamole recipe I got from my sister-in-law, Natasha. It was amazing! I videoed it so you can see how it’s made.

Hope you like it!

Today I put Brianna on the potty just for fun, to see how she would like it, and guess what happened? She actually went pee in it! I’m so excited!

I think before she gets potty trained, though, her next big step will be walking.

We celebrated Silas’ 3rd birthday earlier this month, but my camera was still in Canada, so we took video using our hi8 video camera. Now that I know how to transfer hi8 onto my computer, I can show you some of the footage!

Happy Birthday, Silas! You’re my big boy, my sweetheart, my buddy, and I love you so much. xoxo

A republican beat a democrat! In Massachusetts! The bluest of the blue states! Ted “Chapaquitic” Kennedy’s senate seat! After we were told that the republicans were done! Finished! A regional, southern, white relic of the past!

With an upcoming 2010 congressional election, democrats are running like Forrest Gump away from unpopular legislation as the blast wave from this political bomb rocks the blue dogs and the hardened liberals alike. No seat is “safe.”

But… what of the Obama agenda? Of health care destruction reform? Of cap-and-trade environmental boondoggle legislation? Of immigration shamnesty?

I think this video sums it up for we conservatives:

I used my new video-editing software to put together a little video from our Christmas trip to Edmonton. I took so much video while there, so I decided to split it up into separate categories. This first video features some of the food we made and ate at Mom and Dad’s house.

Hope you enjoy it!

Yesterday was mine and Brian’s 10th Anniversary!!! It’s hard to believe we’ve been married ten years. It seems like such a long time, but it has flown by. Yesterday evening we ate out at El Campesino, a Mexican restaurant.

We’re thinking of going on a mini vacation without the kids, in honor of our 10th anniversary, but that won’t be till I’m done nursing Brianna (which will probably be this month), and when my parents come visit, so they can watch the kids. So our mini vacation won’t be for a few months, but that’s okay, because it’s nicer to take a vacation when the weather is nicer anyway.

By the way, I didn’t blog about this, but Silas turned 3 years old a few days ago. I forgot my camera in Edmonton, so I couldn’t take any pics, but I did get a video with my video camera. I just have to figure out how to transfer it onto my computer. I think I need a fire wire or something.

I should be getting my camera in the mail any day now. Well, that’s it for now!