We love the fall season!

OU football, Friday night lights (go Purcell Dragons), crunchy leaves, cold nights, snuggly clothes, crisp air, yummy smells, feel-good foods, and rosy cheeks and noses. What's not to love about autumn? Ah, I love this time of the year! My mom, my sister, her baby, and my brother came and visited us. They were here 10 days. We spent a lot of time showing them around Oklahoma, eating out, watching movies, playing with baby Mya, and scrapbooking. Chris skipped A LOT of school so he could hang out with Landon, my bro. They played xbox games until about 3am every morning. They are two peas in a pod. Both the youngest of their families, both chill, both are video gamers, both laugh at the same funny movies, both quote the same tv and movie lines. Funny guys. We took my fam to a Purcell High football game, because in Utah football is just like...well, a football game. Here it's life. They had fun. Coleman cried when they left. He actually reached out for them and started crying when they were pulling away. Saying goodbye is not the best part of autumn, but it does mean that another visit is in the works for this season, and we'll hopefully see them soon. I'm glad they were able to visit when Oklahoma was having a "cool" spell.

This is Mya, being the BEST baby I've ever been around. I can't believe how chill and quiet she was. Kimberly said she's always super relaxed and happy. If she makes a noise it's her cooing. She slept through the night, and I think she cried once when she was being ignored or something. See, I can't even remember. That's how good she was. What a princess.


Grandma Debbie playing kissing time with Coleman.


Uncle Landon became a quick pal with Coleman, and helped out a ton.


Setting up Crud, a pool hall game that Chris taught everyone. ADDICTING. We played forever.



The infamous 3 month old. She was cooing and laughing...so fun!


Landon trying to get much needed R&R.


Coleman's new hoodie from grandma. Just in time for the cold weather!



We did get pictures of the whole gang together, but they are on my sister's camera, so we'll post more of all the fun after I get the semi-family picture e-mailed to me.

Simple Things

There are a few things that have gotten me excited the past few days. First, Chris and I have been holding family scripture "study" (more like reading a few versus) followed by a primary song or church hymn, and then bedtime prayers. Coleman has caught on quickly! He points at the words as we read and jibber-jabbers like he's telling us a story. He dances to our primary songs and folds his arms when we say "Let's say prayers." It's so cute. At first he wanted nothing to do with sitting on the couch for more than 20 seconds. But, surprisingly, he's been obedient and seems to enjoy it, and knows it's routine now. The other night Chris and I got to the couch and sat down and Coleman came running over, picked up the Book of Mormon off the end table, and ran it over to us. AH! I was smiling inside and out. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, but if you know Coleman, you know that this simple thing would melt my heart! He's so rough, on the go, and tries very hard to not be quiet or obedient. So, it was exciting and I almost cry when I think about it. Also, my mom and sister and my new niece are on there way to visit as we speak! They decided to road trip for about two weeks while my mom has work off! I can't wait. I've missed them so much. We are best-friends who just happened to be put into a family together. Granted, it wasn't always that way, but I've missed them terribly. There was never a time when I lived in Utah that if one of us was going to lunch or out to Target that the others weren't given a call to tag along. So, it will be fun to have them here for a short time! EXCITED? Yes, I am. And last, all of you moms will be able to relate to this, speaking has begun to take form. Coleman spends all day trying to tell me things. Today was the first time he pointed to a picture of an apple and said "Apple." Yesterday he asked for "wada" (water), and he has told EVERYONE we've passed while running errads today "BuByeee" (bye bye). I laughed every time because he was SO into saying bye. It was just cute. I'm sure it's a first time mom moment, but hey, it's exciting.
I love you my little, rambunctious, curious, sometimes obliging boy!

The Real Costs of War

We should learn from history. I've seen Washington, D.C. and the monuments many times. I believe these monuments were errected to help teach the past and its effects on the American people and the world. Franklin Delano Roosevelt has many quotes engraved on stones at his monument there. One thing he said was, "We are now in this war. We are all in it - all the way. Every single man, woman, and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history." Another quote that is engraved on a stone at his memorial is "I have seen war, I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded...I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed...I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war."
The Iraqi war started when the U.S. believed that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was a risk to Middle East peace, and was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. U.S. forces stormed Iraq and have since freed the Iraqis from decades of oppression. They unleashed chaos on the terrorist/oppresive regimes. Iraqi civilians have died, and so have many of our brave men and women, but many have begun to heal and learn about the meaning of freedom. The psychological effects on the children who have seen death first hand, and the shell shock of our own troops should give us more to think about than the "cost" of the war. I keep hearing politicians talking about the "cost" of war. ALL of the politicians and media personalities seem to forget this war isn't just costing us a price in monetary value. What about the people dying? What about that cost! The soldiers are divided about the purposes and validity of the war. They know that whether or not they support the war, they have enlisted and they are doing their jobs. The real cost of a war are the deaths it has caused. Whether or not the soldiers are divided on the validity, we should be united in our efforts to not forget the true costs of this war. Today the American Military casualties in Iraq are 4,168, (3,376 of which died in direct combat). The total death toll due to the Iraqi invasion is 1,267,401. That is quite a cost for freedom and democracy. No matter how you look at it, this war is costly. Whether or not you agree with the invasion or war in general, there should still be a sense of appreciation for the sacrifices being made. There will be many repercussions of this war on the mental, physical and emotional state of the children, the soldiers, and their families. Iraqi children are homeless, parentless, and are wounded. Our soldiers are away from their families, and many of those families have been left fatherless, motherless, brotherless, etc. Let’s not forget the real cost of war. Our troops and the innocent children deserve at least that much!

SNL Palin skit...soooo funny!

Two links to this video. I'm not partial to Clinton or Palin, so I found this super funny.

NBC SNL

Huffington Post

Double Standards

Yes, John Stewart can be a bit hostile sometimes, but this is a great clip I saw on a friend's blog. Listen carefully and try to keep up! He exposes the truth behind the issues, especially the double standards in the media.