2-day!

Happy 2nd Birthday, little New Year's Eve firecracker boy!

We are so utterly blessed to have two whole years of fun, joy, and memories with you...and zillions more in the making.

Can't wait to post pics from your celebrations today and this weekend!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Just for Jaci...

Merry Christmas big sis!! Thanks for sending me such a cool gift for my Christmas present! Mommy and Daddy liked their gifts a lot too. We missed both our girls this year but look forward to another fun family Christmas together next year!

Merry Christmas Eve

Just wanted to spread a little Christmas cheer...
In spite of the sad season we've walked through this month, we still feel the beauty of God's promise, Emmanual, God is with us...every step of the way. One of the best ways He reminds us of that is through the blessing of our little soon-to-be-two-year-old boy! See if this video adds to your Christmas cheer, too. :)

"Get in my BELLY!!!"

It might not be as funny to those of you who haven't seen the movie it's from...but we thought it was pretty stinkin' hilarious. Brett is such a ham.

Today's Devotion

I receive a daily email from a really wonderful women's devotional group, Proverbs 31 Ministries. This was today's devotion. Wow. Perfect timing.

Where was God?
10 Dec 2009
Lysa TerKeurst

"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 'Look,' he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.'" Acts 7:55-56 (NIV)

Sometimes things happen in life that are so horrible our minds have a hard time processing them. Even our souls don't know quite where to place the horrific. So, we pull out our trite Christian answers and hope they are good enough to keep the honest questions at bay.

But somewhere deep inside us a question bumps around our heart. A question so honest we Christians feel we couldn't ever possibly ask it. Where was God?

Where was God when the students were shot?

Where was God when my sister's 18 year-old friend had a headache one day and died suddenly the next?

Where was God when my friend's baby wrapped the umbilical cord about his leg and he died days before he would have otherwise been delivered perfectly healthy?

Where was God when that precious girl was taken, and found a few days later in the trash dump?

Like I said, things so hard we can hardly process them. Sometimes we'd rather make an excuse for God than be brave enough to actually go to God and ask. I've been guilty of this. I've tried to make excuses for God. And I hated the feeling of faking my way through with plastic answers just to gloss over something my God is certainly big enough to answer Himself.

For years, I asked God to help me wrestle with this hard question. And finally an answer came tucked away in Acts 7:54-60, the stoning of Stephen.

It's easy to read the words of the story and miss the reality of what's really happening. Stephen is being brutally murdere d. Stephen is living the horrific we can't process. Yet, in the midst of his most desperate moment, Stephen is absolutely not alone.

While I hate - absolutely hate - what is being done to Stephen's body, his soul is experiencing something completely separate. And what I discovered when I dared peak inside the horrific was a miracle that makes me weep with relief.

God was there. Jesus was there. And my Jesus wasn't just sitting by observing. No, He was standing. And please forgive me for daring to make an assumption here but because I know Jesus, I have a picture in my mind of what He must have looked like in this moment. With tears streaming down His face, full of the purest compassion ever known, Jesus makes sure Stephen sees Him. Locks His eyes on his.

And from what I can tell, Stephen never took his eyes off of Jesus.

In the midst of chaos and screaming and the most vicious of acts, Stephen's soul talks with Jesus. His body falls as Stephen cries o ut forgiveness for all who dare to hear. And with that, a merciful sleep takes Stephen away.

I know this is hard to process.

I know just reading these passages doesn't answer every question.

And might I encourage you to wrestle with this and pray about this and ask God the bold questions that knock around your soul? I'll be posting a little more on this topic on my blog today and I'd love to process this with you further. But, let me assure you I won't be offering cookie cutter answers. These are hard questions with no easy answers.

I don't understand why Stephen had to die this way.

I am still horrified by all of the events I listed above.

And while I don't have all the answers, there is one thing I know for certain. I do know where God was. He wasn't too busy. He wasn't cold and heartless. He wasn't caugh t off guard.

He was there. And I'm convinced with holy tears dripping in the midst, He is grieved over how sin has broken this world. And He walks to the edge of eternity and reminds us He will avenge, He will redeem, He will make all things right.

Especially those we can't possibly understand right now.

Dear Lord, it is so hard to understand the horrific events that happen. Thank You for this reminder in Stephen's story. Even though we may never have answers on this side of eternity we can still stand on the truth that You are good even when life isn't. But Lord Jesus, please pour out Your loving comfort and reassurances. Our hearts need Your touch in those deep hurting places. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Visit Lysa's blog for more on this tough topic

< href="http://lists.proverbs31.org/lt/t_go.php?i=402&e=MTQ5MjU1&l=-http--shopp31.com/becomingmorethanagoodbiblestudygirl.aspx">Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst. Lysa wrote a chapter in this book called "Deep Grief" which equips women to process the harder issues in life for themselves and to better understand how to help a friend through tough times as well.

And, releasing this month is Lysa's 6 week DVD teaching series that is perfect for personal or group studies. Each session is 15- 20 minutes in length. Participant's guides are also available. You can order yours today by clicking here.

Application Steps:
Read a couple of chapters in Psalms today and ask God to tenderly speak through His Word. Write down each des cription of God. Then pray a prayer inserting your name and what God promises to be for you personally.

Reflections:
Is there a person in your sphere of influence who has been wrestling with some tough questions?

Why not forward this devotion to them and take time to talk and pray about it together?

Power Verses:
John 11:32-33, "When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled." (NIV)

John 11:35, "Jesus wept." (NIV)

sowing in tears

Our family is coping with some very painful news this week. We are 8 weeks pregnant with our little "B-2," and just found out that his/her little heart stopped beating. It had to have happened within just a few days, because last Tuesday we had a perfectly healthy ultrasound. Please keep our family in your prayers as we grieve and wait on the Lord's will.

What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil. - Job 3:25-6

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. - Job 1:21

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Ps. 34:18

Put thou my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book? - Ps. 56:8

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. - Ps. 126:5

Ahh, the sweet smell of victory and roses

Brett was asleep for the exciting finish to the Civil War, so I don't have any cute photos/videos of him celebrating the win quite yet...but be assured, those will be coming shortly! Just had to share these adorable shots that Mindy took back in July 2008.

Brett's been training hard and is looking forward to leading the Ducks to another Pac-10 championship in 2026!

"Go long!"

Favre'n it up

In case you didn't know, the Boehme house is full of Brett Favre fans. No, we didn't name Brett after the football star...not really...he is actually named after Brett Meador (affectionately called Big Brett, so we know who we're talking about at home). But it didn't hurt that he shares the namesake with an extremely talented, inspirational, down-to-earth football icon.

There was a ton of controversy over Favre coming back to play for his former arch-rival, the Minnesota Vikings...and yes, we did love Green Bay (their colors match our beloved Ducks!)...but our allegiance definitely lies with Brett. So, without further ado, here is our little man, modeling his official NFL 2009 #4 Brett Favre Vikings Jersey!

Maybe a little glimpse into the future...you never know! :)

MusicMan

Sorry to have been such a blog-slacker lately!

Here are some sure-fire smile-inducers to brighten your day.

Kinkle, Kinkle, Little Star

The B - I - B - L - E

And totally unrelated, here are some sweet shots of Brett with his buddies. I love how much fun they all have together...so darn cute!

I gave both Brett and his pal Jaron a chocolate cookie to share, and they both proceeded to plop down on the kitchen rug and much 'em down together. Nice, boys - thanks for corraling your crumbs! :)

One of Brett's odd favorite things to do is crawl under this table and "hide." His buddies, twins John and Julia decided to join him under there yesterday. Who knew three cuties could fit under there?

Happy Ween!

That's what Brett's been saying today...that, and "tick-o-teet!" The little man has definitely decided that he likes this fun fall holiday...what with dressing up like his favorite character, Larry the Cucumber, playing all sorts of fun games at the Athey Harvest Fest, staying up late to visit neighbors and get candy...and watch the duckies stick it to USC...it's been a fun day!

Thankfully daylight savings ends tomorrow, so the fact that our lil' cucumber went to bed after 10 p.m. might not totally mess with his schedule tomorrow...I hope. :) Even so, it was worth it!

Brett shows off his happy-face pumpkin...which he made with a little help :)

Brett and Grandma at the H-Fest

Shootin' hoops for candy at the H-Fest with Daddy

Enjoying a cookie to celebrate the ducks - this must be his "game face." ;)

Wow, both Bob the Tomato AND Larry the Cucumber attended the Harvest party! How cool!

Fall Photo Shoots - then and now

Yesterday we took advantage of a brief sunny moment to head outside and snap some photos of Brett in all the beautiful leaves. We did the same thing almost exactly a year ago, and I thought it would be fun to compare photos. Boy, it sure was different trying to photograph a rambunctious toddler on the side of a busy street, as opposed to last year when Brett wasn't walking yet! I wonder what next year's photo shoot will be like!


Then


Now


Then


Now

Then ............................ Now


Then ............................ Now

Recommendations?

Hip Hip Hooray! Here's the good news: As of January 2010, we will no longer be stuck with our Kaiser Permanente health plan, meaning we get to go back to our old doctors, we won't be stuck in the cattle-call system anymore, and have a lot more control when it comes to healthcare. The bad news is that we won't have ANY HMO...it's a more expensive plan (for us...not for the employer, of course), and it carries more financial risk than a flat-rate Kaiser plan.

Anywho, it leaves us with a choice of pretty much any pediatrician we want. Woohoo! I have no idea where to start...ever since I was pregnant we've been stuck with Cattle-Call-Kaiser, so there's never been much of a choice in anything. Anyone in the Portland area have an absolutely outstanding pediatrician or ped office you'd like to recommend?

I have another need for a recommendation too...for our home theater system. It needs a tune-up. Anyone know someone good, that would appreciate the business? Thanks all!

Can't post without a cute picture...so here ya go:

Someone is getting really good at his cheesy school picture smile.

Fall Fun Day

This weekend we ventured out to Lakeview Farms for some pumpkin-patchin' fun. Wow...this might just be the best pumpkin patch ever! They really know how to put on a good show for the kiddos: a train ride, boat ride (complete with a resident shark, lochness monster, and a pirate ship), tons of pumpkins, hay bale mazes and pyramids, horsey rides, face painting, a corn maze, a farm animal zoo, lots of goodies to snack on, and (Brett's personal favorite) a tractor-pulled caterpillar ride! Whew...we were all pooped after the hours upon hours of farm fun. I still had just enough energy left to throw some photos up on the blog, though...so enjoy!

Brett's first horsey-ride courtesy of Cherokee

First train ride too!

Cousins Mike, Tracy, Taylor and Sage joined us for some fun. The girls were so sweet with their little cuz!

Side note: for some reason, Brett has associated pigs with the food they produce. I think it was pure coincidence, but he actually started calling his stuffed Piglet toy "Ham." We all got quite the laugh out of it.

Brett's fave: the caterpillar ride. I wish I had photo proof of how tiny he was in there, compared to all the other kids. You can sort of see it in the next photo - all the other kids were at least as big as the one behind Brett.

noise

Thankfully, we're not like most parents who prefer quiet toys over loud ones. Grandma and Grandpa Brown blessed us all with a gift for Brett - his very first drum set! Now he can really rock out with Daddy. I'm afraid Brett's destined for a career in heavy metal drumming...he has already banged on it so much, and so hard, we've had to repair it...twice! Last night I cracked up because he was watching Daddy seal up a paint can by banging it with a hammer, and he excitedly pointed and said "Daddy drum! Daddy drum!" I wonder if it's too soon to start music lessons? :)

hangin' out

How many 30-pound 21-month-olds can do this?


Yeah...his feet are at least 18" off the ground. He wanted to do this over, and over, and over...and would just hang there for several seconds, laughing, until he dropped and I caught him. Had to set the camera timer to capture this one for all eternity! :) The funny thing is, the first time I discovered Brett's little hanging ability was at the store, pushing a shopping cart. I was holding him in front of me while he pushed the handlebar, and I had to put him down on the floor to grab something. He just didn't let go, and hung from the handlebar. Talk about muscles!

So he may be a little young...but I'm pulling for Brett to win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio...either in gymnastics (parallel bars), or weight lifting (chin-ups...if that's even an event). His big sisters can be there to cheer him on! :)

Go Brasil...Go Brett!

Happy Meal

Who needs McDonalds when you can have oatmeal and whipped cream?

Growing and Learning Part Five: The Sciences

I've already mentioned how our little man is quite the outdoorsman, and accordingly, he is developing quite the love for nature, exploration, and discovery. Brett loves "helping" in the yard (i.e. shoveling pea gravel and dumping it where it doesn't belong...picking tomatoes whether red or green...tasting dirt...etc.). I love being able to get stuff done while watching him explore! We've also enjoyed venturing out to a couple u-pick farms, where Brett and his buddy Jaron have had a blast discovering plants, rocks, and even machinery together. A couple weeks ago, I discovered two caterpillars on some kale leaves we had picked from the backyard. Eager to use this as a learning opportunity, I researched it a bit and built a little habitat for them in a glass jar. For a week, we watched our little pets (named Icky and Eww by Brett himself) crawl around in their home, settle in a spot, and build a cocoon. After a week, Icky had sprouted wings! The next day, Eww followed suit. Brett had so much fun watching them, and then letting them go. Just a little baby step in teaching him about life science!

I didn't think we had done much when it comes to social science, but after researching preschool curriculum, I realized that we really have. Brett has been learning modes of transportation through toy cars/trucks, and a cool wooden puzzle. He LOVES watching and listening for airplanes outside. It's one of the highlights of each day. He is also learning professions, like fireman, doctor, dentist, etc. And pretty much everywhere we go, he learns locations, like store, house, work, zoo, park, etc. So the more I thought about it, we learn social studies every day, wherever we go! I just need to start figuring out how to maximize on the learning potential of all these.

So, that's what's been going on in Brett's learning land...feel free to use any of our little tricks to keep learning fun, and do tell whatever strategies have worked on your kiddos, too! I'm just starting to research homeschool curriculum, since some programs start as early as age two. We want to give Brett as many opportinities as possible! If anyone has suggestions as to what's effective, faith-based, and fun, please share!

Growing and Learning Part Four: P.E.

No, we have not enrolled Brett in Physical Education classes...he does pretty well teaching himself! Everyone in our family, Grandmas and Grandpas included, are constantly in awe of Brett's unending energy and activity. The kid just does not stop. He doesn't walk...he runs. He is bursting with excitement and energy, just about 24/7. His favorite place to be is outside, playing ball, or his favorite, getting dirty in the garden. He LOVES water, and has taken swim classes. We're signed up for another round of swimming this winter.

Lately we've been practicing playing catch with Brett, and have been super-pleased with how he's taken to both throwing and catching all sorts of balls. We have to be careful, though, because there are many, many things that ought not be thrown, and Brett hasn't quite figured out that distinction yet!

Last week I took Brett down to the elementary school playground, and he climbed up on a pretty large, big-kid-designed play structure with zero hesitation. He tromped across a bridge, and up several steps, until his feet were higher than MY head. Yipes! Then he proceeded to slide down a very steep slide, all alone! My baby is all grown up...*snif*



Oh, and the above photo is one I took when we were heading down to the school yard to play some football. And by the way, go ducks! :)

Just a goofy little video of Brett trying to play "fetch" with Westley. I guess he figured the fat cat could use some exersise too!

Tomorrow's teaser: Part Five, The Sciences!

Growing and Learning, Part Three: Growing in the Lord!

When it comes to Brett's spiritual growth, we are so pleased with his sweet spirit and eager heart for the Lord. Brett happily folds his hands to pray with us, and often requests to pray again. Mommy and Daddy both laughed the other night when Westley (the cat, also known as "Bubby") jumped up on a chair and Brett said, "Bubby pray? Bubby pray?" He almost always shouts out a resounding "A-MEN!" after we're all done.

Brett also enjoys reading a story from his picture Bible, and identifies characters. This week he said "Baby Moses, basket" and "Pharaoh." Yesterday morning, we broke our usual routine of a breakfast-time devotion to sit on the couch with coffee (me) and chocolate milk (Brett), and read our Bibles together. After that, Brett enjoyed a few minutes of Veggie Tales. Not sure how much of the videos are sinking in quite yet, but he sure loves Bob (hence the pic)!

Oh, Brett also has a little Baby Jesus from his Christmas manger scene, which he loves to carry everywhere he goes. Baby Jesus always sleeps in bed with Brett, and sometimes shares in breakfast too. Last night he got to participate in our toothbrushing ritual. Whenever Baby Jesus is missing, Brett forlornly calls out "Baby Dee-us? Baby Dee-us?" It makes me melt.

Quite possibly my favorite little spiritual moment so far was when we were listening to a praise music CD, and on it someone read a scripture: "The Lord regins, let the Earth be glad..." to which Brett joyfully responded, "A--MEN!"
So. Darn. Precious. :)

Growing and Learning, Part Two: The Arts!

Here's the second edition of Brett's growing and learning spree!

Generally speaking, we've learned that Brett absorbs knowledge a zillion times better when it involves music or rhyme. Just the other night, in the car, we had a song playing that would leave a word off the end of each line in the second verse. Having never sung along with this song before, Brett suddenly piped up with each "blank" word. Mommy and Daddy just sat there in the front seat, mouths agape, eyes popped-open, listening to this little kiddo spout out all these words with the song for the first time. Wow! Another similar instance was a few weeks ago, when reading one of Brett's bedtime books, and he suddenly started reciting words from the pages. Now, I know he's not actually "reading" the words on the page, but somehow his little steel-trap mind is able to retain those words when he sees each page of the book. Of course, it also helps that his bedtime books all rhyme...so he knows that after "sheep" comes "sleep" and after "clocks" comes "socks." To sum up in this area - anything with music, poetry, rhyme, or rhythm is a big thumbs-up in the learning department for Brett. He sings along with countless songs - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald Had a Farm, If You're Happy and You Know it, and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, to name a few. I think that's pretty darn cool.

Also, as pictured above, Brett has really gotten into coloring. We bought him a set of bath crayons, and now he can really go to town without us worrying about paper. You can also see pics of Brett's buddy, Emma, coloring with her new bath crayons. Anyway, we're using the crayons in the tub and out on paper to help Brett learn not just colors, but also counting, letters, animals and other objects (depending on what we draw). Everything is more fun in color, isn't it?! :)

And for tomorrow's teaser...Part Three: Growing in the Lord!

Growing and Learning, Part One: A-B-C, 1-2-3!

Last night I started drafting up this blog post, and it turned out so long that I decided to break it up into a few smaller parts. So, wihtout further ado, here is Part 1 of how our little man has been growing up lately.

As a former school teacher, now embarking upon the lifelong task of schooling my own little one, I've had a favorite quote on my heart:

Children want to learn to the degree that they are unable to distinguish learning from fun. - Glenn Doman

Our little Brett has been astounding us lately with his gigantic leaps and bounds when it comes to cognitive, verbal, motor skills, and even spiritual development. We are really starting to see this sweet, precious little baby racing down the highway to become a self-sufficient, communicative big boy. Accompanying this realization is a strong urge to provide Brett with all the educational building blocks he needs to really thrive, while still having plenty of fun.

For example, Brett has taken quite an interest in his ABCs. You may have watched the Alphabet Pal/Dad video from last month...now, Brett sings along with "Al-Pal," and has even identified the letter A from a set of foam characters. To continue to cultivate this love for letters, I created a flash-card project, specially customized for Brett. I took photos of lots of things he already knows and loves, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Then, each of these photos will be turned into a laminated flashcard with the letter on the front, and a place to practice forming the letter on the back. We'll have four sets, so they can be used for a memory game down the road, and I might even make one set into fridge magnets.

Brett has also been learning his numbers. He now successfully counts to ten, sometimes all by himself, with no prompting. Okay, so right now he skips the number eight, but he knows it's supposed to be there! He's such a little tease. I often catch him counting his own shoes, crayons, or even the cherries printed on a drinking glass. He loves counting! Today we practiced our numbers by counting out the number of seconds our homemade tortillas were cooking, so they wouldn't burn. We've also made counting fun with songs, doing dive-bomb-countdowns when feeding him, or counting down with the microwave.

Okay, so that's it for Part 1: Letters and Numbers. Anyone else have cool tips, tools, or tricks to help their kiddos expand their mental horizons? We'd love to hear about it!

And here's the teaser for tomorrow: Part 2: The Arts!

Power corrupts...absolute power corrupts absolutely.

For any interested, this is a well-constructed article explaining myths and realities pertaining to the proposed healthcare plan, which have recently caused much strife in Congress and elsewhere. I couldn't put it better than cousin Ron.

A Quiet Plurality Speaks
September 15, 2009 by Ron Boehme
“912″ may go down as another day that changed the course of America.

9-11-01 brought the terrorists to our shores. 9-12-09 brought the quiet plurality to their feet.

It was thrilling to see over 100,000 American citizens who converged on the American capital on Saturday, September 12, 2009. to send a message to our elected officials. “A quiet plurality,” is how Georgetown University professor Stephen Wayne put it. Their message was pretty clear:
■We’re not happy with the pork-laden and ineffective stimulus plan and don’t want greater deficits placed on the backs of our children and grand children.
■We want the Administration to get out of the private business sphere and set it free to soar.
■We don’t want the government to run health care in this nation.
■We won’t accept higher taxes on anybody or anything.
■We’ve had enough of the quasi-statist take-over and want our freedom back.
Of course the main driver behind the mass “Tea Party” in Washington DC was the issue of national health care. Just days before the event, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress trying to rally flagging support for major government involvement in the health care future of the American people. Using his distinct oratorical skills, the President offered various tid-bits to various constituencies (anti-abortionists, seniors, those desiring tort reform, etc.), but there were two major problems with the speech.

First, the president didn’t tell the truth–as Congressman Joe Wilson passionately reminded us. There is a huge credibility gap between our current leaders in Washington and grassroots America citizens who have been doing their homework, coming out en masse to town hall meetings, and letting their elected officials know that they no longer trust them. Here is a sampling of false claims as compiled by PrayInJesusName.org:

Falsehood #1: “No federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.”

THE TRUTH: The Capps Amendment to HR 3200 has a Section 4B that reads: “Abortions for Which Public Funding Is Allowed. — The services described in this sub-paragraph are abortions for which the expenditure of Federal funds appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services is permitted.” The Washington Times reported: “You can’t get more explicit than that.” And FactCheck.org exposed Obama’s untruth this way: “Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans.”

Falsehood #2: “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future. Period.”

THE TRUTH: The Democrat controlled Congressional Budget Office said Obamacare would add $220 billion to the deficit over 10 years, but will not succeed at shrinking the overall costs of our nation’s health care. Republicans claim it’s more like $600 billion increased deficit spending (confirmed by Associated Press, September 9, 2009).

Falsehood #3: “Don’t pay attention to those scary stories about how your benefits will be cut…That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.”

THE TRUTH: The Washington Post reports Obama proposes “to squeeze more than $500 billion out of the growth of Medicare over the next decade….[which has] fueled fears that his effort to expand coverage to millions of younger, uninsured Americans will damage elder care. As a result, barely one-third of seniors support a health-care overhaul, several polls found” (Washington Post, August 9, 2009). Even the liberal Washington Post admits Obama was not truthful.

Falsehood #4: “If you lose your job or change your job, you will be able to get coverage.”

THE TRUTH: Whether working or not, rich or poor, you will be ordered to get mandatory government-run health-care coverage, or pay a fine a $3800 fine per family, under the new Senate plan being railroaded through the finance committee by Max Baucus D-MT (New York Times, September 9, 2009). Obama pretends you’re “able” to get coverage, when he knows it’s mandatory (with a big tax increase or “fine” penalty).

Falsehood #5: “The claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens, such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.”

THE TRUTH: Mandatory “end of life” counseling in HR 3200 “shall” include counseling every five years to the elderly, giving doctors a monetary incentive to persuade you to sign a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) order to pull the plug on Grandma, just like the Obama administration already pressures all Veterans to sign them (confirmed by the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, read extensive details at prayinjesusname.org). And under the British NHS government-run health plan, “Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading doctors have warned” (The Daily Telegraph, September 2, 2009). Dr. Ewing Cook just admitted intentionally killing patients who signed DNR authorizations during Hurricane Katrina. “I gave her medicine so I could get rid of her faster…there’s no question I hastened her demise.” Bottom line: Grandma, don’t sign Obama’s DNR order, even if your doctor gets a bonus check from the President for talking you into that. Click here to view a John Stossel video that confirms many of these falsehoods.

Erick Erickson adds this commentary on untruths told to the American public: “Barack Obama said the plan will not cover illegal aliens. This is a lie. Joe Wilson was right. The legislation clearly says it will not fund illegal aliens BUT the legislation also prevents anyone from checking on the citizenship status of any person seeking healthcare. He is trying to have it both ways. The entire speech from Barack Obama was loaded with half-truths and flat out lies. For example, he said he would not force the government option on anyone. But, the legislation provides an incentive for private employers to shove their employees onto the government plan.”

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council put it this way: “While the outburst [Joe Wilson] calling the President a liar was unfortunate and inappropriate, I am sympathetic to the frustration on the part of many in Congress. The President’s speech to a joint session of Congress was unprecedented in how many times the President referred to those who disagree with him as being untruthful, yet he himself was misleading on a number of factors. The speech was not one of a leader looking to unite, but of a campaigner looking to further divide this necessary debate on health care.”

Secondly, though this lack of candor is bad enough, the fatal flaw in the current push toward socialized medicine in America is this: It places trust in Big Government to provide for people’s needs. Government is an able protector of life and liberty–that’s its God-given calling in a fallen world (Romans 13)–but it’s a lousy provider due to its lack of competition, innovation, and concentration of power. That’s why wise civilizations, including our founders, favored limited forms of government to keep it honest. Governments handle power, and as Lord Acton rightly said in the 19th century, “Power tends to corrupt; Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

In the Obama speech, he condemned insurance companies, medical professionals, talk show hosts and commentators, and also the American people (those who don’t choose to have medical coverage). But he didn’t say one bad or suspicious word about government. Why? Because Barack Obama believes in government and its concentration of power. That’s a fatal flaw in his thinking and in our current leadership.

The greatest thing we have to fear is not free peoples and their enterprises–it’s the corrupting power of government to destroy that freedom in the name of providing for us all. It’s never worked in all of history. It will lead to our demise and destruction as a nation.

But the march on Washington shows that the people know better. A quiet plurality is beginning to make their voice heard.

The politicians had better be listening–and all of us should be praying–that God will use the present debate to bring a spark of revival and reformation to the United States of America.

Baby gates: advice?

Hey all,
I thought this might be the most efficient way of getting your opinions regarding baby safety gates. We are in the market to upgrade our two gates - one is downstairs, keeping Brett out of the formal living area, and the other is at the top of the stairs. We're currently using the Graco Top-of-the-Stair gate, which is wood, bolted into the wall, and has the option of swinging only one direction if needed. The gates do not swing shut automatically, and they are not designed to keep our cats on one side or the other. We'd like to find something that is more secure for both Brett and the cats...any suggestions? If you have a gate you absolutely love, please leave a comment with details. Also, if you've had a bad experience with any sort of gate, please leave a comment so we know to steer clear. Thanks much!

we bleed green and yellow

Today is our season opener against Boise State! Just to give a little perspective as to our duck heritage...

O - Papa Boehme (Brad's dad) played quarterback for the ducks in college.
O - Papa and Gramma Boehme met at Oregon.
O - Growing up near Eugene, Daddy was steeped in the Oregon tradition - from attending countless football, basketball games, and track meets, to hosting parties for the basketball team when he was just a little Jr. Higher.
O - Daddy graduated from Oregon, even though he had to get a degree from OSU too, being the only school of pharmacy in our state at the time. He doesn't even remotely consider himself a platypus.
O - At Daddy and Mommy's wedding, we actually played the Oregon fight song after the best man's (Papa's) speech. He cried. :)
O - Brett was born on December 31, 2007, the date Oregon beat South Florida in the Sun bowl, 56-21. Yes, the TV was on in the hospital room!
O - On December 30, the last day of Brett's first year, Oregon beat Oklahoma State in the Holiday bowl, 42-31.

So, win or lose tonight, we will remain die-hard duck fans...and Brett is already a superfan! Here's a little collection of photos to prove it.


Just a newbie...and already dressed in green and yellow, and handling the football!


The first of several duck-binkies


His first attempt at a long pass into the endzone (6 months)


Daddy duck and baby duck :)



Brett's first season opener - layin' the smack down on the Huskies!


Teaching big sis Jaciane how to be a good duck fan - Holiday Bowl '08


Ready to catch a pass...hmm, I wonder what position he'll play?


Go ducks!!