Who's Right?

I'm so torn about this story. The rational/libertarian side of me says that they should be allowed to do what they want, as long as they aren't actively harming the children. My heart breaks though for the poor kids that suffer from easily treatable medical conditions. It is definitely a slope, but how far down we should go, I don't know.

I'm reminded of the issues senior citizens and their caregivers deal with. I can't imagine wanting to live with the quality of life some seniors have. I'd hope that someone caring for me would be able to take away all medications except those that would continue to make life comfortable. I have no interest in extending my life in bad health. The problem is that it is not easy to take away medications. The state will often intervene and force the caregiver to continue the medication. Do they have that right? I don't think they should. The two stories are somewhat similar and since it is a slope and not a clearly defined boundary for quality of life it is hard to know where to draw the line.

I personally would say that the biggest factor is age. Children should be afforded all the care they can receive. Once you are an adult you can decide whether or not to treat your UTI. Of course, that then raises the question of what caregivers should be allowed to do for seniors with the mentality of a child. Which is why, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE AN ADVANCED DIRECTIVE!

There's my soap box for the day.

One Last Thing

I really wanted a new bedspread before we put our house on the market, but between vacations and everything else, I didn't have time till now to finish it. This time I looked through various pictures online to get an idea of styles I liked. I had orginally wanted a blue themed quilt, but wasn't happy with any of the blue flannels. It's not perfect, but it is good enough! We'd used our last quilt for 12 years so it was definitely time for an upgrade. Hopefully this one will last just as long, it was alot of work!

I've really enjoyed piecing quilts lately instead of just tying a couple sheets together. Next one will be for Fefe. When I can motivate myself again :) Now I just need to catchup and clean the house. I've been trying to clean it every Friday so it is ready for the weekend. J is out of town this weekend so it should be fun. Two soccer games, a baptism, subbing in primary, Loofa has a talk in Primary and Ephant is having a sleepover tomorrow night. That's what prozac is for, right?

Growing Up

Fefe started preschool this year so I've had a couple hours to myself Mon, Wed, Fri. It's a pretty short amount of time, but it sure feels weird. Fefe is absolutely in love with preschool. On Monday she told me I didn't have to walk her to the door, that she could go in by herself. My little girl is growing up. I don't let her go without a kiss and a hug though. It's interesting to see the enthusiasm with which she approaches things. I'm sure some of it comes from being the youngest, but alot of it is her personality too. Loofa has never had this kind of enthusiasm.

Fefe started dance this year too and is absolutely in love with it. She'd be in heaven if she could go everyday. Our school pickup route goes past the dance studio and her preschool and every time we go past she shouts out, "There's my dance class!" and "There's my preschool!".

Loofa and Brother B aren't nearly as excited for school, but they are resigned to it. Brother B is pretty disappointed that his two best friends from Gales Creek aren't at Dilley. I feel bad for him being shuffled around to so many schools. At least next year he'll be at the upper elementary. Once you hit those grades there is only one school to go to in the district.

Ephant was almost as enthusiastic for school to start as Fefe, mostly to see her friends again. She ended up with a pretty awesome teacher this year. She still wants to teach them art and social studies even though the administration is pushing math/literacy so heavily. It is not fair that my child should be punished for another child's failure to read.

Twisted

Brother B had a tooth pulled a couple of weeks ago. He had been in pain for a couple months on and off. I finally took him to the dentist. We thought for sure it was just a cavity, but it turned out he had a very misshaped tooth. The roots were twisted in such a way that an abscess could form. Doc cleaned it out and told us if it started hurting again it would have to be pulled. It didn't take too long for that to happen, there was just too big of a hole so the abscess had a nice roomy mansion to live in. It was such a crazy looking tooth that our dentist kept it so he could take pictures of it. Along with twisted roots it also has a couple extra roots. Crazy. I told Brother B he probably has a twisted brain too. The hope is that the molar next to it can move over to take this one's spot and then the wisdom tooth can be the replacement for that one.

In which the kids get run over

Took these pictures almost two years ago, but I stumbled on them going through old pictures and decided to finally create the gif:

http://gifninja.com/animated-gifs/263283/kids-get-run-over

Obviously I need to use a tripod next time.

Here's the Listing!

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2813-22nd-Pl_Forest-Grove_OR_97116_M23865-77040

This Day is Such a Special One

We pulled a fast one on Fefe this week and delayed her birthday by a day. Thursday was just too crazy. She has barely any concept of time so it was easy enough to move it. I just had to tell everyone to not say Happy Birthday to her on Thursday. Of course, that didn't stop her from begging me to make her cake every day for a week.

Fefe is so easy to shop for at this age. She's get excited at just about anything, but I knew she would love new clothes and jammers so we gave her a few of those. She fell in love with Strawberry shortcake on Netflix so Ephant convinced me to get her a couple SS stuff.

I decided to use my new fondant skills and attempt a decorated cake. She had seen a princess cake at Walmart that she really wanted. I bought some princess cake decor from Michaels and went with a pretty simple round. What's funny is that I'm not a huge fan of regular frosting, but I quite like homemade fondant. I put some whipping cream in the middle layer for some added yumminess. I definitely should not start a cake making business though. I do not have the steadiest hand in the world as is apparent in the writing on the cake.

Thankfully she isn't quite so crazy about her birthday as Loofa. Now that it is over she hasn't started bugging me about the next one yet. That Loofa boy sure takes anticipation to a whole new level.

2011 Dance Recital

I'm about 2 months behind, but here is Ephant's Dance recital. She did two classes this year, Tap and Hip Hop. She wasn't super enchanted with tap, mostly because she was the oldest by far.

Fefe Funny

Fefe was standing on the new dishwasher door. When I yelled at her, she said "Why, is it made of glass and did Jesus make it?". I don't know what she is learning in church, but Jesus gets thrown into a lot of conversations.

Still Here

In case you think we've disappeared, I though I'd write a quick note. Summer is going by way too fast! Most of you know that we have been in the process of designing a home and hopefully building it some day. Last month we met with a construction loan broker and ever since we have been working hard. A week ago I decided it was time to really start getting the house ready. I spent about 3 days stuffing as much stuff as I could into a 10x10 storage room. I'd love to put even more in there, but ran out of space. It's not bad though. I managed to keep the most important stuff towards the front at least. It could be about a year before we have access to everything in there. We'll hopefully list the house in the next week or two. Our plan is to have the new home done by next summer. If we are able to sell this house before then we'll just live in a rental. J is not excited about that part, but we both decided we'd feel better getting the house on the market sooner rather than later.

Since getting all the stuff in storage we've been working on quite the repair list. J has some trim and baseboards he needs to finish up. We have to put new closet doors in the kids rooms. Plus all the touch up paint, etc, etc, etc. We've taken good care of this house though and put plenty of love into it. I can't imagine anyone walking in and not loving it. Okay, maybe I can, but I will miss it.

The kids have reached the point that they are ready to move. We've been talking about it long enough. They are mostly excited to get into a better neighborhood with more playmates to choose from.

Once we get the house ready to list, I'll take some pics and put them up.