The Great Pumpkin

It wasn't Charlie Brown and Linus....it's Sophie and Cole!

What a day! Actually it was only a little over an hour. It was sunny and bright (hence all the squinting). Sophie so wanted to help drive the tractor for the hayrides, but couldn't bring herself to be next to a stranger. So we settled for this rusty heap instead.

November 4th can't come fast enough

Only 25 days to go..... The end is almost in sight! Hallelujah.

I follow politics. I admit it. I've written to my congressman (Rep. DeFazio and I disagree about most things). I registered to vote before my 18th birthday. And I'm in the minority among my peers who grew up in Oregon to have actually voted at a polling location (has it been 13 years of vote-by-mail???).

I followed the presidential race going back almost two years since the first candidates announced themselves. Now, I have politics (and campaign) fatigue. I haven't even been able to bring myself to watch the any of the debates. The economy and the lousy Economic Stabilization Bill (aka The Bailout) have really made me sour on our government leaders.

The first of two state voter's guides arrived yesterday. Oh joy. In most cases I already know how I'm voting, but I usually have to study the ballot measures closely. I'm an self-admitted ideologue (conservative values) and tend to vote Republican. I'll be voting for McCain. I like the future prospects for the party with Gov. Palin and Gov. Bobby Jindal (LA.) gaining a lot of experience.

Standing Boy

This is my boy.

Cole is crawling like crazy. He likes to pull up to standing. And just yesterday, he began thinking it was fun to let go. Usually that involves a carefully controlled fall on his rump. This time it was 10 seconds of free standing!

This kid is reckless! He's out-of-control. I'm going to have to rein in this behavior.

Seriously, have you ever seen a kid so cute. He cried when I left for work today....aaaaaahhhhh. This evening, Sophie told me that "she liked me a little."

"How little?"

"This little." (showing me thumb and index finger pinched together so close only air molecules were getting through).

"But you love me, right?"

"Yes."

It's a Mommy Phase right now.

Jennifer ordered personalized Christmas stockings for our family now that we're complete. SOPHIA and DAD arrived today (MOM and COLE must be on back order).

Missions Update

This is a newsletter from my high school friend, Mason. He is a missionary in Papua New Guinea. Here's an update from them.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Paint Job

I haven't done too many of these since my college days....that is paint a room. I definitely haven't done it in my own house. Jennifer and I are pretty into our neutrals. But we gave Sophie's room a pink makeover.

She gave us this line after the work was done and she was supposed to be getting a bath, "my room is pink; my room is wonderful!"

When I see this much pink in a room, I think of the line from Steel Magnolia's (yes I've seen the movie - more than once - so drop it).

"What are your colors, Shelby?"

"My colors are blush and bashful."

"Her colors are pink and pink. It looks like the chapel's been hosed down with Pepto Bismol."

Sophie loves it and it's her pink room. We want to repaint the ceiling and Jennifer wants to do a stencil border on the wall.

Here's to pink rooms.

In closing, may I say GO RED SOX. They just beat L.A. (Anaheim) Angels 3-2 to advance to ALCS. Jed Lowrie of Salem, OR got the game-winning hit and RBI.

My Job

This is not me

This has been an emotional, awkward, difficult week at work. Last month, the organization I work for notified some people that their jobs were being cut. This was their last week.

Those of us who remain feel regret over the loss of friends and colleagues. We feel relief that we still have a jobs, but there is also a sense of uncertainty about the future. When will the next round of job cuts occur.

I'm too young to know how this company used to be in the glory days of Bill and Dave, but apparently it's changed a lot.

I'm so thankful I find fulfillment outside of work. My family, my church, my friends. I'll be praying for those looking for jobs. I'll also be thinking more about my future and direction in life.

I'm back

Well it's been a long time away from the blog.

In the Feb./Mar. timeframe, we were struggling with Cole's sleeping and just didn't have time for other things. Good news!! For the past 3 months, Cole can mostly sleep thru the night. He still takes short naps but he's a sweety. Sophie calls him Colie.

Here's Cole with cousin, Logan on Father's Day.