On Saturday I came out to the kitchen where Chris was feeding Anders breakfast. Both Chris and I were struck with how crazy his hair looked that day. I will be cutting it soon so I thought these pictures would be good for documentation purposes.

I have been observing something lately that is interesting and it's really telling about the media. While listening to KFI or pretty much any news radio or TV, I here the term "immigrant" used to describe illegal immigrants. Now I believe that immigration is an extremely important part of American society. Pretty much every person walking around the U.S. (besides native Americans) has a background that involved some kind of immigration. From the Pilgrims on the Mayflower to the Swedes, Irish, Africans, Norwegians, Italians and so many other nationalities who have made America their home. This country is made up of every type of person most of whom immigrated at some point.

The problem is that all of a sudden law doesn't matter. The thing that makes an American be an American, primarily the process of becoming a U.S. citizen is given no priority or authority. The disturbing thing is that the only people given this slip of the law are coming from Mexico. My friend Annie who is from Scotland recently (in the last couple of years) married an American. She went through all of the correct channels and waited for work visas and paperwork that took forever. The process was hard but she respected the process and has since been rewarded with citizenship work visas and such. Now she can be proud of the being an American and taking the right steps and following the laws of her new country.

As Americans we welcome with open arms the foreigner. Those who can't make it in their own country. Those who are persecuted, hungry and needy. But is there going to be any enforcement of the law? Do those needy people even care about the country that so freely welcomes them?

We need to call it "ILLEGAL immigration" not "immigration. After all that's what it is right? The United States of America needs to recognize illegal immigration for what it is and hold everyone to the same standard. It's not fair to those who take the time to respect the laws of the country they want to be a part of and spend the time needed to become a citizen. I feel crazy for even having to analyze this, I mean it seems so fundamental! But it seems like things that should be so obvious aren't anymore.

I would love to hear the correct term used but I'm afraid that would force the issue! (Oh, and it might make some people feel uncomfortable...)

A few things we have been up to lately......

- Immunizations for Anders today. (poor baby)
- Looking for somewhat affordable housing closer to Chris' work ie in the Valley, Calabasas, Agoura, Burbank etc....
- Starting to plan a possible family vacation to Seattle and the surrounding areas for this summer
- Enjoying our trips to Malibu every Sunday for Church (it's been getting better over the last couple of months.)
- Trying to be just a little healthier...
- Cleaning out closets and making trips to the Goodwill
- Taking a "water babies" swim class with Kristy Caver and James. The last class was yesterday.
- Thinking about more babies and wondering when the right time is to have one....
- Planning a two year old party for Anders which is coming up in June.

Yesterday Anders had fun playing with Aubrey in their little wading pool. It's fun to see the personality of the kids as they interact. Anders is pretty cautious and careful with his movements. He is pretty methodical with what he does. Aubrey on the other hand is quite a tom boy and charges ahead not seeming to mind when she falls down or bumps into something. Anders came running over to me with his hand held out and was squealing with annoyance. I thought that he must have a little bug on his hand or something but it turned out to just be a little piece of grass that had stuck to his hand. he doesn't like getting dirty and I have to keep telling him that it's o.k. to have a little dirt on his hands. Aubrey would stomp through mud then sit down to play in it if her mom would let her! Kelly and I were laughing about how different they are and how it is quite obvious even at this age!

A day of chopping veggies and playing around the house.

Anders was pretty patient while I worked.

In the last two days I have scared the bejeebers out of Anders at least twice. I have to admit that I am really afraid of bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jacket's, and pretty much any thing with wings and a stinger. It probably has to do with the fact that I've never been stung and have no idea what kind of pain to expect. Anyways, yesterday I had the door open while Anders played on the porch with water and I cleaned. I had just put Anders in time out for trying to hit me and he was a little emotional about that and I looked up and a HUGE wasp had drifted in from outside. At that same moment I was on the phone with my grandma who had just called. Of course I screamed and ran to grab a pillow off the couch. My reaction must have been pretty dramatic because Anders completely freaked out and was crying but not getting off his "time out chair". I hung up with grandma and watched and waited while that big old wasp cruised around the apartment. Anders was still crying and wondering what was wrong. Pretty soon after being misted with poison the wasp flew into the window, I slammed it and waited for it to expire. It did eventually.
Today slightly same scenario except no time out and no grandma on the phone. I was showing Anders how to water the flowers on the porch and all of a sudden a very loud buzzy bee hit my head. It was so close to my ear that it sounded especially loud. I spilled the water on the floor and me and Anders..... He ran inside with me as fast as possible. I'm not sure what was wrong with the bee. After it hit my head it landed on the ground and convulsed for a few minutes until I put it out of it's misery. I guess that my head wasn't very forgiving.

Besides getting run into by the bee today, I went to La Habra Ranch Market with my mom which was great. I have always wanted to go there with her to ask about various vegetables and get her opinion about the quality of what I want. After shopping and lunch I came home and chopped up all of the veggies and put them in bags ready for the next week. There is something so gratifying about chopping and preparing good food. It is so satisfying!
One other little side note. Anders has been kind of sentimental the last couple of days. Yesterday I was singing "away in a manger" to him and his lip got all quivery and he almost started crying! I figured that he must be a little tired or something so today I sang it to him again and the same thing happened! He really is our little tender heart.

Filling time until lunch.

Tonight Chris was able to come home for dinner so we let Anders stay up and eat with us. Usually Anders is in bed when Chris comes home so it was an especially novel evening for him. I really enjoyed cooking a nice dinner of Ahi steaks and spending some good family time together. This would be one of the advantages to moving closer to Chris' work. It was also nice to tag team bed time! =0)

The bottom picture was taken early one morning while Anders was watching Sesame Street. That is a favorite in the morning and I don't mind him watching it too often. He loves "melmo" and he LOVES it when I count. Sometimes when he isn't listening to me I start counting and he comes running! (I'm totally that mom who's like "OK! 1....2....3.....!" A little bit annoying but pretty effective.

The top picture is just another bit of evidence for later when Anders is complaining about having to go to another golf lesson. We'll just pull this picture out and remind him that he told us what his destiny was at 22 months. We are amused that he is so crazy about a sport that is so slow moving and precise. He will watch the golfers and then try the stance and movements. It's pretty funny.

Here is an interesting link regarding Oprah and her endorsement of Eckhart Tolle's book "A New Earth". Although it is a bit sensational and dramatic it is something important to evaluate. There have always been New Age authors and strange ideas that speak against Jesus but this book seems to be grabbing a hold of a whole group of people in my generation. Her book club is popular and she has always endorsed pretty good literature. I often go to the Oprah Book Club list for reading ideas. A friend of mine was reading "A New Earth" recently and I wondered what it was about. I saw one small segment of Oprah's show before I knew anything about the book and my first impression was that it wasn't something I would necessarily read so I watched something else at the time.

Anyways, Oprah is a huge influence on our society and her beliefs are making there way into the main stream everyday. The question I am asking myself is, are her ideas ones that I want in my head?, What in life matters in the end? Do I want to support the neutral or good things about Oprah's show if this is truly what she believe and is basically preaching to millions of people?

It really made me think about what I believe. I do believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no man comes to the Father God except by BELIEVING in him. (at one point Oprah makes a statement about the not needing to believe).

So, I encourage anyone who reads this to watch the youtube clip and think about the ideas that come across our eyes and ears everyday.

One funny side note. When Chris lived in Cincinnati, he remembers one Christmas sermon at the church he was attending at the time. The pastor referred to the Holy Spirit as a "Specter" (said with a religious tone). This is kind of like that....

Miss Veta Lindsey passed away a few days ago and I wanted to share a little about her. She was one of those people who couldn't be compared to anyone else I've known. She was funny, she loved practical jokes and was always looking for a chance to pull one. She was extremely generous and had a heart for the helpless or hurting. She always had a gleem in her eye and a wry smile that showed that she was up on what was going on. Miss Lindsey prayed. She prayed for me and on occasion had inside knowledge from the Holy Spirit that she used to encourage me. I know she prayed for many other people as well. She loved Jesus.
Here is a link to a song that reminds me of Miss Lindsey and it brought a smile to my heart when I heard it. I hope you like it as well! (the link takes you to my MySpace address where the song is posted.)