Daddy Daughter Dance

Last Friday these lucky girls got to go to a school dance with their Daddy.



Usually they resist getting ready, but they were eager to put their skirts on, get their hair done, and even have a squirt of perfume and dab of lip gloss.




They danced the night away for 2 hours and then went to the park, in the dark, for some after dance fun.



I loved seeing them get so excited to spend this special time with their Dad and grateful for the influence and love that he shows to his girls.



We are lucky to have such a great man in our lives.

Why I'm voting for Mitt

Next Tuesday, February 28, I will vote for Mitt Romney in the Arizona primary election.

I'm not going to lie, I share my maiden name with the Governor, but beyond that there are several specific reasons why I support his campaign.

First, Mitt Romney has the experience to deal with our economic crisis.

He is not a professional bureaucrat or elected official and has experience making hard monetary decisions and holding to real budgets.  With the economy in the tank,  unfunded entitlement programs, and the tax code of the future at stake, I want a president who will make substantive corrections to the mess my generation will literally be paying for the rest of our lives.

Second, Mitt Romney is a leader.

Governor Romney is not a stirring, soothing speaker and I like him all the more for it. He is decisive, he is direct,  he is determined, and he gets things done. I believe that actions speak louder than words and I have confidence that he will execute the agenda he has outlined for his presidency.

Third, Mitt Romney is conservative.

He is a frugal, traditional, and morally directed man who believes in the protection of individual rights, limited powers of government, and a free market economy. 

Fourth, Mitt Romney is trustworthy.

Mitt Romney is who he says he is. Unlike most politicians (celebrities, athletes, millionaires, etc.) today, there are no skeletons in his closet and there will be no surprises about his personal behavior.  He is a motivated hard worker, who amazingly graduated at the top of his class from both Harvard MBA and Law school while supporting a family with his wife of almost 43 years, Ann. To me there is no better indicator of who a person is and how they will lead than the integrity and character of their personal life.

Fifth, Mitt Romney is the best contender against the current president. 

There is now a small field of contenders in the Republican primary race. We have been exposed to an onslaught of reports about each candidates life, their beliefs, their experience, and their agenda for the presidency. I believe that Mitt Romney is the most qualified of all of them to take down our current leader.  He has the fiscal power, experience, and strength to make the tough decisions our current president has evaded. He can delegate and lead the other branches of government to action instead of talking without producing like our current president. He is a powerful presence who can confront world leaders and make choices to protect our interests abroad. He is a pragmatist who is not roused by political fervor, far fetched ideology, and the passions of the day.  He is financially independent and will not be controlled by any network, group, or political power seeking to sway his opinions.  He draws voters from the same demographic as our current president and has the ability to bring independent voters to the red side of the line. He is our current president's greatest threat, as is evidenced by the all out push to take him down in any way possible. In this economic environment our current president fears a general election against Governor Romney.


It is important to study out the candidates and issues in any election, but I hope that in this Republican race voters will take time to do their own research and come to their own conclusions. The debate is tomorrow on CNN at 6:00 pm MST and the vote is on Tuesday the 28th.

Let your voice be heard. VOTE.

Work and Self-Reliance

That is the title of the new section in the 2012 edition of the For the Strength of Youth booklet.

My first thought was, seriously, work and self-reliance? That needs to be a topic for the youth today?

But then the more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized that work and self-reliance are, unfortunately, critical components of our society that are slipping away.

We live in the age of entitlement. We think we have claim to things, opportunities, and help by merely existing. We think we can get something for nothing.

How sad that in the booklet's 47+ years of existence work and self-reliance have never had to have special mention because they were an expected part of society and family life. 

I am grateful for the addition of this topic.  As a parent it has reiterated to me the importance of teaching my children how to work. Even though they are young, I need to remember that they can contribute and that they must contribute in our home for their own benefit and blessing. I am grateful for the counsel of prophets that directs me in raising children in this day and age.
 
So today we got to work washing the windows inside and out. It have have been over a year (...or closer to 2) since we cleaned them on the outside and they needed it. Each girl got a turn with the scrubbing brush, squeegee, Windex and paper towels. They enjoyed the task and I enjoyed teaching them how to clean the windows properly.

Before: Dirty Window

After: Dirty Grill

5 + 1 = 6

I am still in shock that my first baby is growing up. Lauren is a wonder. She is quietly determined. She is selfless. She is compassionate. She is intelligent and inquisitive. She is loving and patient with her younger sisters. She asks insightful questions. She loves Jesus and the gospel. She is fun and has a musical laugh. She loves adventure and is coordinated and tough.

We partied it up this afternoon decorating mailboxes, playing games, eating pizza, veggies and cake, and jumping on the trampoline like crazy cats. She is growing up and there is nothing we can do to stop it, so we'll just encourage, praise, and cheer her on as she makes her way down the road of life.

Los Angeles

Like I mentioned, we spent the first week of January in downtown Los Angeles. J had a trial conference that he attended during the day while the girls and I went to D-land and explored around town. The free hotel for a week and a short drive to CA were too hard to pass up.

Beach biking with my lovely lifetime friend Lyn and her son

Nighttime view from our room

One of their favorites: visiting the American Girl store mecca.

Eating awesome authentic Mexican food

First subway ride! Just like Grandma and Grandpa on their mission.

They loved our hotel room

Visited Griffith observatory. Amazing! Free museum with exhibits, planets and star shows galore.

Me and my little ladies at Huntington Gardens in San Marino

Lyn and her husband were so good to feed us, take us to the beach, and visit the gardens with us. Loved seeing them again.

Dogpile on Daddy

Spent 2 hours at the LA temple visitors center and grounds. Very special place.

If you have young kids

you must check out this podcast and website!



It is done by a British woman and has excellent information, ideas, links, interviews, and thoughts for raising a playful tot. I just listened to episode 82 on reading aloud to children and loved it.

To keep me motivated

Grow hair, grow!

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

January 2011- January 2012