I wanted to share some cute pictures taken by my friend Lynette. She isn't professional (she's a fantastic nurse), but she did a very good job. I think this one is my favorite. We just went to the Bountiful Temple last Sunday evening. The lighting was perfect (she never really used a flash) and baby was fairly compliant, although most of our time was spent trying to make him smile. It didn't always work. He liked looking at his daddy, though! I really like the angle on this one. I think I'll put it on my wall. There are more in my Picasa album. I'm much happier with these than with the only family shot I got from Amber at our last shoot. I'll go to Amber again for pics of the little man, but not for the family. It is about time for Halloween pictures. I still don't know what he should be! Suggestions? By the way, Mrs. X came downstairs to apologize. I really appreciated that she admitted she was at fault for letting Benji fall. I told her I understand, but I didn't say that I'd be comfortable with her watching him anymore. She did ask me how many days per week I could watch Becca, and I said one. I think that will be okay (it's way better than four, and whatever her reasons, I hope she'll be grateful enough for one day that she won't space it off). She even offered to pre-pay. I'm okay with that. She did say that this is her 'last chance' with the Navy Reserve: if she doesn't lose 20 lbs this month, they are kicking her out. That's a lot of stress, but it just might be good for her, too. I don't wish her ill; I hope she gains some perspective.

What Would You Say

So I finished reading "The Nanny Diaries" tonight. It wasn't that great; it drove me nuts that the heroine is named "Nanny" (although often times she is called Nan; still obnoxious) and she works for the "X" family. Mr. X is a total womanizer, Mrs. X is so caught up in her own world that she doesn't even fathom what she is doing to Nanny, and Nanny only stays in this masochistic situation for Grayer, the little boy caught in the middle. What kills me is that Nanny would like to have a life outside of the X family, but she is so preoccupied with the X family's crap that all she can talk about is how poorly she is being treated. When I'm reading, I just want to know how it ends. Sometimes I'll think about what things mean or how to apply them to my life or compare them with other things I have studied, but when I'm done I like to think about the book. Now that I'm in reflection mode, I see a bit too much of myself and my situation with the neighbors in it. I can't claim to be in nearly as bad a way as Nanny, and they certainly aren't as rich and cruel as the Xes. Even so, I have very much appreciated having my own life for the past two weeks while she has been gone. I honestly don't mind watching their child; I just don't want to deal with the mom's crap. We won't be living here forever (or even for much longer, with any luck!), and I know I can't save the poor girl who is so starved for attention that she'll cry for hours in the middle of the night. Earlier this week, I also found out that (before we moved in) they would go to some other neighbors and just drop off their kid--they would show up unannounced, with the girl and a diaper bag, leaving their car running in the driveway, and say, "can you watch her right now?" They would do this to a woman with six children of her own! This is not something I can fix by babysitting for a few hours each day. This neighbor said she was glad when I moved in, because this stopped for her. Part of me wants to 'take one for the team' and just suck it up so my Mrs. X doesn't bother our other neighbor anymore. I believe my Mrs. X got home tonight, and I'm truly dreading seeing her because I really feel like I need to tell her face-to-face that I don't want to trade babysitting anymore. But then, I don't want her to show up on Monday morning expecting to hand off her kid, either. So I guess it will have to happen, sooner rather than later. What would you say in my situation? I think I'll start by asking if she got my letter, and I'll have to clarify expectations. If she asks me why, I guess I'll have to tell her that I think she's negligent; how do you do that tactfully? Would she even understand if I don't say it outright? Should I try to explain my point-of-view, or just leave it at "let's be done"? Too much, c'est too much.

And I Won't Forget The Men Who Died . . .

And I’m proud to be and American, Where at least I know I’m free. And I wont forget the men who died, Who gave that right to me. And I gladly stand up, Next to you and defend her still today. ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA. As I was driving home today, "God Bless The U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood was playing on the radio. I shed a few tears and sang along with all my heart. I truly am blessed to be an American, to have so many freedoms that I can take them for granted. Arlynda told the story of where she was on that day, so I thought I'd follow suit. On September 11, 2001, I was a missionary in France. It was a day like any other for my companion (Soeur Jex) and myself. We went to visit a less-active member, who was watching t.v., and I saw the towers burning. Honestly, I thought it was a movie--we were so far removed from American reality that I didn't understand what I was seeing. We had our appointment, then took the bus back to our apartment. When we got there, we had a message from our Zone Leaders, asking us to stay in our apartment and to call them ASAP (in Brussels; I guess they had had a ZL meeting that day, so we were on our own). When we talked to them, they explained what happened; President Harrison had let them watch the news. They told us to stay put--to not leave our apartments at all the next day. I had an American flag hanging on our wall, and they asked me to take it down. We were able to go back to proselyting on Thursday, but we were instructed to stay away from all Muslims (not an easy task, as France has a pretty significant Muslim population), and we were to be back home by nightfall, unless we were escorted (i.e., driven home by a member or walked home by the Elders). As the days were getting shorter, and I would complete my mission four months later, it was very difficult for me to come to grips with how much proselying time I would be missing. I really didn't understand how the real world had changed, since my world was so isolated. Often, especially in the days following "les attentats" (the attacks), when people would hear my accent, the would ask me if I was British. When they learned I was "americaine," they would tell me they were sorry. All I could say was "Merci. The following Friday, everyone in the city held a moment of silence (about 3 minutes) in respect for those who died. We were on the bus at the time, and everyone simply stopped where they were--in the middle of the road, even--and contemplated, while church bells rang. I don't think I 'got it' until I returned to the U.S. I found it strange that everyone referred to it as September 11th; I guess the date was enough to bring back the images and feelings. However, I liked that the French called it what it was--an attack. That's why we are at war. That's why police officers, fire fighters, and men and women of the armed forces put their lives on the line every day--to make sure that I am free and that my family is safe. I thank them for their sacrifices; I will never be able to fully express my gratitude.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Rachael told me a funny story about Lily the other day--that she saw a commercial for bananas on t.v., then pointed to Rach, had her follow her into the kitchen, and pointed at the bananas on the counter. She is a little smarty pants! Lily also loves to read. She is a little dramatic, though! I also got some cute pictures when Becca came down for Labor Day. These are some of my favorites of Mia. She's so photogenic! We went to Rumbi's with Dave, Lex & Noah. This one is a classic of the little man. I can't believe his 1st birthday is this week! Craziness! I also can't believe my 6-month-old weighs more than he does. But then, he also weighs more than Shelly's little girl, who is about 15 months old. What do you do? He's kinda crazy and very demanding when he's hungry! These aren't very high quality, but there are more pics to be seen on my Picasa album. I also just want to extol the virtues of Picasa 3. Download it here. For example, here is what this cute picture looked like before (BTW, I took these pictures while feeding him bananas this afternoon): And this is the "after" shot: I have been getting a little obsessive with the pictures, but it's pretty cool what a little program can do, eh? Picasa does drive me nuts sometimes, but version 3.0 is very nice. I'm pretty pathetic. I really want a DSLR (a big fat Canon with real lenses and the whole outfit), but I really can't justify it. *sigh* Someday.

Jeux Sans Frontieres

Okay. I haven't been sure whether or not John McCain's choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate was brilliant or the kiss of death. After her speech tonight, I have decided that I really like her. Not only is she freakin' gorgeous, but she's smart and tenacious and full of energy. McCain needed an infusion of attitude, and boy--did he get it. A lot of people question her ability to govern, and I have heard the phrase, "A heartbeat away from the presidency" several times over the past few days, and it's getting pretty old. YES, she's a woman with a young family, but she also has a gift. It doesn't seem like her family is suffering; sure they have their problems (don't we all?), but they are supportive of Sarah's choice. If I felt that passionately about affecting change in my community and/or country, I would hope my family would stand by me as well. It shows me that they are all on the same team. There are concerns, of course. She has made choices I wouldn't, but that doesn't mean they are the wrong choices--just different. I hope it's not the kiss of death; I think Governor Palin and Senator McCain represent what I want in Washington. I didn't particularly care for McCain alone, but they are a good combination. I like what she said, "In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change." Read her speech here. Although the national conventions have become little more than well-organized pep rallies, there is a lot of good stuff in there. On a different subject, Allen started reading "Breaking Dawn" today (and yes, he has read the other books as well). I'm proud of him. Benji was NOT going to take a nap today . . . except for a 20-minute snoozer in the car ride home from visiting my cute friend Shauna. So we put him to bed around 7, and I was hoping he would sleep through, but alas--I'm going to have to feed him and put him back to sleep. Ah, this is the life.