Halloween

Now for fun things! :) Isis had a fun Halloween as Dorothy.

Trying on her finished costume.

She LOVED her ruby slippers. She is still wearing them around the house.

She did NOT love the wig I tried to make her. :)

Checking out the pumpkin.

Slimy guts!!!

Cleaning out her first pumpkin.

Eating raw pumpkin...Mmmm.

Finished jack-o-lanterns

Isis "loving" trunk-or-treat

Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba); Jeremy was the Scarecrow (Fiero)

Halloween ended successfully and happily.

Onward, Ever Onward...

Though disappointed in the presidential results, I have to give a shouting and joyful HALLELUJAH!!!!! because Proposition 8 passed!!! Additionally other propositions in Arizona and Florida also passed. Traditional marriage has been protected for a while longer. Thank you to everyone who voted and fasted for this. Another evidence God hears our prayers and is mindful of His children. I am SO happy!!!! So far there are still more righteous people willing to make their voice heard. I know it won't be that way forever but it sure counted and made a difference now!!! Hooray! While asking others to fast and in doing so myself I kept having the words to "Let Us All Press On" repeat in my head:
"If we do what's right we have no need to fear
For the Lord our protector will ever be near.
In the days of trial His saints he will cheer
And prosper the cause of truth.
Fear not though the enemy deride.
Courage for the Lord is on our side.
We'll not fear the wicked nor give heed to what they say
But the Lord alone we will obey."
It is comforting to KNOW that we're standing on the right side.

My dad just sent me some comments from his friend, Kelly Ogden, (also a professor at BYU) that are worth sharing.
"Yesterday’s edition of BYU’s “The Daily Universe” had an article entitled “Proposition 8 stirs controversy while church members wait for results.” The article quotes a University of Utah student who thinks the Church’s involvement in the issue is inappropriate: “I can’t believe they’re supporting Prop. 8. The church is supposed to be neutral. That’s changed now. They can’t support a candidate but they can support a proposition. They’ve warped their stance. I’ve had to separate myself from the church because of the way they’re handling the ‘problem’ of homosexuality. It’s so against what the church teaches. It’s unchristian.”
As soon as I read that I immediately thought of a statement from Elder Boyd K. Packer: “In the Church we are not neutral. We are one-sided. There is a war going on, and we are engaged in it. It is the war between good and evil, and we are belligerents defending the good. We are therefore obliged to give preference to and protect all that is represented in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have made covenants to do it” (Address to Religious Educators at BYU, August 22, 1981).
And Elder Dallin H. Oaks just explained why the Church is involved with the current issue in an interview with the Church’s Public Affairs staff: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must take a stand on doctrine and principle. This is more than a social issue – ultimately it may be a test of our most basic religious freedoms to teach what we know our Father in Heaven wants us to teach.”
I bore my testimony to my students today. Those who claim that “prophets ought to keep their noses out of politics” have never read the Old Testament! Think about Moses, and Elijah, and Isaiah, and Amos, and others; they went directly to their respective political leaders and told them what the Lord wanted them to do, what course to pursue. (Can we limit what God can say about anything?) I testified that the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles is the wisest group of leaders on earth (!), and not just from their cumulative intellectual prowess (world-class heart surgeon, nuclear physicist, judge and legal mind, etc., etc.) but because of their direct connection with Heaven, and living by the Spirit every day. I testified that the sifting has begun. And I encouraged them to remember that we’re on the winning team – the Lord’s Team. In all other dispensations the truth has been lost; there has always been an apostasy; but not anymore. The truth is restored to stay. It will never again be lost or taken away from this sphere. This great Cause, in the end, will triumph. So, I warned them, don’t ever quit the Team! In the future, stay with this wisest group on earth – whatever the issue."

I hope and pray each of us will stand firmly and proudly on the Lord's side. Now that the election is past I would also ask everyone to keep our new leaders in their prayers (despite or because of opposition to their views). And also to pray that we as a country can come together and be a people who are understanding and kind to each other.

I'm still proud (and grateful) to be an American!

Election Day...

Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. Disappointed but not surprised. I hope that 50% of the country is gung ho on communism... but I'm sure not!!! And what's with no check and balance in Congress?? Ugh.
That's all I can say.

A Call for Help and Prayers!

Friends and Family,
Despite varying political views, I'm spreading the word and the plea to protect marriage and the family unit. A request is being made to fast in behalf of Proposition 8 in California. I am inviting all of you to join in this fast. A fast is to abstain from food and drink for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord and petitioning for His help.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Proposition 8 would add "only marriage between a man and a woman is recognized in the state of California" to the state constitution. There are similar amendments on the ballot in other states, such as Arizona. I encourage you to add these to your prayers and fast. It is going to be a very close vote. Encourage those you know in California to vote yes on Prop. 8 on Tuesday.
Please encourage others you know to fast with us in protecting the sacred institution of marriage.
Most sincerely,
Rachel & Jeremy

Try this one, political savvy ones:

I was just discussing a little politics with Rachel over dinner. And then I thought about bumper stickers that you see (like "OBAMA/BIDEN 2008"). Then I thought to myself... there needs to be catchy, self-revealing slogans like the bumper stickers that say, "Save the Whales," or "Rather Be Fishin'." Here are some good ones for Obama:

• "Abortions are Great! Obama '08"
• "Democracy to Socialism: Change We Can Believe In!"
• " Government Run Healthcare Now! ... you thought the DMV was slow!"
• "Your hard earned $, oh wait, it's your neighbor's now."

P.S. Sal, your blog is crackin' me up!!

My Two Cents and then some

You need to make your voice heard. Be informed. If you're not informed become so! Use your influence for good. For the good of yourself and your children; for the good of the nation.

Proposition 8 in California needs to pass... It HAS to pass. The very foundation of families is at stake. Our church leaders (who do not get involved in politics, except to tell us to vote) have told members to vote yes on Prop. 8 and to do everything within their means to spread the word and support efforts in supporting the proposition. This proposition will overturn the courts' decision (from May) to recognize gay marriage. It will state that marriage is only recognized between a man and a woman. This does not deny homosexual couples any of the rights they have previously had. Encourage anyone you know who is a registered California voter to vote YES on Prop.8

Secondly, this election is crap (pardon the language). As a friend of ours said we're not looking for a beautiful flower in a pile of garbage, it's just choosing the lesser of 2 evils. That being said, some things CANNOT be looked over. America is still a democracy, isn't it? I didn't miss something did I? So how can Obama flout socialistic ideals and be running for PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES?! COME ON??! And his stance on abortion... is sickening. THIS video explains more (be forewarned, it is disturbing). It makes my heart weep. Sure his stance and ideas on education are good... but if he doesn't even give kids a chance to live to get an education....

I am very aware that people's opinions differ greatly. That's okay. I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with me because I definitely don't agree with some other people. But some things are right and wrong. Good and evil. Everything is not a gray area. There are black and white issues. Truth, good, and justice exist. Unfortunately our candidates (both of them) are still looking.

Man, I can't wait for the Second Coming.... :)

P.S.- If you want to be more informed visit THIS very helpful website.

COME ON!!!!

Does anybody watch "Dancing With the Stars"? We watch occasionally... ok... more frequent than occasional. Anyways... there is some old lady on the show (old as in at least 65... perhaps 70 something). On the first show, when she came out and danced, I laughed pretty hard. At the end of the routine I felt uncomfortable, but thought to myself "Isn't that nice an old lady is on the show. Too bad she will be kicked off right off the bat." Now three weeks have passed and she is still on the show. After last night with some crazy "non-dancing," America has voted her back for the 4th week. Honestly, watching her dance the samba, rumba, or tango is like watching your grandma make love to an old wrinkly man. On one show, I puked a little in my mouth. It was that disgusting. So America, please be reasonable when voting. I am scared to see what will happen in November with the political elections. Sincerely,
Jeremy
P.S. No picture of this woman will be posted due to my weak stomach.

My Big Little Girl

Isis is rapidly leaving the realm of babyhood and quickly becoming a little girl! I am simply amazed by how much and how quickly she learns new things. She has the happiest disposition of any kid I know. I am so blessed to be her mom. Here are some of the amazing things she knows and other irresistible pictures. :)

P.S.- there are more new pictures of our cute baby in our Gwin Family Albums

My Growing Baby

Isis has had "experiences" with crayons but here is her first "picture." Isn't it lovely? :)

She spent almost 20 minutes carefully using her orange crayon. And when I showed her how to hold it (in a fist), she moved it around until she was holding it in a tri-pod grip - you know, how adults hold their writing tools. It wasn't just coincidence. She has continued to do it. I'm quite impressed. :) Here is her picture from today. :) (And yesterday she turned 16 months!!)
What an amazing little girl. :) Oh, and just in case there was any doubt, the last TWO posts were from Jeremy. That is definitely JEREMY'S double cheese burger. :) I could hardly think about fitting that in my appetite, let alone my mouth. :)

I've noticed a lot of people putting quarters up to spiders to illustrate just how big (or mentally big) these arachnids are. I've decided to size up my homemade double cheeseburger. Yummy...

Isis Walkathon

This is Jeremy doing a blog for once:

We all know that babies walk a lot. Many questions fill our minds while chasing the baby around like, "Where does her energy come from? Why can't I keep up? How old am I? Does she ever stop moving? Is it nap time yet?"

Rachel proposed to put a pedometer on her today. We attached it to the back of her shorts. I am happy to say that Isis completed around 4900 steps before noon today. No wonder she eats a whole banana, a cup of yogurt, and toast for breakfast! She's gearing up for the Isis 5000 starting at 9 AM!

A Tragic and Devastating Day

Well Friends, it is with deep regret that I inform you that I do not have millions to bestow upon you. Alas, we will have to wait until the next sweepstakes. But how could they have missed me!?? I left them this note this morning:

(deep sigh) I guess I wasn't expecting it........ just really, REALLY hoping. :)

But wait!! Maybe they just picked the winner today. Maybe they just haven't contacted me yet. Maybe they're still on their way!!! There IS still hope! I'll keep you posted...

Keep Your Eyes Peeled!!!

Make sure you watch the news tomorrow (August 27th) so you can see the Publisher's Clearing House van pull up in front of MY house and hand me that gigantic check! I'll be waiting for them - all day. :)

Don't worry; I'll share. :)

Europe Pictures

If you would like to see more of my adventure you can check out these PICTURES in our family album. And believe it or not, I really did cut them down. This is only about 1/3 of them. :) Enjoy. I had fun reliving the vacation as I went through them.

" 'Tis Grand to See the Old World..."

(Warning: this is long and poorly written; read at your own risk.)

I finally did it. Three weeks ago my wonderful, loving husband allowed/encouraged/supported me going to Europe. I took a two week European vacation with my sister Katherine. I have tried going over to Europe MANY times but it just never worked out, until now. Katherine was working over in Spain for 6 weeks and invited me to meet her over there and travel around a bit before she came home. Thanks to my wonderful parents for supplying air-miles (and babysitting), and a generous and supportive husband, I ventured across the Atlantic.

This was my very first view of Europe:

Now how do I go about writing about a two week adventure in Europe? I guess I have to sum it up. If you'd like the longer account then I guess you'll have to call or write to me. :) So, briefly: I met Katherine in Madrid and she showed me around that night. EARLY the next morning we flew to Paris where we visited: the Louvre (HUGE museum; loved it), the Rodin museum (posed with The Thinker, saw the Gates of Hell), Napoleon's Tomb (he really did have a complex), the Arc de Triomphe, and (da da da da) the Eiffel Tower (very awesome; it lit up with twinkly lights just for us :) ). The next day we went to Versailles. Louis XIV was way over the top and so self-loving it was nauseating. There were AT LEAST three pictures/sculptures of himself in every room, and pictures of other people had to be holding or looking at a picture of him. Barf. Wouldn't you get tired of looking at yourself all day? I mean really. I did enjoy Marie-Antoinette's estate, and the gardens and fountains. After arriving back in Paris by train we caught the tail end of the Tour de France from across the river. Nice timing.:) We went to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica, a gleaming white cathedral overlooking Paris. Our last stop was the Notre Dame cathedral. I LOVED it. This was one of my favorite things to see because it was decorated with such detail - in STONE. It was AWESOME.

Next stop was Rome: a church that contained THE manger... yes, the one Jesus was laid in for the first time...... how do they know that??? Hmmm... The church also had 4th CENTURY (yes, that is 300-400 A.D.) mosaics; another church had Michelangelo's Moses; the Colosseum (did you know it is made of small bricks? I thought they used big stones); Roman Forums; ate our first gelato (yes it's as good as everyone says). The second day was Vatican City - St. Peter's Basilica (we climbed to the TOP of the dome, A LOT of steps but absolutely worth it). Inside the basilica in an alcove in the floor, under a HUGE altar, behind a mosaic of Christ are Peter's bones; Michelangelo's Pieta (the statue of Mary holding Jesus' body) is also in the basilica (we almost missed it walking out!!). The Vatican Museum was a collection of amazing proportions. There was so much... stuff, including paintings by Raphael. All of which you had to look at before getting to the Sistine Chapel. It was worth it. Though smaller than I expected I was still amazed. I enjoyed just sitting and taking it in. Back in Rome we checked out the "mouth of truth," in which you stick your hand in and liars get their hand chopped/bitten off. We still have ours. :) We also went to the Borghese Gallery, another one I really liked. I loved the sculptures by Bernini. Next was a train to Venice. We chose to walk from the train station to St. Mark's Square instead of taking a boat taxi. That was a really good choice because we got to walk through little alleyways, along other canals, and among beautiful open air markets. I honestly think that was my favorite part of Venice. :) We ate on the square, went into St. Mark's basilica (yes, this is where Mark is "buried"), and took a boat to the island of Murano (famous for glass blowing). We did take a gondola ride; very nice and quiet. At the end of the day we taxied over to Lido and went swimming in the Adriatic Sea. :) It was amazingly pleasant, the perfect temperature. While in the water we watched the sun set on our last night in Italy.

Then we flew to London and met our mom there. She flew in to be with us for this leg of the trip. (Jeremy flew to Tucson to be with Isis when grandma left. :) ) The first day in London was the British Museum and that night the musical "Wicked" in London's West End. I LOVE this musical! One of my absolute favorites. :) On Saturday morning we checked out the Portabello Market full of wonderful odds and ends and antiques. Then came my next favorite part of my Europe trip, Westminster Abbey. It is an OLD beautiful church with SO much history. And we had the best tour guide: Verger Benjamin. He was enthusiastic about his job and the history, had a love of the abbey, and had a fun sense of humor. In the abbey I saw the graves of Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Handel. Pretty neat. Yeah, Westminster was one of my favorite visits. We took a "flight" on the London Eye, walked to the gates of Buckingham Palace, and walked through Hyde Park (I LOVED all the green!). The next day my mom ventured to drive on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side too! Yikes! But we made it to little Burbage, where my great-great-great grandmother came from (a beautiful little town with thatched roof homes), and then on to Stonehenge. On the last day we saw London Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London (had another FUN tour guide (a Yeoman), saw the very impressive and dazzling Crown Jewels, and the head chopping block). I really enjoyed the Tower of London too. And our last and final sight... Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station (yes, I'm a Harry Potter nerd).

PHEW!!! And that was our trip. It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! (That really was a summary... I'll have to put in fun stories at random.) I am very grateful for the opportunity for this trip. I loved being able to go with my sister and with my mom. It was absolutely amazing. I still have so much more to say but no time right now. :) So more later...

4 Years - HOORAY!!

Yesterday, July 17th, Jeremy and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary! Four years, wow. It seems so much longer.... but in a good way! :) I am just as in love with my husband now as I was on the day I married him. Even more so. He is my best friend, biggest supporter, and greatest blessing. I couldn't have married a better man. We are a great pair. Seriously, sometimes it feels like my heart might explode because I love him so much. He is a shinning example of kindness, hard work, dedication, and gospel living. I want to be like him when I grow up. Every life he has touched is better because he was part of it. I am so blessed to be his eternal companion. Did I mention he makes me laugh? How could I not be happy? Cheers to my incredibly wonderful husband Jeremy!!!

God Bless the USA

After writing our 4th of July post my patiotic spirit was fire up again. I just have to share these quotes.

I LOVE this quote and anything I add will take away from it. Read on and be inspired! :)
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." ~John Stuart Mill

This is a prayer that was offered by our founding father, George Washington.
"Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will.
Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way.
Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought out of many kindreds and tongues.
Endow with the spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be peace and justice at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth.
In the time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail.
All of which we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen."

What a difference it would make if everyone (especially our politicians) shared these sentiments and prayed this sincerely and righteously.
I could go on and on about this. I also love, LOVE our national anthem! Friends and family, stand up and be proud to be an American!!! We are so blessed!

4th of July

The 4th of July is one of my VERY favorite holidays. I don't know if my depth of patirotism is due to being an Air Force kid but my blood runs a deep red, white, and blue. I hope that is something I pass on to my children: a love and respect for our country and those who founded it and defend and serve it. I tried to throw a neighborhood street party... we had two neighbors come.:) But at least I tried. And we had fun anyway. Some pictures of us celebrating:

Treats for the party (there were many left overs :) )

I was pretty proud of my cupcake "cake". How easy is it to just take your piece away?!

Our party :)
Yea for fireworks!
Making homemade root beer. I couldn't believe I had never made this with Jeremy before! He'd never even tasted it! My family has homemade root beer at MANY family gatherings.
Man, I love using dry ice.
the "boiling" root beer (it's SO cool!!)
Homemade Root Beer: (it's too easy!)
5 gallons of water
5 lbs of sugar (disolve)
5 lbs of dry ice (use carefully, it can "burn")
1 bottle of root beer extract
Mix and enjoy!!

It's Like a Heat Wave...no, it IS a heat wave!

At the end of June we took a family outing to Mt. Charleston. While the Las Vegas valley sweated through the day at 110, we enjoyed a blissful 75 degrees. You gotta love the mountains. This was Isis' first trip up there but it certainly won't be the last. :) Here's a few pictures of us pretending we don't live in Vegas. :)

Hmm... what is this curious thing??