Monday, September 29, 2008
Seth can clap!
Seth finally started to clap his hands today! I've been clapping and cheering him on, knowing he would do it when he was ready. I guess today was it. Maybe he just really liked his lunch because he started to clap after each bite. Apparently cauliflower and carrot puree was a hit!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Personal DNA test
My friend Sarah had this on her blog and encouraged others to take it as well. Here are my results:
You are an Architect
Your preference for concrete, visually pleasing things, combined with your confidence and your respect for order make you an ARCHITECT.
You are logical and detail-oriented, which allows you to get things done efficiently.
You are quite sure of yourself, so that you tend to know the best ways of doing things.
Your eye for aesthetic beauty and style indicates that you know a lot about design.
Having a routine and sticking to it is important to you; you find comfort in tradition and familiarity.
Self-reliance is something in which you take great pride—you are confident and down to earth.
You have a basic faith in yourself in many areas of your life, allowing you to be self-assured when facing challenges.
You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.
You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.
Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.
You are Faithful
Your trust in others, respect for tradition, and caring nature make you FAITHFUL.
Maintaining a few intimate relationships is more important to you than knowing a lot of people, and you share a lot with your close friends.
Those who have managed to get close to you value your camaraderie, and they know that they can trust you with anything; you're a good listener.
While you can usually see several sides of an argument, you often have a strong opinion as to which side is correct—the order of things is usually clear to you.
Your perspective on the world is based on careful observation, and you know a lot about how people feel in—and react to—many situations.
Your exploration of others' feelings has led you to believe that although people generally act appropriately, having clear social rules is very important to a functional society.
Time alone for reflection is important to you—you are introspective and aware of your own feelings.
Faithful is as faithful does—you expect those with whom you are close to be loyal to you, and you take betrayal of your trust very seriously.
You are an Architect
Your preference for concrete, visually pleasing things, combined with your confidence and your respect for order make you an ARCHITECT.
You are logical and detail-oriented, which allows you to get things done efficiently.
You are quite sure of yourself, so that you tend to know the best ways of doing things.
Your eye for aesthetic beauty and style indicates that you know a lot about design.
Having a routine and sticking to it is important to you; you find comfort in tradition and familiarity.
Self-reliance is something in which you take great pride—you are confident and down to earth.
You have a basic faith in yourself in many areas of your life, allowing you to be self-assured when facing challenges.
You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.
You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.
You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.
Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.
You are Faithful
Your trust in others, respect for tradition, and caring nature make you FAITHFUL.
Maintaining a few intimate relationships is more important to you than knowing a lot of people, and you share a lot with your close friends.
Those who have managed to get close to you value your camaraderie, and they know that they can trust you with anything; you're a good listener.
While you can usually see several sides of an argument, you often have a strong opinion as to which side is correct—the order of things is usually clear to you.
Your perspective on the world is based on careful observation, and you know a lot about how people feel in—and react to—many situations.
Your exploration of others' feelings has led you to believe that although people generally act appropriately, having clear social rules is very important to a functional society.
Time alone for reflection is important to you—you are introspective and aware of your own feelings.
Faithful is as faithful does—you expect those with whom you are close to be loyal to you, and you take betrayal of your trust very seriously.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Boys and their toys
Just a snapshot of Seth in his jammies playing with his trucks. He's starting to mimic the sounds I make when I play trucks with him. Fun!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A political post
I have never posted anything on politics and may never (never say never, Angela) post anything again. But, as friends have brought up the topic lately, I feel like I need to throw out a thought. I'm just thinking out loud here and so hopefully it makes sense collectively.
This Hammersmith household is a conservative one. Our friend Ryan Gates contributes to a website that had a nice summary of what exactly a Conservative believes. You can read it here: Conservatism Defined, by XEKE.com
Lately I've been thinking about the phrase "I am my brother's keeper". Some feel that if they believe this phrase then voting for the Democratic nominee will be a step in the right (actually the left, ha!) direction.
Well, I have a different view. In my mind, it is the role of the church, not the government, to take care of our "brother". Some of the most important things I look for in a church I attend is that it's a congregation that reaches out to our "brothers". We have several ministries that are helping the poor, hungry, broken, etc. And what I love most is that when these people receive groceries or simply prayer for healing, they are getting more help than what the government can provide.
Receiving the hope of Christ goes a lot further than a welfare check. As a Christian, that's how I see the role of "being my brother's keeper".
A couple of months ago, our senior pastor invited Evan & I along with a few others over to his home for dinner. Half of the guests were white, the other African-American. Our pastor brought up the subject of broken families among the black community and how it has changed over time. A black gentleman who is probably in his 50s responded. Living in an African-American neighborhood as a boy, he was surrounded with complete families. No one was rich but the family stayed together. Today we see so many broken homes, single parents, etc. He felt that the welfare system actually contributed to this. With a welfare check, a wife (for example) no longer needed to stay in a marriage. She could just rely on the government to provide. Well, if you read the above article, you'll see why I have a hard time with this. I want to protect the family unit, not make it easier to split...and let's not forget about the children that get caught up in this. If I support marriage and family, how can I support the idea of government assistance...which may have had a role in the decline of these establishments?
So in a nutshell, I am for life, family, and country. I think "we" can help our brother in more, lasting ways than the government. I feel like faith has a place in the conservative platform.
I don't need comments to this post with arguments or differing opinions, I just wanted to state mine. Take it or leave it.
This Hammersmith household is a conservative one. Our friend Ryan Gates contributes to a website that had a nice summary of what exactly a Conservative believes. You can read it here: Conservatism Defined, by XEKE.com
Lately I've been thinking about the phrase "I am my brother's keeper". Some feel that if they believe this phrase then voting for the Democratic nominee will be a step in the right (actually the left, ha!) direction.
Well, I have a different view. In my mind, it is the role of the church, not the government, to take care of our "brother". Some of the most important things I look for in a church I attend is that it's a congregation that reaches out to our "brothers". We have several ministries that are helping the poor, hungry, broken, etc. And what I love most is that when these people receive groceries or simply prayer for healing, they are getting more help than what the government can provide.
Receiving the hope of Christ goes a lot further than a welfare check. As a Christian, that's how I see the role of "being my brother's keeper".
A couple of months ago, our senior pastor invited Evan & I along with a few others over to his home for dinner. Half of the guests were white, the other African-American. Our pastor brought up the subject of broken families among the black community and how it has changed over time. A black gentleman who is probably in his 50s responded. Living in an African-American neighborhood as a boy, he was surrounded with complete families. No one was rich but the family stayed together. Today we see so many broken homes, single parents, etc. He felt that the welfare system actually contributed to this. With a welfare check, a wife (for example) no longer needed to stay in a marriage. She could just rely on the government to provide. Well, if you read the above article, you'll see why I have a hard time with this. I want to protect the family unit, not make it easier to split...and let's not forget about the children that get caught up in this. If I support marriage and family, how can I support the idea of government assistance...which may have had a role in the decline of these establishments?
So in a nutshell, I am for life, family, and country. I think "we" can help our brother in more, lasting ways than the government. I feel like faith has a place in the conservative platform.
I don't need comments to this post with arguments or differing opinions, I just wanted to state mine. Take it or leave it.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Seth's 1 Year stats
Toot toot! Seth to the rescue! (taken on his birthday with his new toy)Today was Seth's 12 month (1 year) check-up at the pediatrician. He has grown so much in the past 3 months! He was due for 2 shots, one of which was a chicken pox vaccine. He did great; he cried during the shots themselves, then was fine.
STATS:
Weight: 22lbs. 12 oz. (50th percentile)
Height: 31.75 inches (90th percentile)
Considering that at 4 months he was in the 10th percentile for weight, he's come a long way! Again, the doctor had nothing but a good report for Seth and said he was great. We are to continue introducing table foods and can now introduce whole milk instead of formula. He also can start a cup with a straw or a sippy to transition from the bottle. We'll see how that goes, Mr. Seth can be rather particular with his food. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it eventually. The Dr. said that no one goes to college still eating pureed food...so there's hope!
Seth has 8 teeth and I think more are on the way with the constant drool and chewing lately. We're working on clapping hands and he still can walk around the table while holding on. He likes pushing things along the floor such as his new trucks...but tends to get frustrated easily when they tip over or get stuck. Guess we could have a patience issue on our hands...or a very anal-retentive son. Either way he gets it honestly. Overall Seth is still a great and happy kiddo. Constantly discovering new places to go and new things to get into. Keeps me on my toes!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
5 Years
To Evan:
I can't believe we are celebrating five years already. I would still walk down that aisle today if given the opportunity. I am so blessed to be living along side my best friend – to wake up in the morning and at night rest my head next to the best partner anyone could ask for. We make a great team and I don't know what I'd do without you.
And now, a son...who wakes us up every morning with his cheerful talking. What a joy it has been watching you be such a wonderful and loving father to him! He is so lucky to have you as his daddy – to show him the ropes and work and learn beside you. He loves you so much and I know you can tell when he flashes you a big grin. We thank you for going to work each and every day so that we can have all that we need.
We love you so much! I look forward to the next 5 and the next 5 after that. Thank you for being the hard-working, Godly man of integrity that I dreamed about.
I can't believe we are celebrating five years already. I would still walk down that aisle today if given the opportunity. I am so blessed to be living along side my best friend – to wake up in the morning and at night rest my head next to the best partner anyone could ask for. We make a great team and I don't know what I'd do without you.
And now, a son...who wakes us up every morning with his cheerful talking. What a joy it has been watching you be such a wonderful and loving father to him! He is so lucky to have you as his daddy – to show him the ropes and work and learn beside you. He loves you so much and I know you can tell when he flashes you a big grin. We thank you for going to work each and every day so that we can have all that we need.
We love you so much! I look forward to the next 5 and the next 5 after that. Thank you for being the hard-working, Godly man of integrity that I dreamed about.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Back from D.C.
Yep, we're baaaack. D.C. was great and exhausting all at the same time. It was Evan's first time and he was impressed with the grand-ness of the monuments and enjoyed seeing everything we walked to see.
Seth survived too. To make a long story short regarding Seth's schedule on vacation: turns out that the day went smoothly if we let him catch 30-minute snoozes in the stroller then trying to hike back to the hotel and MAYBE catch a nap. He was exhausted, but on the first 2 days of trying to incorporate a daytime nap, he cried much more when it was time for bed at night (waking up during the night as well). The second two days, after cat-napping in the stroller, he went right down for the night after his bottle. In fact, on Wednesday night he fell asleep drinking his bottle. There was a perfect nook for his pack-n-play in our hotel room that was out of sight of Evan & I. No need for blankets or anything extra. Overall, went well.
A few pics from our trip...
Side story for Ryan & Jenn Gates (because I think you're the only two who will find this amusing/interesting): this photo above was taken in Dennis Kucinich's office after our staff-led tour of the Capitol. Yes, we had to go in there. After all, he is the rep. of our congressional district and as Evan put it, we'll put our tax dollars to work. We were led on our tour by a young intern named Loren. He was a nice kid and had only met Dennis once. I asked him if he got to choose who he worked for (thinking would anyone of sound mind choose to work for Kucinich?) He said not really. Each office is a separate contract. So I suppose his resumé got put in a pot and each rep's office picks people out of the pot. Evan gave him a very diplomatic overview of the overall take on Dennis. Basically, we don't align ourselves with him, we don't know how he keeps getting re-elected...but Clevelanders must view him as "one of us" because he has a large following (I guess). Loren found that interesting and would like to visit Cleveland some day. He is from L.A. and has never really been to the midwest.
So anyway, after Seth charmed the entire room of Kucinich staffers...and had them on the floor, we said our good-byes. We asked them if Dennis ever brought them Malley's from Cleveland. They had never heard of it. We explained about the chocolate and told them they need to tell Dennis: People from Cleveland were here, told us about Malley's. Why have you never brought us any? I'm sure Dennis will appreciate that.
Seth survived too. To make a long story short regarding Seth's schedule on vacation: turns out that the day went smoothly if we let him catch 30-minute snoozes in the stroller then trying to hike back to the hotel and MAYBE catch a nap. He was exhausted, but on the first 2 days of trying to incorporate a daytime nap, he cried much more when it was time for bed at night (waking up during the night as well). The second two days, after cat-napping in the stroller, he went right down for the night after his bottle. In fact, on Wednesday night he fell asleep drinking his bottle. There was a perfect nook for his pack-n-play in our hotel room that was out of sight of Evan & I. No need for blankets or anything extra. Overall, went well.
A few pics from our trip...
Side story for Ryan & Jenn Gates (because I think you're the only two who will find this amusing/interesting): this photo above was taken in Dennis Kucinich's office after our staff-led tour of the Capitol. Yes, we had to go in there. After all, he is the rep. of our congressional district and as Evan put it, we'll put our tax dollars to work. We were led on our tour by a young intern named Loren. He was a nice kid and had only met Dennis once. I asked him if he got to choose who he worked for (thinking would anyone of sound mind choose to work for Kucinich?) He said not really. Each office is a separate contract. So I suppose his resumé got put in a pot and each rep's office picks people out of the pot. Evan gave him a very diplomatic overview of the overall take on Dennis. Basically, we don't align ourselves with him, we don't know how he keeps getting re-elected...but Clevelanders must view him as "one of us" because he has a large following (I guess). Loren found that interesting and would like to visit Cleveland some day. He is from L.A. and has never really been to the midwest.
So anyway, after Seth charmed the entire room of Kucinich staffers...and had them on the floor, we said our good-byes. We asked them if Dennis ever brought them Malley's from Cleveland. They had never heard of it. We explained about the chocolate and told them they need to tell Dennis: People from Cleveland were here, told us about Malley's. Why have you never brought us any? I'm sure Dennis will appreciate that.
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