Lots of pictures to update!

I've been crazy busy lately, but I have a lot to update!

Hannah turned 10 months old yesterday! I can't believe how fast the time is going, and I don't want her to grow up any more!!! She needs to stop right now! She's so much fun at the age she's at that I'm always afraid of what it will be like as she gets older. She's a pro at crawling now, and loves going up the stairs! In fact, several times in moments of... forgetfulness, Hannah has managed to start climbing the stairs because we forgot to close the gate at the bottom! She wants to start standing up on her own, and will now start letting go of things for a few seconds and is getting better at maintaining her balance before falling down or grabbing on to something again. She'll be walking before we know it, and I'm DEFINITELY not ready for that!

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately, gearing up for Christmas and such. I'm trying to make some gifts this year, and more than just the two I managed to get out last year. So far I've already done one and a half gifts, so I'm well ahead of schedule for now. The rest of the winter I plan to knit from my stash, as well as work on a sweater that John bought the yarn for as a birthday present for me. I can't wait to get started on it! By the time it's done, it will be to warm to wear it!

So, here are some pictures, as promised!

All bundled up and ready to go out!

Hannah and the kids at Moms Group

Hannah learns how to unload the dishwasher

Hannah thinks this Santa guy might be a little scary (he was a really nice guy though!)

Hannah gets a piano lesson from Daddy


Coronet hat, Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn, Dusty Purple, size 8 needles.

This hat is one of the few that are being made for Christmas gifts this year. I'm excited about getting some hats done, and I have been happy with the way this one and the one I'm working on have come out. Hopefully I can keep up the pace!

What D&D Character am I?

I Am A: Lawful Neutral Human Ranger (3rd Level)


Ability Scores:

Strength-14

Dexterity-13

Constitution-11

Intelligence-13

Wisdom-12

Charisma-13


Alignment:
Lawful Neutral A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs him. Order and organization are paramount to him. He may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or he may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government. Lawful neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you are reliable and honorable without being a zealot. However, lawful neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it seeks to eliminate all freedom, choice, and diversity in society.


Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.


Class:
Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.


Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Family Portraits are here!

Hannah goes to the Children's Museum!

Hannah had her first trip to the Childrens Museum of NH today with her little buddy Spencer. The two of them had a great time!

Hannah starts learning about colors and patterns

Hannah in the back, Spencer up front

Hannah finds a mirror near the floor to see herself in!

What on earth are these things???

Hannah finds some tunnels to crawl through!

Spencer plays trains and checks out the rest of the room.

My thoughts on president-elect Barack Obama

I think it's a great thing for our country to have President Elect Barack Obama. I am very excited about this, for a lot of reasons. 1) He's not George Bush. 2) We finally have a non-white president! and 3) I think he's got some good ideas for our country. I voted for Obama. In fact, I voted a straight Democratic ticket this year. We had a Republican president and two Republican senators from our state. This year, I wanted to give the Democrats a chance to change things up and see what happens.

That said - let me put my political and religious views out there so you know where I'm coming from:

1) I am a liberal Roman Catholic. I am pro-life, but I am also pro-gay-marriage. Otherwise, I believe in what the Roman Catholic church teaches and believes.
2) I am a Democrat. Shock and awe! A Catholic Democrat?? A Catholic SOCIAL WORKER??? How does that all go down? SURPRISE! You don't necessarily have to agree with everyone all the time! Again, I'm pro-life!

Okay, here are my thoughts:

I am adopted, hence why I am pro-life. There was a very good chance I may not of been here today since my birth mother was 16 when I was born. People need to "let not our hearts be troubled." There is nothing more that can be done. You voted. It's kind of like in elementary school when you and your friends voted about what game to play at recess. 7 of them wanted to play tag. Only 3 wanted to play hide and seek. Bummer, but you got over it.

I said I was pro-life, but to me, that's not the only issue. When I work in a homeless shelter and see middle class families losing homes, I have to vote with other parts of my conscious.

We aren't close to being a socialist nation. There is a lot of misunderstandings and fear when people think of it, but it's because of the absolute power the government gets along with it, and people get drunk with the power. Please, please, PLEASE do your homework. Understand what the actual idea of Socialism/Communism is. The problem with peoples fear of it is that we've never seen it actually work. I'm not saying we should even BECOME a Socialist or Communist nation. I'm just saying that people need to understand what they're talking about before they say that Obama is a Socialist and so on.

A lot of people have made the accusation that Obama is a terrorist. For all we know, a lot of people could be terrorists. We need to be careful saying things like that, or we'll end up with McCarthyism all over again, only with terrorism instead of communism.

I'm not trying to change anyone's mind about anything. I just want to make sure everyone knows where I'M coming from, and understand why I think Obama could be a positive change for the country. Before accusing him of anything, we need to at least give him a chance.

The results of my plunge...

I failed to mention that I received an e-mail back from the editor of the parenting magazine I submitted my article to yesterday. She accepted it! I'm really excited about that!!! It will be published likely in January or February, but I will keep everyone posted as I hear more.

So now, I can add "freelance writer" to my résumé. That makes me happy.

Hannah has discovered a new hiding spot:She recently discovered that it was a lot of fun to hide out under the dining room chairs. In this picture, she had tipped over Kane's (our dog) water dish over, and dumped water all over the floor. She was then content to play in the water under the chair for a little bit. I let her for a few minutes, but then decided we should probably change her wet socks and pants.

This past weekend, we had our murder mystery party, Death of a Wizard, with a bunch of our friends. We had a really great time! Hannah even came with us, though she didn't make it into the pictures.

Ben Stein's Confession

Ben Stein's Confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrati ng this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they
don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on
your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they
will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein