This Is Why I Love Summer

Growing Girls

Here are some pics of the girls for those of you who have been bugging me for updated mug shots. They're gettting so big! Eden is now sitting up by herself and her bottom two teeth are completely in. She has been having fun breaking them in by chewing on anything she can get her hands on - including fingers and other sensitive body parts.

Emma is getting bigger too - well, at least her feet and vocabulary are growing by leaps and bounds. She is a non-stop chatterbox. From the time her little eyes pop open in the morning, she is filled with question, after question, after question, after question...what's that Momma, what are you doing Momma, where'd Daddy go, what's Chester doing, is Eden sleeping, who's that, can we go shopping (no, really - she asks this almost every morning), can I have apple juice, are you going potty Mommy. Every moment of everyday, narrated by a questioning two year old. UGH! And if you dont answer, and often before you have a chance to answer, she'll keep repeating the question until you do...and to which she almost always replys "WHAT?" or "HUH?" so that you have to repeat your answer at least two more times. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Lord, bless her. Please tell me this stage is a quick one, because seriously - Robert and I are going batty.

Dress-Up

This picture of Emma made me laugh...hope it brightens your day as well. She is just starting to get into dress-up and on occasion the combinations she comes up with are pretty funny. Hopefully, there will be many more of these kind of pictures in our future.

Help Pass Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act

Ok. Did any of you see Oprah on Monday? UNBELIEVABLE. If you didn't, I wouldnt necessarily recommend it, however it is very telling to the state of our world.

The episode was about the hundreds of thousands of children that are victims of sexual abuse each year. It was the most disturbing thing I have ever seen, and I've cried myself to sleep the past couple of nights grieving for these children. The main thing that I want to get across was that there is something we can do about it, but we need to do it now - as in, THIS WEEK.

Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.There is a bill before Congress right now called The PROTECT Our Children Act which will:

• Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.


• Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.


• Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

Act Now! Our U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately. Go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either dropdown menu. Contact information is provided here. To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!

Call Your Senators: If you choose to contact your senators by phone, be sure to tell them, "Vote yes on Senate Bill 1738—The PROTECT Our Children Act."

Write to Your Senators: If you choose to write a letter, fax, telegram or e-mail, you may use the following sample letter—and modify it how you see fit.

Dear Senator,

I know that you believe, like I do, that we must do everything possible to protect children from sexual predators. That is why I am asking for your help. Last year alone, U.S. law enforcement identified over 300,000 criminals who were trafficking in movies and pictures of young children being raped and tortured. Experts say that one in every three of these criminals has local child victims. Child pornography trafficking over the Internet has given us a trail of evidence that leads straight to their doorsteps, but the vast majority of these children will never be rescued because investigators are overwhelmed, outnumbered and underfunded. As your constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to pass the PROTECT Our Children Act (S. 1738, Biden-Hatch). This bipartisan legislation passed the House 415-2, but it is now the victim of petty partisan politics. Now that we know where these children are and how to protect them, there is no excuse for the Senate to fail to take action this session.

(Your name here)

A Day Like No Other

Today is September 11th. Alot has happened in that seven years since the attacks on NYC! And I think this is the first year since then that the day has passed for me without a very heavy heart. Of course I am still sad about all the lives that were changed forever that day; and yet a part of me is now able to let it go. It kind of hit me tonight that this was the case, and I wondered how other people - those who actually lost their loved ones - are doing. I was there that day, and my life will never be the same because of it; however, no one I was close to lost their life, but it has taken me seven years to really shake the whole thing from my head and heart. Imagine losing your sister, or daughter, or father in that way...I suppose those people will never quite shake it. Thankfully, we have a BIG God and my heart and prayers go out to them: for a peace that is beyond understanding, for a father to the fatherless, and a love that never fails.