We are a speck, on a speck, in a speck.

This puts our size in perspective: look how diminutive our planet is in the grand scheme of things.

Yummy Apples

I made this apple snowflake for the kids during lunch today. It's sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. Joshua liked the pattern and called it his "turkish delight."

Joshua (long edition)

Joshua is an incredible kid! It is so fun to watch him developing. He has really begun to understand & organize information. This summer Joshua mastered riding his tricycle. When we went on walks Jesse & I struggled to keep up with him (on his bike). This fall I watched as he began to process the sounds & meaning of the English language. He amused me because at first he knew what letter words started with but didn’t know how to say it properly so he would say things like “t starts with tiger”. He eventually figured it out & now if you ask him to spell jet he will say “it starts with a j, then an e, then a t”. Using a few ideas from the Montessori Method he enjoys spelling, writing, & reading simple phonetic words. He has also become interested in the clocks around our house & is beginning to understand the concept of telling time. The digital clocks are of course much easier for him. He has also unlocked the patterned for numbers & can count to 100 with some help whenever he comes to the multiples of ten. I also love doing short story problems with him at bedtime such as “if dad brings home 5 m&m’s & gives two to Maria how many will he give you?” I am really enjoying watching & facilitating his new preschool type abilities!

Joshua is also fully potty trained as of this year & a competent self dresser. He prefers to wear only red & blue, the year before it was orange so he has expanded his style. Oh, by the way, he wears one red sock & one blue & the red always goes on the right foot! He is very amusing & is the youngest kid I know who uses a shoe horn to put on his shoes. He is also particular about his hair so generally it is best to let him do it himself. Changing the subject, he is absolutely bursting with creative energy! He is a great story teller. Very dramatic! His voice & hand gestures make up for what lacks in plot development. He loves reading, especially the comic book Tintin, building elaborate duplo creations with even more elaborate names such as a big monster shooter crusher blue & red machine truck! He also daily pretends to be anything from a snail to God to electricity! If you call him Joshua he will correct you & say “actually I’m a caterpillar”. As you probably gathered we are really having a lot of fun with him & my biggest challenge is keeping him busy him with age appropriate activities.

Maria (long edition)

Maria is an amazing girl! She is so sweet & fun to be around. She has become accomplished at speaking this past year and can easily match her older brother in a conversation. She will readily take him on & argue about whether this old man played “one” or “two” with them both insisting you’re wrong & I’m right! They do enjoying playing various games together although Joshua can be tricky. I overheard him convincing Maria that she should be happy about not winning and in her good nature way she agreed to be happy about not winning. She does have a wild, feisty side as well though so you better watch out. She will stand up to anyone she perceives as a threat. Once a younger but much bigger boy decide to hug & try to control Sammy & Maria was right there grabbing back & screaming he’s my brother!

On the other hand she loves to cuddle & chatter. She is generally the first one awake so I get to cuddle & talk with her every morning & after nap. She is very relational & aware of people’s emotions. She is distressed when people are sad & she still talks to me about her little brother Anthony who died. She is also very maternal. She will try to take care of me if I’m not feeling well & she is often caring for her brothers or playing mommy to her baby dolls. She calls Joshua "little buddy" & Sammy "my baby". When they get hurt it’s not unusual for her to come running while screaming “I’m coming! Are you okay?” She is also the designated ice getter for boo-boos.

I really enjoy doing things with her because often she is most inclined to sit & complete a craft. She really loves stickers & cutting & gluing things. Also if you find your shoes unlaced & “re-laced” in an unusual manner you can bet Maria did it. She is also a little gymnast & does not have much natural fear. We put a rope ladder in our basement for her to climb & swing on. Swimming is her other love! We recently joined a nearby YMCA & the boys prefer to play on the edge while Maria grabs a swim noodle & kicks, splashes, floats etc. She is even willing to go under water & thinks it’s funny! We hope to get her swim lessons as soon as possible. Maria is such a special part of our family! She really adds a lot of joy!

Sammy (Long edition)

Sammy's personality is rapidly emerging! He is such a character! He is very playful & loves to tease! He loves to come up & either tickle you or just dive right onto you. I see him all the time come up behind a sitting Joshua & throw his arms around Joshua’s neck. You do have to watch out because he can be rather rough & he loves to throw & bang things! We try to have balls readily available so that more dangerous items are not hurtled through the air. He can be rather persistent & knows how to get attention without saying a word. He’ll just come up & begin bopping you until you look at him & then he motions for you to come. He loves praise & definitely wants to know everyone is watching him & ready to clap. He has no problem blowing his own horn & starting the clapping himself either! At the same time he is also very affectionate & loves cuddling. He enjoys cuddling with his siblings every morning & again after nap. Since Joshua takes a long time to fully wake up Sammy has ample time to crawl & hug & bounce all over Joshua. He especially loves sitting on Joshua’s back just bouncing up & down with short pauses to hug Joshua. Most of the time Joshua doesn’t mind & they will begin to just sort of roll & wrestle around on the bed.

Sammy has mastered walking & progressed to running & climbing. Last month he decided a great way to get my attention was to climb onto the kitchen table. He is curious, fearless & not deterred by injury. Sometimes I wonder if he even feels pain! He enjoys playing with just about everything but seems to favor balls, cars, taking baths, & playing chase. His very favorite pastime is nursing & reading books. He loves the book “Where The Wild Things Are” and alternates between growling & pretending to be scared. He is interesting to me because as the 3rd child he seems to alternate between baby & big kid. He wants to at least attempt everything the big kids are doing & hates to be left behind. He wants to sit in their chairs, drink from open glasses, color, & glue & paste the same crafts. But when he gets frustrated or scared of being a big kid he runs back to me to nurse. In some ways he seems like such a paradox. My biggest challenge with him is supervising him & keeping him busy & safe. If he’s out of my sight he’s sure to be getting into some sort of mischief from unrolling the toilet paper to pushing the chairs around & opening all the kitchen drawers. Despite these challenges or perhaps because of them he is such a great joy! His laid back personality mixed with his cheerfulness is such a great addition to our family!

Baby Eyeliner

The other day Joshua was trying to ask to watch Baby Einstein and instead he said "baby eye-liner." Haha, thats a funny mistake. He must be spending too much time with Catherine when she is putting on make-up.

Christmas joy!

As Joshua was eating a christmas candy cane he joyfully exclaimed "Candy canes are my all time favorite!"

Merry Christmas! Glory to God in the Highest & Peace to His people on Earth!

My dear friends & family I wish to share the goodness of God with you! His blessings on our family have been so numerous this year! His greatest gift to us was the life & death of our dear son, Anthony Francis! Anthony, together with his brother David Mary have opened the flood gates of God’s goodness upon our family! When God took this second son of mine He literally stole my heart. Nothing matters to me in this world anymore. If God asked me for my house I would give it willingly for it is nothing in comparison to giving Him my son. Anthony’s death is a great blessing that flowed from the merciful heart of God. When I reflect on the moment of his death to this life my heart is pierced with the pain of anguish but at the same time it is immersed in joy & thanksgiving. How can this be? It is so because God is infinitely good! Through Jesus Christ He has turned our suffering to joy! In fact, suffering is a great gift in which we image Christ & draw God to ourself. What a paradox of faith that even suffering is joy!

If we reflect on the Christ child we understand that He was born into this world to die. The shadow of the cross is present even at His birth. For all of us we are born into this world to live. But our life is not in this world, it is in the next with God. At the moment of Anthony’s death he became the envy of us all because he entered the heavenly city & saw God face to face! For all eternity he will behold the face of God & give him ceaseless praise! Oh, may God grant this great gift to all my children!

And yet there is more to God’s goodness! We do not only experience & know His goodness when we die but it begins here on this earth. God desires to fill us even now with a lasting joy & peace. For a year now God has asked me bring the children to daily mass. Since the death of Anthony Francis I long to go because it is there where heaven touches earth & I can be with my sons who reside in the heart of my Eucharist Lord! Oh how I pray that you may all understand this great mystery! What joy is found in the presence of Christ! All things fade away but He remains eternal.

I never cease to be amazed at how God desires to pervade our whole lives even to the smallest detail. He desires an intimacy with us that is incomprehensible. So many times a prayer is barely even a thought before God answers me in abundance. It is as if He is aware of even the smallest flutter of my heart & He desires for me to know Him in the same way. God is so in love us that He took on our human nature to show to us how intimate He desires to be with us. Over & over in the scriptures He portrays himself as a bridegroom & we are the bride! What unfathomable love! I pray that you may all come to adore & love the Christ child this Christmas!

Not quite sure if it was me

Maria had built a duplo train and Joshua had built a duplo monster truck.
Anna left the room and when she returned the train was busted up.
Anna asked, "Joshua did you break Maria's train?"
Joshua slowly responded, "I just pushed the blue button on the big machine truck and it broke Maria's train... Did I break it? Yeah, I guess I broke it."

This kinda sounds like me when I say, "I didn't tickle you, my hand did." I guess I'll have model taking responsibility to the kids.

He prefers our nature over the angels...

I read this during eucharistic adoration last week and my mind has been going back to it constantly. I wanted to share it with everyone because I found it so meaningful.

The blessed sacrament is a magnet for souls. There is a mutual attraction between Jesus and the souls of men. Mary drew Him down from heaven. Our nature attracted Him rather than the nature of the angels. Our misery caused Him to stoop to our lowness. Even our sins had a sort of attraction for the abundance of His mercy and the predilection of His grace. Our repentance wins Him to us. Our love makes earth a paradise to Him; and our souls lure Him as gold lures a miser, with irresistible fascination.
~Fr. Frederick William Faber

Actually, my name is Cindy

My sister Cindy (Joshua's Aunt) is pregnant with my first neice, Gianna.

Lately Joshua has taken to pretenting that he is pregnant by putting a ball underneith his shirt. Sometimes if we call him Joshua he will correct us and say, "actually, my name is Cindy."
He says that he is carrying baby Gianna.
Yeah, I know this is kinda silly, but he thinks it is tons of fun to walk around the house like this.

Just fits

Maria just fits into the little front part of the shopping cart.

''Yeah, we tazy''

After going to early mass today we stopped at a park to play with the kids in the cold morning air. We wanted them to get out some energy before going grocery shopping. Our play time only lasted about 15 minutes because our cheeks and noses were getting so cold. As we were running back to the car shivering Anna asked the kids, ''are we crazy?''
Maria responded with a big smile on her face, ''Yeah, we tazy!''

Will we allow the Koran to enter the US Senate?

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.

When all elected officials take their oaths of office with their hands on the Bible, they all affirm that some unifying value system underlies American civilization. If Keith Ellison is allowed to change that, he will be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11.

If Senator-elect Ellison is allowed to swear-in using the Koran it will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones as they see the first sign of the realization of their greatest goal -- the Islamicization of America.

If you can spend 2 minutes to voice your opinion on this go to the AFA site Scroll down to the bottom and "take action" to automatically write letters to your senators.

Where are all the Nativity scenes going?

The City Council of Berkley Michigan recently caved in to an empty threat from the ACLU and ended their 60+ year long tradition of putting up a Nativity scene. In a news release from The Thomas More Law Center they explain that free legal defense was offered, and that the "neighboring city of Clawson’s Nativity display had been challenged in court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which governs Michigan, had ruled that the Nativity could be displayed legally on city property." What a shame.

On a positive note, the City of Plymouth Michigan followed their generations-long tradition and put up their Nativity display again this year. PLEASE CALL THEM TO SAY THANKS by dialing (734) 453-7737 , or email them at psincock@ci.plymouth.mi.us

Merry Christmas!

Maybe not such a good idea

While eating pizza for dinner today Joshua announced: "Mom, I have a good idea. Lets eat pizza first, then suckers, then green beans."
My what a little diplomat.

Happy Thanksgiving

My Uncle Bob and Aunt Donna invited us to their home on Thanksgiving morning to watch the Thanksgiving day parade. It was our first ever parade, and it was lots of fun. Maybe it was the amazing breakfast spread available to us before, during, and after just a block away from the parade at my Uncle's house. Or maybe it was the huge ballons and floats. But we had fun...Maria didn't even want to leave the roadside when we went back to Uncle Bob's house for the best corned beef hash on the planet.

Then we went to my Uncle Tim's to say hi to the Ray-side and have yummy appetizers. Then on to my parents house to eat smoked cornish game hens and play fun games like Baldradash and MadgGab with the Browns and my Aunt Joan, Uncle Mike and Cousin Jon Hirzel.
What a fun filled day...and to top it all off it went really smooth.

We are thankful for our family, our friends, our warm and joy-filled home, and for God's love and mercy.

"I want to shave with you dad"

One of Joshua's favorite things to do with me is shave. He looks so content to just sit on the counter watching. He loves to make sure his cheeks and chin are covered with a thick lather, and he lets me shave it all off (with the safety cap still on, of course). After it's all done he loves the aftershave to be patted on his cheeks.

I'll Protect You

Maria was laying in bed next to a sleepy Josh. She was telling Joshua about how she would protect him if a mean dog attacked him. She said, "Josh, if a mean dog came to get you I will keep you safe. I will hit the dog in the face, and he would die."

It's nice to have such a tough kid in the house.

Should you allow yelling?

My grandma sent me this:

A little girl's prayer

Every night, after turning out the lights, we take a glow-in-the-dark crucifix and pass it around during family prayer time. It has been funny to see what the kids are thinking about in relation to God.

For a while now during prayers, Joshua, who is usually very verbal, has been keeping his prayers short. In fact he only wants to pray for the people in our house at the moment. "I pray for Mom, Dad, Maria and Sam." During the week Anna's sister Catherine stays with us while she attends University nearby...Joshua has asked during prayers, "is Catherine home?" If she is, he'll include her. If she's gone he doesn't want to pray for her.

Maria on the other hand prays for everything and everyone! Last night we had to help her close out her petitions because she showed no signs of stopping. She'll include people, animals and even inanimate objects: "I pray for birds, for Fr. Ed, for sheep, for suckers, for cars, for bunnies. I pray for Mom, for the groceries, for pizza, for Josh..." and so on. Anna and I were practically in stiches last night just listenting to the things she was coming up with and the matter of fact way she was praying.

One tough cookie

How many 15 year old girls have run 13.1 miles at one time? Not many, right? Well I know one: my baby sister, (who isn't much of a baby any more). Emily has been running with her highschool cross country team for only a few months. She was running longer distances with me on the side, but to go from 0 to 13.1 miles in 3 months is a real feat. I am so proud that she ran with me at the Detroit Half-Marathon, and she was in the top 40% of her age group. Keep it up sis!

Look at all that teenager energy!

Our Military is the brightest and best

Senator John Kerry more than crossed the line recently, insulting all of our men and women in uniform basically saying they are all underacheivers. While speaking to a group pf college students Kerry said, "you know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't you get stuck in Iraq."

In response this arogant remark some of our illiterate troops sent this message:

Just glad to FINISH

It was a cold Sunday morning when my sister Emily and I made our way to the middle of the starting line. Detroit is cold this time of year, and the wind blowing pretty hard down the streets. One of the big challenges for a runner is knowing what to wear...our body is so cold at the beginning, but after a few miles a coat and hat turn into ovens. The solution is cheap, used, over-cloths that can be thrown on the sidewalk.
Emily was lacking a jacket, and refused to wear a very stylish clear-plastic trash bag that I had found for her, so I switched with her, and poked my head up through the hole in the top of the trash bag. It is amazing how nice and warm I was, and how cool I looked. :-)
The Detroit Half-Marathon course had some nice views: we ran over the Ambassador Bridge and along the Canadian side of the Detroit River. Running back through the tunnel was especially fun since the gently downward slope really propelled us along until we got to the painful upward slope. It was coming up out of the bridge that my body started suggesting that maybe a short nap would be a great idea. But not wanting to be like the Hare that slept too long, I kept going, going, going. I passed by soreness and into numbness. My goal: to beat last years finish time of 2:09. When I finally crossed the finish line I knew that I had made it. 2:08 was my finish this year.
Emily crossed the finish line very soon after, doing great for a 15 year old's first 13 mile race. Also finishing with us this year was Dr. Mike Singleton, our favorite family dentist in Saline.

After a nice massage the rest of the day seemed very bright knowing that I was done running...for that race at least.

Lots going on

It has been one of the busiest 10 days of work in my life. We have purchased a new quality inspection and customer communication system called CleanTelligent. It is the latest and greatest web-based tool available for our industry. I am responisble for getting it up and running from start to finish.
This has involved purchasing the equipment, organizing and training our employees, and setting up one of our larger customers with the proper access.
Everyone in the company is excited about it--I overheard our operations team talking about the new Pocket PC phones yesterday and how amazing they are. Just wait until I show them more about what they can do....then they'll really be amazed. Wireless uploading of job specifications, inspections that follow the specs, web messaging that tracks performance. Crazy, huh?

Well, I've got to get back to work.

Dogs in the House

Joshua and Maria (and Anna) made this dog mask out of the kids magazine (Spider). They were running around the house barking at us and eachother...what fun!

Got Milk

Atheists

On the first day of school, young Lucy took her seat in science class. The teacher began to explain why there was no God and why she was an atheist. The students all listened carefully. At the end of the class the teacher asked how many of the children wanted to be atheists like her.
Not wanting to contradict the new teacher all the students raised their hands — except Lucy. The teacher said, "Lucy, why didn't you raise your hand?" Lucy responded, "Because I am not an atheist and never will be. I am a Christian."
The teacher was perturbed and said, "Why are you a Christian?" Lucy answered, "My mother is intelligent and she is a Christian; my father is very intelligent and he is a Christian — so I am a Christian too."
The teacher was angry now and asked, "That is ridiculous. If your mother was a moron and your father was a moron, what would you be then?"
Lucy thought for a moment and then said, "I'd probably be an atheist!"
From Steve Ray's Blog

Go Tigers

Joshua and I got to see the Tigers at Comerica Park during their last game with the Yankees. What a great experience. Joshua had so much fun, cheering, dancing around, being friendly with all the people that we came in contact with.
My friend Matt Rost was kind enough to give us two tickets to the game, and boy were they great seats! Sec 133, Row 22. We sat next to someone he works with, Shannon. Her husband was so nice--he bought Joshua cotton candy and had a great time playing with him. Dr. Mike Singleton was there too with his wife, Mary, sis in law Cathy and her husband. They were so cool, paying attention to Joshua, being generous with us.
The only thing Joshua did't like to much was the loud noise, but luckly I brought ear plugs for him, so it wasn't too bad, and he got used to the loudness of it all after a while. I am sure that baseball games are always fun, but is it much more fun when your team wins...and decisivly at that. (Tigers 8, Yankees 1)

Line Rider

Please make sure you try this at home, cause it is way too much fun to play with at work.

ps. once you think that you have made the coolest sledding hill possible, check out what other people (with way more time than you) have come up with. Tobaggon Escape

Back to some fun stuff: Bullets in slow motion

I don't know what you ladies out there think about this kind of stuff, but to me it is incredible. Click on the picture to watch how a bullet travels through objects with such unstoppable force. Wow.

Thank you

Thank you to all of our friends who were able to attend the funeral of Anthony Francis! Your presence was a great comfort and consolation! Thank you also to the many more friends and family who were spritually present through your prayers! Because of you God is showering our family with graces and consolations! Yesterday, during the mass, whenever Fr. Ed held up Jesus in the Eucharist I heard Anthony laughing with joy. To know that my son is playing and laughing with Christ himself is such and incredible and overwhelming gift! Thank you so much for sharing our joy and sorrow as we gieve the lost of Anthony's physical presence to us but rejoice in his entrance into eternal life. Anthony Francis pray for us!

Who is caffeine for?

On our way to the grave site for Anthony, Joshua and Maria were in desperate need of a snack; Joshua asked for a Clif Builders bar which is a choclate covered protein bar. While we were at the grave site he was still nibbling on it. Grandpa Ray asked him what we was eating, and the interchange that occured made everyone who heard it laugh out loud.

Joshua said, "a chocolate clif bar."
Grandpa said, "whats in it?"
(Joshua must have remembered Anna saying that chocolate has caffeine in it)
Joshua responed, "caffeine!"
Suprised, grandpa asked, "what's caffeine?"
Joshua pointed his finger and said in a manly voice, "caffeine is not for little boys."

The Lord Gives and The Lord Takes Away...

“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!”
Job 1:21

Anthony Francis,
Your dad and I took a chance and God created you. Your conception was a gift and your death too is a gift because now you are truly home. You came forth from His hand and in just 11 weeks He called you back to His heart. How you must have leapt with joy to know that you were to return so soon to the one who created you. In the words of St. Augustine "You have made us and directed us toward yourself and our heart is restless until we rest in you." After suffering a short passion where you were bathed and drowned in blood you will now rest for eternity in God. Your life has just begun. The quote I read the day you died was “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” – St. Basil, Adversus Eunomium III.
We baptized you, Anthony Francis, after St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis de Sales, two very gentle, simple and humble saints. Two of my favorite quotes from St. Francis are “Nothing is as strong gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength” and “Give me souls and take away everything else”. St. Francis is responsible for the Salesian order while St. Anthony joined the Franciscan order. While I was pregnant with you I often found myself praying the later quote of St. Francis and you, dear Anthony Francis, are an answer to that prayer. After your death, I even told God that if He wanted me to be a vessel for souls to be created and then ascend to heaven I would do it and even if He took all my children I would still love Him. When I was laboring to deliver you, my main thought was to recover your body so that we could baptize you. In both the loss of you and your brother, David Mary, God has given us the incredible consolation of recovering your bodies and baptizing you. In your death He even granted me the grace to recover your body intact and to hold and kiss your tiny body. Anthony Francis, you are incredibly beautiful and it was amazing to hold your tiny 1.5 inch body and see how perfectly you were made, calling to mind Psalm 139:13-14, “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew”.
(Click on a picture to see full image)

My gentle Anthony, perhaps you were too gentle for this world and God called you quickly to Himself to preserve your perfect love and innocence. I chose Wisdom 4:7-15 for the first reading at your funeral mass. Verses 10-11, 13-14 read “He who pleased God was loved; he who lived among sinners was transported, snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul; Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career, for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness.” I then chose Psalm 27 because versus 4 reads “One thing I ask of the Lord this I seek; to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple.” It seems to me that this prayer must have welled up from your heart and God answered you. In your death there even appears to be a smile on your face. I chose Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7 as the second reading for my sake as much as yours because verses 4-5 read “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away. The one who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” For anyone who has seen the movie “The Passion” you may remember when Jesus meets his mother and says to her “Behold, I make all things new”. I guess I feel as if you too would remind me of these words of Christ as a promise that one day I will grieve no more and be in the holy city with you. I chose Matthew 11:25-30 as the gospel because it begins “Jesus spoke thus: ‘I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike’” Little Anthony, God opened the gates of heaven with all it mystery and majesty to you and you in your simplicity and love accepted. I thank God for the gift of your unstained soul that flew up to heaven!

Anthony, you are my second child that God has asked for and this time I was able to send you without anger but not without sorrow. In the weeks preceding your death I could feel the spiritual battle surrounding your life and the life of every child from the moment they are created. We truly have an enemy who hates us and wants to destroy the image of God in us. When we saw ultrasounds of you, there you were a beautiful white, living, moving image but next to you was a dark mass threatening to pollute your pure, life giving environment. We tried to help you fight by enlisting the prayers of everyone around you and following the doctor’s advice but still on Wednesday the blood began to flow. The night I delivered you I experience a small agony in the garden. I felt very alone accept for the image of the cross in my mind to which I was grasping allowing the blood of Christ to flow over me as I felt the blood flowing out of my body. That night both blood and water in the form of tears flowed freely. The next day an awful emptiness set in when an ultrasound showed a vast nothingness where only two days early had been an active, living beautiful baby boy. Since then things have been up and down. The days are easier and full of distraction but with the night comes the emptiness and the doubts and worries. Did I do everything I could? Did I not pray enough? Will I ever have another child?

But God in His mercy and goodness sends many comforts as well through our friends and family and through His word. A friend sent me the scripture Matthew 6:20-21 which reads “Store up treasures in heaven,, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves beak in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” God knows that my heart is always with my children so by taking them He has stolen my heart and I will not rest until I rest in Him. Having already lost a child I also know what a blessing a heavenly baby is. David Mary has sent done showers of graces on our family and I know Anthony Francis will do the same. I’m sure he will get Francis de Sales to mentor him in the salesian spirituality so that he can teach it to me. I know God is using this child to lead us out into the deep. Anthony will help us to “be not afraid” in the words of John Paul II. God also sent me consolation through another quote of St. Augustine “For almighty God…, because he is supremely good, would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist in his works if he were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge from evil itself.” Death is the result of sin and evil but through death we are born to eternal life. The cross leads us to the resurrection. “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?” I Corinthians 15:55.

Love,
Mom

Funeral Mass

The funeral mass for Anthony Francis will be at 10:00 Monday morning.

Joshua's Jokes

I have to tell you that Joshua came up with this joke on his own without any encouragement, hints, or prodding from us of any kind:
Joshua was holding a stuffed cow toy.
He said, "HONK!"
Then he prompted me to ask: "who said that." So I did.

Then he replied, "the cow's horn."

LOL

A great loss

We are so sad that Anna miscarried our baby boy at around 1:00 am Thursday. We baptised him Anthony Francis. He was so small, yet so perfect. So sad. Anna expressed her sorrow, which I share, that we will never get to know him--we'll never learn his temperment, see his beautiful eyes, or teach him how to read.

There was a great element of suffering that went on tonight. Not only Anna's physical pains, but our child who we saw alive and moving about on Tuesday, went through a great trauma. Anthony had his own little passion of the cross as he suffered as the blood clot contaminated his safe environment. His little body was so perfect, you could see his little bones and arteries through his glossy skin. You could even tell that he shared facial features with our other kids. (click here to see a picture if you so desire)

We know that he has gone straight to God. And we know that he can remain present to us because God created Anthony with a unique and everlasting soul. In some ways we are to envy his situation: our souls were all created to be with God, this child got to skip a grade and go straight to heaven.

worries

In case you haven't heard already our 9 week old baby is sharing Anna's belly with something dangerous. After some bleeding and an ultra sound the doctor determined that a large blood clot is threatening to either invade the baby's space or detach the placenta (the baby's food source) from the uterine wall...killing the babe.

Anna is on strick bed rest meaning no activity beyond what is absolutly neccessary: like trips to the bathroom, sitting in the kitchen to eat, and yes, if the house was on fire she is allowed to exit in haste. But for the most part she cannot care for our other three rugrats. Our family and some friends have been a great help so far, offering to come over to help out with the kids and such.

Please keep us and the baby in your prayers.

That's no sunspot

Amateur astronomer Thierry Legault snapped this hires shot of the sun Sunday from Normandy France. Being the smart guy he is, he managed to get an amazing silhouette of the newly enlarged International Space Station (ISS) with the Space Shuttle Atlantis close by.
Click the link to see the large image. Can you see them?

Thanks to Wohba!

Funny movie about being scared to share your faith

Knick knack paddy wack

Joshua and Maria are singing the "this old man" song and the had the cutest little argument over what number the old man played:
Josh insisted that "this old man he played two."
While Maria was sure "he played three."

It was so funny to hear them

Joshua says the funniest things

We were at Grandpa Ray's house late this evening searching for milkweed to feed our monarch caterpillar. Grandpa was carrying a big mag-light flashlight and Joshua asked to carry it. Grandpa said, "this flashlight weighs as much as you."
Josh, noticing that the porchlight cast his shadow far down the driveway, quickly replied, "my shadow makes be big enough."
So with that he won the honor of carrying the light.

God's Generosity

Jesse and I had been talking about when we felt we may be ready for another baby. I figured September after Sammy was a year old. Well, July rolled around and Sammy was already walking and the end of Jesse's grad degree was in sight--basically family life was good. So we decided to cut a few corners with the NFP rules to see what would happen. I told Jesse based on the charting that we hade a 30% chance of conceiving, he laughed and said that it was either 0% or 100%.
Well, I still considered it a slim possibility so the first day when I realized that I might be pregnant I was talking to God and expressing some doubts and concerns, saying, "Are you sure about this?" And God in his eternal patience and love blasted me with an overwhelming sense of the incredible gift he had given our family, and also of my ingratitude.

This isn't to say that I don't still worry at times, but every time I wonder, "How can I do this?" God gently reminds me, "You can't, but I can." I am also reminded of the scripture: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

With every child He continues to teach our family about love and generosity. I remember when I first held Joshua thinking, "so this is what it's all about." Here was this 6 week early perfectly formed 3 lb 14oz baby. He brought to mind Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Then Maria's birth brought Jesse and I to tears of awe and joy. Before you were born I knew you, before you were born I set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5). Then again for a third time God blessed us with sweet Samuel from whom I could literally feel God's grace radiating. I became aware of the reality that only nine months earlier his body had been touched by the hands of God. Here I was, holding this beautiful baby so newly come from God. It really brought the Nativity to our living room.

In a way isn't every child similar to the Christ child? The night Christ was born shephards flocked to see Him. Perhaps people still flock to see newborns because we realize that by doing so we come in contact with the eternal and witness a visible sign of the triumphant power of love.

Praise be Jesus Christ both now and forever. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaids lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blesed. The Almighty has done great things for me and Holy is His name. His mercy is from age to age on those who fear Him...(Luke 1:46-50)

Expecting...

What in the world could we possibly be expecting?
To win the lotto? No.
Pluto to be re-planetized? No.
Spaghetti for dinner? Maybe.
A new kitty? No. Not yet anyway.

Oh, thats right...Dr. Fleming confirmed that we are expecting a new baby. The heartbeat is strong and everything looked ok on the ultrasound.
Anna is almost 7 weeks right now, and the baby is due April 23. We don't know if we're having a boy or a girl yet for sure. But I am betting "boy" because Anna has been really hot lately. Well actually I think she's good looking all the time, but lately she's always wanting the fan on, kicking off the covers, etc. Just like with Josh and Sammy.

Wow, four kids. At least the birthday's are pretty spread out on the calendar: Joshua 1/10/03, Maria 5/27/04, Sammy 9/13/05 and probably 4/23/07 for new-baby.

Check back in a few weeks because we are going to play a little game with the baby's name and we want everyone to be able to participate...and there's gunna be a prize for the winner.

Right about now the baby probably looks like this one, except a lot cuter:

Juvenile Jokes

A seal walked into a bar and the bar tender asked him what he wanted to drink.
The seal said, " Anything but a Canadian Club."

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A man asked for directions from a stranger on the sidewalk: "What's the quickest way to Ann Arbor?"
The stranger replied, "Are you walking or driving?"
"Driving" said the man.
"Well, thats the quickest way."

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A little boy was crying on the way home from his baptism at church. His parents asked what was wrong.
In between wimpers the boy said, "The priest prayed that I would grow up in a christian home...but I want to live with you guys."

Thanks to Garrison Keilor and the Prairie Home Companion, where there's more where that came from.

Standing Still at the Home Depot

This is a really neat YouTube video created by a HUGE group of people that all freezed at the same time at the Home Depot. They never really explain on the video why they did it...maybe they were just really bored. After looking on their website it appears they are just out to have some good clean fun. Enjoy.

Clay-mation from kids

Claymation has aways seemed like a lot of fun to me. These kids look like they have some talent and a good sense of humor.

Check out this video at rocketboom.com

Three Strikes

Most people can open a can of soup and warm it up. Yummy. Condensed soup is probably the most difficult variation of canned soup, because you have to mix the right amount of water into it.

Well, let me tell you, warming up a can of soup will not prepare you for making soup from scratch. Anna and I have tried half a dozen times, usually starting with the remains of an organic chicken boiled in water for a base. Our results have been far from perfect; three of the soups ended up being dumped, while the others actually turned out really good. But I wanted to point out the ones that turned out bad, because they each have a story.

The first time we made chicken and barley soup, I poured in half a bag of barley, and Anna said, why not just put in the whole bag. I knew that barley expanded, but didn;t realize how much, so I poured in the whole bag. We could eat that yummy soup with a fork.

The second time we were making chicken noodle soup using a slow cooker. We added all of the ingredients together all at the beginning...including the noodles. We were under the impression that the slow cooker would make sure they all the ingredients would cook properly. Well noodles don't do so well being simmered all day. Needless to say this variation of Chicken Noodle Soup wasn't too popular.

Well today's soup tops the rest. While picking the ingredients for the chicken noodle soup at the local fruit and vegatable market I saw other people eagerly picking through the Okra. I had heard that Okra was a neat and healthy veggie so I got a dozen or so for our soup. We chopped it up and tossed it into the boiling broth. Guess what okra does? It releases a thick mucusy substance. The result didn't taste bad, but the entire mixture looked like snot soup. It felt so slimy and gross that we just couldn't bring ourselves to eat more than a few bites. (Click on the picture for a close up).

After learning from all these mistakes surely next time we'll do better. Would to like to come over and sample our next soup with us?

Neglected Children

Maybe it's not nice to joke around about this type of thing...but Anna was scrolling through our pictures from vacation an she laughed out loud when she saw this picture. Don't Josh and Maria look like the poster children for neglected and abused kids? I caught their expressions at just the right moment, they both look so dejected.


Just in case you are wondering, we do feed and care for our kids. We don't lock them in cages at night very often and we do bath them annually.

31 Different Ways to Tie Your Shoelaces

Wow, somebody really likes shoelaces. Ian liked them so much he created an entire site about various ways to tie them, with pictures, instruction and even ratings! It's neat check it out.

Everything is Illuminated

My dad cannot sit still through a movie very often, he always is doing two or three things at once. But every once in a while, I'll find a movie that I know he'll sit through. Everything is Illuminated was one of these movies. Indeed I was right, he really, really enjoyed it. And you will too.

It blends humor at the beginning with mystery and emotion at the end. You'll love the bit about the seeing eye #itch whose name is Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. It is definetly a premium movie.

Mammatus Clouds

Mammatus Clouds look like something from a science fiction movie. I think I'd be hiding in the cellar if I saw clouds like these approaching
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Other Related Rayclan Posts
Lenticular Clouds

Joshua is at it again

We were driving this evening and the kids were looking for the moon, but it was nowhere to seen. Maria said, "the moon went to bed."
I asked the kids, "does the moon have a pillow and a blanket?"
Joshua said "it doesn't."
So we asked him how he knew. He said, "because I'm smart and I know."
We told him he was smart and funny too, to which he quickly replied, with a serious tone, "I'm not funny. I know funny, and I'm not funny."
This had us in stitches laughing so hard. He continued insisting that he was not funny.

Later we discovered that the "I know funny" line came from a line in the movie Finding Nemo, which Joshua skillfully wove into his jest.

One mile

My Cousin Julie who is about a decade younger than me, thinner, smarter, and better looking, can run fast. Her dad, my Uncle Bill, runs marathons, so it must be in her blood. She is trying to get down to 5 minute miles to qualify for a scholarship to Purdue.

So speed is the key. That's the measure for performance.

Ever since I started running last year I have had the goal to run long distances. But I was just thinking, just about anybody can run a distance (even slowly). The challenge most people struggle with is speed. "How fast can You run that long distance?" Well, I ran 13.1 miles in 2:09, which is about 9:48 minutes per mile...not bad, but not great either. I ran 6.2 miles in 54:17, which is about 8:45 minutes per mile. So how fast Could I run a just one mile? I just wanted to find out.

Well, I ran one mile this morning and finished in 6:55 pushing Maria and Sammy in the Chariot. Does pushing two chubby kids slow me down? Maybe, I'll find out for sure next time.

Emily did great!

She even felt like she got a second wind as we got close to finishing. We finished the 4.8 mile race in around 50 minutes.

I took this picture with Anna's camera phone while running along side her.

Just before the race

My sister Emily took up running this summer. This is her first race, and it is in Hell, Michigan. So now she can say "I ran through hell."

Strongest Dad in the World

Read this amazing article first and then watch the video at the bottom.

From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I stink.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

``He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want to do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.''

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care)and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Have you ever seen Unicycle Dancing? Wow

This little girl has some really crazy talent. But I'll be she doesn't have any friends because she spends all her time practicing.

Have you ever heard of a lenticular cloud?

These amazing clouds have been mistaken for UFO's or UFO "cover" because of their smooth saucer-like appearance. Learn more about them on Wikipedia.

Spinners

We put up a new hanging seat in the basement for the kids. It is a cool chair from IKEA and the kids love to swing and spin in it.

Notice how Joshua continues to giggle, but Maria gets a frightened look on her face until they slow down and change directions.

Joshua says the FUNNIEST things!

In the last few days Joshua has spoken some very hilarious words. Most of the time he does not intend for them to be funny, but his matter-of-fact additude makes his innocent comments quite amusing.

Earlier this week, while on vacation, Anna and the kids spent a lot of time swimming. Maria was exceptionally adventurous in the water, fearlessly trying new things like swimming with her ring into the deep water and jumping off the platform into grandpa's arms. Joshua is much more careful in the water, he has an innate sense that there the water is dangerous. One day, when maria was crying, Joshua was trying to help solve the situation said, “Mom, just put Maria in the deep water, and then she’ll be gone.”

While playing with the sword, crown and shield that Grandma and Grandpa Ray gave to him, Joshua was fighting the dragons and saving Aunt (Princess) Theresa from the danger. After the battle was finished Princess Theresa asked Sir Joshua, “So do I give you a kiss now?” Joshua responded, “No, I don’t have any boo boos.”

After coming back from swimming in the lake, Joshua’s hair was exceptionally curly. They passed by a lady who commented, “Joshua, where did you get your curls?”
Anna said, “His daddy.” But Joshua, with a puzzled look on his face, corrected Anna and said, “from the water.”

Another Good Movie

We just watched this new movie and enjoyed it immensely. It was very edifying and entertaining. The performances are all excellent and realistic, and the direction is great. It moves a little slow at times, but it should be because it is a "real" movie, not a typical hollywood flick. Worth the price of a rental!

Ship Tracker

Just like the name says, it tracks ships! All ships! At least, all the big ships. . .Well, all the ones minus some military ones of course.

Check out the Ship Tracker tab and look at the "Tall Ships". There are links to websites for the Tall Ships which are the beautiful old-fashioned large sailing vessels...aaarrrrrgh!

Courageous Sam

Sam is walking all over now...

and even sliding down slides like a pro...with no fear.

Joshua playing mass

Joshua has been taking a special interest in "playing" mass lately. He has been paying close attention to what goes on while we are at church, and he'll very reverently recreate what he remembers. Joshua had been playing at the banister for months calling it his alter, but he finally got to practice with a realistic set-up when we were visiting our friends the Wright's (first picture).

Since then Anna has set up a little faux alter in our basement which you can see him reading the gospel at a few days ago.

Sammy's First Steps

Samuel has been taking a few steps here and there for a while now, but nothing has been caught on tape until today. We were at my Grandma and Grandpa Ray's house and Sam must have been filled with more courage, or maybe he just felt more safe in their smaller room, but he was walking around a lot. Here he is walking a short distance.

It was a hot day

Today was a very hot day, hotter than most, around 96F. We have been trying to avoid using our air conditioner for various reasons, but for the last 2 days we have been like the rest of the privaledged americans who have the luxury. We went to my Grandma and Grandpa Ray's house for dinner. After the sun started to get low in the sky it was cool enough to start playing outside. Grandpa rode us around in his new golf cart, and Joshua stopped to chase his chicken...

and then get chased.

Fun Commercial

This is one of the best commercials I've seen that really makes you feel a connection with a car. Click on "Watch the Civic" it is a neat commercial from the UK where a group of people replicate all the sounds of the car...
Watch the Honda Civic

Too Busy

Things have been busy at the Ray home. I have two evening classes every week for the next 10 weeks, and my teachers fill the entire 4 hour lecture, yikes. Work has been consuming many a daylight hour with both urgent and important things. And every other moment that I am not studying has been spent with Anna and the kids. We have some new pictures of from the 4th and other family outings that have yet to be posted, but I plan to do so soon.

Happy Independace Day!

Remember that it's not just about fireworks and watermelons.

A touching story. (long but worth reading)

Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor
by TED HARVEY
She sings the anthem to applause, then her secret is revealed to stunned silence.
I want to share with you an awesome experience I had in the Colorado House of Representatives on May 8. It is a humbling experience to look back and realize that God used me to play a role in His divine orchestration.
I was leaving the House chambers for the weekend when our Democrat speaker of the House announced that the coming Monday would be the final day of this year's General Assembly. He went on to state that there were still numerous resolutions on the calendar which we would need to be addressed prior to the summer adjournment. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned that one of the resolutions we would be hearing was being carried by the House Majority Leader Alice Madden, honoring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
As a strong pro-life legislator I was disgusted by the idea that we would pass a resolution honoring this 90-year legacy of genocide. I drove home that night wondering what I could say that might pierce the darkness during the debate on this heinous resolution.
On Saturday morning, I took my 8-year-old son up to the mountains to go white-water rafting. The trip lasted all day. As we were driving home, exhausted and hungry, I remembered that I had accepted an invitation to attend a fundraising dinner that night for a local pro-life organization. One of my most respected mentors had personally called me several weeks earlier and asked me to attend, so I knew I'd have to clean up and head over.
After our meal, the executive director of the organization introduced the keynote speaker. I looked up and saw walking to the stage a handicapped young lady being assisted to the microphone by a young man holding a guitar.
Her name was Gianna Jessen.
Gianna said "Hello," welcomed everyone, and then sang three of the most beautiful Christian songs I have ever heard.
She then began to give her testimony. When her biological mother was 17 years old and seven and a half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to have an abortion. As God would have it, the abortion failed and a beautiful 2-pound baby girl was brought into the world. Unfortunately, she was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors thought that she would never survive. The doctors were wrong.
Imagine the timing! A survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion arrived in town just days before the Colorado House of Representatives was to celebrate Planned Parenthood's "wonderful" work.
As I listened to Gianna's amazing testimony, the Lord inspired me to ask her if she could stay in Denver until Monday morning so that I could introduce her on the floor of the House and tell her story. Perhaps she could even begin the final day's session by singing our country's national anthem!
To my surprise she said she would seriously consider it. If she were to agree, she wanted her accompanying guitarist to stay as well. A lady standing in line behind me waiting to meet Gianna overheard our conversation and said that she would be willing to pay for the guitarist's room. Gianna then said that she would think about it.

As I was driving home from the banquet, my cell phone rang. It was Gianna, and she immediately said, "I'm in, let's ruin this celebration." Praise God!
When Monday morning came, I awoke at 6 a.m. to write my speech before heading to the Capitol. As I wrote down the words, I could sense God's help and I knew that this was going to be a powerful moment for the pro-life movement.
Following a committee hearing, I rushed into the House chambers just as the opening morning prayer was about to be given. Between the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, I wrote a quick note to the speaker of the House explaining that Gianna is an advocate for cerebral palsy. I took the note to the speaker and asked if I could have my friend open the last day of session by singing the national anthem. Without any hesitation the speaker took the microphone and said, "Before we begin, Representative Harvey has made available for us Gianna Jessen to sing the national anthem."
Gianna sang the most amazing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that you could possibly imagine. Every person in the entire chamber was completely still, quiet and in awe of this frail young lady's voice.
Due to her cerebral palsy, Gianna often loses her balance, and shortly after starting to sing she grabbed my arm to stabilize herself, and I could tell that she was shaking. Suddenly, midway through the song, she forgot the words and began to hum and then said, "Please forgive me; I am so nervous." She then immediately began singing again and every House member and every guest throughout the chambers began to sing along with her to give her encouragement and to lift her up.
As I looked around the huge hall I listened to the unbelievable melody of Gianna's voice being accompanied by a choir of over 100 voices. I had chills running all over my body, and I knew that I had just witnessed an act of God.
As the song concluded the speaker of the House explained that Gianna has cerebral palsy and is an activist to bring awareness to the disease. "Let us give her a hand not only for her performance today, but also for her advocacy work," he said. The chamber immediately exploded into applause — she had them all in the palm of her hand.

The speaker then called the House to order, and we proceeded as usual to allow members to make any announcements or introductions of guests. For dramatic effect, I waited until I was the last person remaining before I introduced Gianna.
As I waited for my turn, I nervously paced back and forth praying to God that he would give me the peace, confidence and the courage necessary to pull off what I knew would be one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of my political career.
While I waited, a prominent reporter from one of the major Denver newspapers walked over to Gianna and told her that her rendition captured the spirit of the national anthem more powerfully than any she had ever heard before.
Finally, I was the last person remaining. So, I proceeded to the microphone and began my speech.
At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.
"Members, I would like to introduce you to a new friend and hero of mine — her name is Gianna Jessen. She is visiting us today from Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an accomplished recording artist.
"She has cerebral palsy and was raised in foster homes before being adopted at the age of four."She was born prematurely and weighed only 2 pounds at birth. She remained in the hospital for almost three months. A doctor once said she had a great will to live and that she fought for her life. Eventually she was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care.
"Because of her cerebral palsy, her foster mother was told that it was doubtful that she would ever crawl or walk. She could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of her foster mother, she eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. Shortly before her fourth birthday, she began to walk with leg braces and a walker."She continued in physical therapy and after a total of four surgeries, she was able to walk without assistance.
"She still falls sometimes, but she says she has learned how to fall gracefully after falling for 29 years.
"Two years ago, she walked into a local health club and said she wanted a private trainer. At the time her legs could not lift 30 pounds. Today she can leg press 200 pounds.
"She became so physically fit that she began running marathons to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. She just returned last week from England where she ran in the London Marathon. It took her more than eight-and-a-half hours to complete. They were taking down the course by the time she made it to the finish line. But she made it, nonetheless. With bloody feet and aching joints, she finished the race."Members would you help me recognize a modern-day hero — Gianna Jessen?"
At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.

Ironically, Alice Madden, the majority leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood resolution, walked over to Gianna and congratulated her.
As the applause began to die down, I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.
"Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time.
"My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story."
"My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story.
"The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother.
"You see when her biological mother was 17-years-old and 7-and-a-half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late-term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb, which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows, which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hours the results are normally an induced, still-born abortion.
"As Gianna can testify, the procedure is not always 100 percent effective. Gianna is an aborted late-term fetus who was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hours resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy.
"Members, today, we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood?"
BANG! The gavel came down.
Just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech — the climax of the morning — the speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction, but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House."
At which point I said,
"Mr. Speaker, I understand. I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."
Silence.
Deafening silence.
I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful. I have been in the Legislature for five tough years, and this made it all worthwhile.
The House majority leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day.
Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could congratulate an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she congratulated was also an abortion survivor.
The headline in The Denver Post the next day read "Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The majority leader is quoted as saying, "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."
Yes, Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother's womb, and she was when she sang the national anthem on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives.
The paper went on to quote Gianna, stating she was glad I told her story.
"We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"
All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part. May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Ted Harvey. "Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor." CERC.Reprinted with permission of Ted Harvey.
THE AUTHOR
Ted Harvey is Assistant Minority Leader in the Colorado House of Representatives and is currently running for the State Senate. Visit his web site here. E-mail him here.
Copyright © 2006 Ted Harvey

Joshua's First Run

On Father's Day our whole family got up at the crack of dawn and rode our bikes (with kid trailers attached) downtown to the YMCA sponsored race. The whole thing was so well done...lots of families were there and there were lots of activities for all ages. It was only 7:30am when we pinned Joshua's number to his shirt and got ready for his race. He was excited and smiling until he saw the 30+ other kids...then the apprehension that he got from my genes hit him. He got nervous. When the starting bell rang he had no intention of following the mass of yelling and screaming kids that were running down the street. If I hadn't been holding his hand he probably would have run faster than any of those kids...in the opposite direction. I did my best to try to convince him that everything was going to be ok and that all we had to do was get over to the big balloon arch. We only got a few steps when his feet turned to lead, he said "it's too hard, I can't do it." I gently pulled him along for the whole two blocks with him protesting the entire time. Lots of nice people on the side walk cheered for him. When he crossed the finish line a pretty young blond girl was putting metals around the finishers necks, he didn't want anything to do with them.

Shortly after, when he realized that it was all over and that he had finished, he was quite proud of himself. In fact, he wanted to wear his pinned-on number for the rest of the day so that everyone could see that he had run in a race like daddy. Sure, he didn't finish first, but he was a true winner just for doing battle with his fear.

Anna and I ran the 5k with both bike trailers transformed into jogging strollers. Anna did really well, half way through she even started smiling, showing her enjoyment brightly on her face. Joshua asked if he could get out and run with me for a little while which he did marvelously well for a few blocks.

It was a really fun Father's day morning.

Being a Father...Being a Man

Do you ever feel that you are still just a kid? It doesn't matter how old I get (not that 25 is ancient or anything) but sometimes being an adult feels just like being a kid...With more responsibility. As I reflect on being a father, after a rather enjoyable Father's Day, I thought I'd mention that simply being a dad does not make you a leader...just as being a male does not make you a man.

Induction into guyhood is a much more frequent occurrence...Budweiser makes guyhood simple...just say "wazzup" (or perhaps a few profanity) to other beer drinking guys and you have made it. Congratulations, being a GUY is about as worthy of praise as having a pulse.
Manhood on the other hand is earned by working, not avoiding work; by being responsible to commitments, and calling others to do the same. A man can have real fun, but it's not at the expense of others, especially women.

Fathers are many; fathers who are the leaders of their family are harder to find. The reason for this may be that leadership is difficult. Yeah, that much is sure. Finding values that are founded on truth is tricky with all the counterfeits in the mix. And then once you've discovered what is good and true, trying to decide what's most important and setting priorities appropriately is a skill that needs constant attention. Finally, being consistent with those values is perhaps the hardest.

I am blessed that my wife, the mother of my children, helps me to find the values, set them up so we know which ones should command our attention, and then we need eachother to stick with it. We're far from perfect, but I think that since we have been married we have helped eachother to paint a shared picture of what we want our family, and the souls in it, to look like.

Never Trust a Liar

One of the most interesting of God's creatures is the Lyrebird. It's obvious by the picture where he gets his name. I'll bet King David would have loved this bird for his looks and his talent.

The lyrebird is a ground-dwelling bird from Australia (they get all the cool creatures) that has a rather amazing ability to reproduce almost any sound it hears. Like, for example, other birds, cameras, car alarms, and chain saws. Celebrate naturalist David Attenborough's 80th birthday by enjoying
this video clip featuring the lyrebird.