Family Walk

This is our first family walk of the spring. Michael had the cool idea of a shadow picture, I think it turned out pretty cool too, this is the way to take a picture!

Judson is always way faster than we are, Carma is always trying to catch up.


Our neighbors have a girl, Olivia, who is a couple of years older than Carma (Carma IDOLIZES her). Olivia is so sweet that she gives Carma her old toys and she even gave her the bike. Carma was ecstatic! She insisted I take the bike inside once we were done outside and sat on the bike of hours and she wore the helmet for days afterwards.

Black Like Me

I read this book and was awe struck. I have read very few books that impacted me the way this one did. I know in many colleges it is required reading, so maybe you have read it. But, WOW!!
I am always interested in anything involving overcoming racism. I don't know if it came from my Southern Mom who has this amazing ability to look past color and has taught us the same. Being raised in the south this must have been a challenge. I remember saying the "N" word and getting my butt "tow up"! I have to admit that when I was a young adult I strayed from this thinking. I was mugged twice before I was 17, threatened to be raped on a daily basis at school, harassed and called "white girl!", saw the most violent fights at school.. all of these acts came from black people. So, I equated black people (esp Men) to being scary. Once I became stronger in my faith and grew closer to the Savior I was able to be healed from these beliefs (or so I thought). I am sad to admit that many of my family members have not embraced these teaching from my mom and it saddens me. We often get in arguments about racism and they claim that I can't judge because I no longer live in the south. They are right, I am sad to report that I go weeks without seeing a black person. However, many white people around her feel the same about Mexicans. I am proud to say that my closest friends are natives from South America. We had the sweetest girl from Peru live with us for over 6 months. That being said, again I really considered myself cured of racism.
However, after reading this book I realize that I am still racist. It is so sad and hard to realize. I hope to someday to look at a person and not see him/her for the color of his/her skin. I would like to go further and hope that I can look at a person and not judge them for on whether or not they are beautiful or ugly, fat or skinny, rich or poor, dirty or clean. I would like to be able to look at the Spirit of a person and see him/her for who they really are. Not even judge them by their behavior (because our behavior is NOT who are). It is my prayer that I can look into the soul of a person.
Another part of this book that I LOVED was John Griffin's ability to look past a person behavior and understand why that person behaved that way. As he was dress up as a black man this white man started harassing him and treated him as if he weren't even human. It was SICKENING. And John was able to see him as a father, a son, a brother and knew that this wasn't who he was, but rather beliefs he had been taught. Instead of getting angry and judging he just saw past all of it for the real person. Now that I typed that I see that is exactly what I was talking about before... WOW! It is all about UNDERSTANDING! I need to pray for understanding, that is a huge answer.
One more thing I realized by reading the book is that it was racist for me to hope that eventually everyone would be able to be intermingled but all really act "white". That would make everyone happy wouldn't it? NOPE, these people have a heritage and culture to keep, and they should.
We could argue all day and/or try to justify that every other race hates white people, but where will that get us?
Well Folks, this is my soap box for the day. I wanted to share b/c I don't know what to do to help cure racism so this is a small part.. passing on to you.. if we all pass it on then someday it can be better.

ALL GIRL!!

http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa129/kikibugsblog/?action=view¤t=April1608032.flv

Carma got into my makeup and it was pretty funny:
Here are the results.

The Dark Side

I don't know if I should be worried that Judson likes villains so much. He LOVES Darth Vader, Darth Mall, and General Grievous. I am just kidding, I am not worried at all, they do make those guys SOOOO Dang cool!

Here are some pics of Judson and Carma aka: Darth Judson and Princess Vader. Notice she even put on a black and red dress for it.

Elf sighting... or wait is it Nacho Libre?

HAHAHAHA, Carma HAS to be the funniest kid EVER!! Seriously, she is so entertaining and is always up to something. Usually changing into funny outfits (well, bringing them to me and ordering me to dress her). Or she is talking to her imaginary friends, or toys she makes come alive. Or dancing when there is no music~ but especially when there IS music. Making funny noises when she eats.. see attachment for funny video:

http://s201.photobucket.com/albums/aa129/kikibugsblog/?action=view&current=carmammmm.flv

I did it all by myself!

Hurray! I learned how to make my own blog background. It was really easy... well, easier than I thought at least. I am pretty excited to learn how to do cool stuff and use all my favorite digital scrapbook papers.
Thanks to this website: http://sjhblogdesign.blogspot.com/ explains it SO easily!
Background papers used are from Twopeasinabucket.com Digi kits Juicy and Sassy.

Reflections

Here is a link a friend sent me and I am sure I have watched it 10 times already. I LOVE it and it has softened my heart in an instant. The images seem to be from and exhibit from the Mesa Arizona visitor center. They are AMAZING!!! If you are struggling to feel the spirit or are "Wandering from the fold of God" this sure makes it easier to come back and really feel again.

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

The hymn that is used is "Come thy Font of Every Blessing". I miss that hymn. For some reason it was taken out of the hymnbook in 1985 for the new publishing. I am sad about this and wonder why. None the less, I listened to this version on this video OVER and OVER as tears streamed down my face... and NO, it ISN'T just because I am pregnant that I cried (weeped is actually a better word). I looked up the words and read them over and over too... The part that get me every time is from the middle of the second verse on... WOW!! If a song is a prayer that is sung, this is my Prayer:

"Here's my heart, O take and seal it, 

Seal it for Thy courts above."
______________________________________

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, 

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; 

Streams of mercy, never ceasing, 

Call for songs of loudest praise. 

Teach me some melodious sonnet, 

Sung by flaming tongues above. 

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, 

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer; ("Ebenezer" means "stone of help") 

Hither by Thy help I'm come; 

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, 

Safely to arrive at home. 

Jesus sought me when a stranger, 

Wandering from the fold of God; 

He, to rescue me from danger, 

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor 

Daily I'm constrained to be! 

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, 

Bind my wandering heart to Thee. 

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 

Prone to leave the God I love; 

Here's my heart, O take and seal it, 

Seal it for Thy courts above