How About Quarterly?

Not so good at the updates am I!  Hmmm.  I'm not sure what to do to catch you up - maybe I shouldn't try.  Here are the biggies - Megan is now ONE!  She is tiny, but maybe that's Rick's fault for naming her after her 5ft 6in great aunt instead of her 6ft and 3/4in mommy.  She is just barely 17 pounds (2%) now and just in the 65% for her height.  But since the other kids were all in the 30s for weight and 90s for height maybe I could just subtract the weight% from the height% and say she fits right in, just smaller!  She's standing and cruising and jabbering and I am completely in love with her.  She loves me best - unlike the others - and I enjoy that!

We are now HOMESCHOOLERS!  I am thrilled.  Almost 8 years ago I gave up classroom teaching to nurture my growing family and I am really looking forward to combing my passions more formally and not losing those precious hours with my children each day.  I know we will tinker a lot over the coming year but I have a plan and my kids are good sports so we will get through it.  I am excited to be able to provide my kids with the respect and education they deserve.  'Nuf said.  : )

And because I love to see what other families are doing I'll tell you what I know so far and update as I solidify our schooling choices.  I'm starting with Saxon Math all around (A in 3rd, N in 1st), The Story of the World for History, and then we'll do some reading/spelling and whatever we feel like researching for Science.  The oldest 2 will be doing a Homeschooling Co-Op on Fridays where N will do Kindergarten and A will be taking things like History, Science Labs, Writing and fun things like that.  It's not a full course, just fun enrichment activities.  We'll also do a smattering of Spanish, Art Appreciation and I'm toying with beginning Latin.  Don't you wish you could go to school here?  And we'll absolutely mummify chickens when we study Egypt.  We are that cool.

We just finished up swimming lessons.  My kids will not release the instructor from the death grip and therefore don't actually "swim".  Now that our days will free up and the babies are growing up I feel like we can make family swim a more prominent feature of our lives and work on this.  Of course, I really have no room to talk here about having Chicken Children.  I am the girl who couldn't be PAID to do a somersault in Junior High PE because I was too scared to be upside down and look dumb in front of my peers.  Yes, my PE teacher's assistant Rhamu McCoy offered me $5 to do it and I refused.  I spent our gymnastics unit in PE in a separate room from the class, sitting on a mat refusing to roll. I know, that is crazy.  And sad.  Yet it is true.  So I'm not too hard on them!

We have two sibling weddings and a Washington trip coming up - pictures of our adventures to come!  I'm thinking our Australia trip will be postponed until 2011 when we can save up vacation since Rick will be starting his new job next month (!) and won't have built up any vacation.  Hope my Oma can stay healthy another year and see her great-grandbabies!

I started exercising a little.  I would love to do more.

We have a patio now!

We have wood floors!

My front yard looks nice!

Rick and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary and I gave him the COOLEST present.  (An awesome photobook!)

I got a haircut for the first time in over a year - wowsers this has been a ridiculously trying year of mommyhood for me!

Still to do:
finish basement
homeschooling area
backyard
go on dates - I'll take anything!
move to the beach

Uninspired

How's that for a title? :) I couldn't think of anything witty to write - sorry! We are currently in the midst of a perpetual cold - currently it's the babies and myself. Really, mommies should be exempt from being sick. And so should babies. Only those who are old enough to blow their noses and tell you where it hurts and drink when told and take medicine should be eligible. And primary caregivers are out altogether. And it bothers me that altogether doesn't have two "L"s in it. And it also bothers me that "till" as in "till we meet again" isn't spelled 'til. Because it's an abbreviation of "until" so I think it should have an apostrophe. And I'm thankful for spell check. I won't tell you how many red squiggly lines are underlining my words as I type. And that's how clouded my brain is - I hate being sick.

Ok... some updates...

Rick - waiting to see if he is laid off (thanks for all your kind words on Facebook - love you!) this month. And also trying to work hard as if nothing is happening. Lots of deadlines looming... how will they do without him.

Mom - sick. See above. Still pumping after each feeding - though now from my very own pump - not a rented one. Wishing she could get a haircut, but thinking ponytails may be the order of the day until we know if we're keeping our job. Thirty bucks can buy a lot of milk and bananas!

A - Finally passed off her +5 addition test (20 probs in under a minute) and will now be moving on to +6. We will be practicing at home using this site to generate worksheets. Loves to play with the boys at recess. Super gal!

N - Had his preschool's dinosaur day at school and was in heaven. The things they learn when are interested in a subject are amazing! They made fossils and went on a "dig" and had special dinosaur treats. He is my earliest reader and picks up on things sooooo quickly! He is a quick study and I'm excited to see him grow in Kindergarten next year. (Which I registered him for a few weeks ago).

L - Firecracker. She is talking so much! I can't believe she will be two in a month. She has her opinion about everything and can get quite feisty if things aren't going as she would like. She doesn't let her siblings walk all over her - she is quick to hit when she is mad. She is also my most loving child (hugging and kissing you just because) and so quick to say sorry! She loves her siblings so much and loves to wave at them, hug them and kiss them. You can see how we are wired to learn through mimicking others when you watch her. She picks up on so much that I do and say through the day!

M - Hopefully still gaining! She went from 50% to 4% and to 9% at her last weigh-in. We have another next week. She rolls over both ways, can sit up for a few seconds unassisted and is such a happy baby! I just love how she can make me feel such bliss when she looks at me and smiles - which thankfully she does often.

House - on hold. We were ready to pay people to fix up the last bits - but now we are thinking we should hold on to our pennies until we know more about the job situation. We have some sheets of drywall to put up, a duct to move, some closets to build and then we are ready to have some guys come in and mud/texture. Then we have a patio to pour and a yard to design. Then we are pretty much done. Oh, we need to put flooring in on the main floor. And then we are pretty much done. Except for the bathroom. And then the kitchen cupboards and counter. You get the idea...

Hope you are doing well!

And for my next trick...

...fixing a T shirt with random blue stains! Where do these things come from? I'll update when I finish. Here is my inspiration! I'm chopping up a sacrifice Tee to cover the stains on mine. Is it bad that I'm sacrificing my daughter's Tee for the greater good? Hope for the best!

In other news... Megan is doing better with her weight now - up to 13lb 13.2oz as of yesterday (9%). She seems a little out of sorts and fussy but they weren't able to find anything the matter so pray she starts to perk up so Mommy and Daddy don't lose it! ;)

And we are having some changes at TheOnesInColorado - hopefully changes for the best! I'll tell you when I can - so no begging! :) We are having a time of reflection and prayer and waiting on some divine guidance...

Also - this weekend we started "decrapifying" downstairs (thanks for all your cute comments on Facebook about it!) but only got so far before Sick Mommy had to retire for the day. I'm glad that I was sickest on the weekend though - not much is harder than being a sick mom alone during the week. I am grateful we were able to have 2 adults to share the burden and hoping I'll be doing better as Monday looms closer!

Megan - 5 months! It's Christmas! And a milk story, and a bit of poop.

So cute! A week after these pictures were taken we took Megan in for her belated 4 month check up (12/30).

Deja - vu...

"Previously healthy baby has now dropped below the 5th percentile for weight gain... please give her lots of formula."

Height 2 feet 2.58" (88%)

Weight 12lb 5.7 oz (4%)

Thhhppptttt. So of course I didn't. I told God that this was the one thing I could NOT do again. Obviously he knows that I am stronger than I think and need to learn a few things.

This was so hard for me - it is truly my weak spot. The stress of failing to give my baby all that she needed was such a blow. I just cried. I wanted to do all I could - more than what I did with Lauren even, so I went on a mission to get my supply up.

We went downtown to the hospital straight from the appt. to rent a breastpump. (And while we were gone the sewer backed up downstairs - thanks to my visiting sister's help disaster was avoided... But what a mess! And on such a crappy day!) I bought Fenugreek. I proceeded to pump after each feeding, popped 3 pills with each meal and prayed and cried. I fed Megan alone, lying down, in hopes of increasing the face time we were getting. Every 2 hours all day and 3 hours all night. We started rice cereal a week early. Crossed our fingers.

And then she got sick. Ugh. Coughing so hard she was vomiting. She wouldn't sleep. One day she only cat-napped all evening/night and cried the rest of the time. We took her in - double ear infections. Can we not catch a break? Never mind that Lauren has been sick with the same cough/fever and Ashlyn and Nathan are taking turns throwing up every other day. This was one of the most trying times of my life so far. I know, I whine a lot. But it was terrible.

But - when we took her in for the ear infections (1/6) - she'd gained weight! 12 lb 12 oz. Almost an ounce a day. A miracle!

Starting today I've stopped pumping and pilling. We'll see how she does for the next day or so and re-eval to see what we need to do. If I have to pump for months I will (but I hope not - so sore!) but it's good to know that I didn't have to resort to a bottle. Truly, that is my biggest blessing in this. After Lauren, I really need to feel like I can do this for my baby. She's such a trooper!

And during all this my sister came to visit! For her first visit to Colorado she arrived Dec 24th, 2002. Just in time for me to go into labor with Nathan. And on Dec 24th, 2009 she visited for the second time. We did some crafty things and had a nice visit - even if we were all sick and we sent her home with it. (Ooops!) It was so nice to have her!

Halloween

Here you have our Halloween from 2009. Rick opted out this year... Booo! Mommy was a kitty, Ashlyn was a princess (when this costume wears out I'm not sure what she'll do!), Nathan was a knight, Lauren a butterfly and Megan a ladybug. The pics are at our annual dinner and trunk or treat at church.


It was also b-ball for Nathan that day! This just cracks me up - here is the defense. They all stand in a line with their arms up. As the season progresses they move closer to the net - same formation. Adorable!

Nature's Bounty

I realized that I hadn't posted any pics of our garden veggies so here is what we harvested this afternoon.

Those are our very first cherry tomatoes and they are delicious!

And here we have our "weird, very pale, are they ever gonna get green/orange and turn round?" pumpkins. AKA spaghetti squash (after an internet search to confirm a hunch). Yeah - we have thrown many seed in the garden spot over the year to see if they would sprout. They actually did!

So bad...

Well, haven't posted since MARCH!!! I hadn't thought it was that long. So I posted a few pics for you - kept it to one per month that I missed so as not to overwhelm you! Why didn't we update for so long? Well, I was ornery and mad and couldn't think of anything nice to say. I'm done now. Plus - being super pregnant with your fourth is a lot - at least for me it was. So now I'm done with that too. Hopefully we'll be better from now on! Love these videos of the two babies!

Meet Megan

Again, old news for you facebook folks...

Here is a link to the album with Megan's pics in it...

Hopefully it works!

And so I don't forget...

Birth Details...

Contractions started at 4AM Sunday (the 12th) morning. Just like painful (but manageable) irregular Braxton Hicks and a constant backache. Toward evening things started to become more "normal" for me - real contractions. We started to call people like crazy to line up babysitters since we were only at 38 weeks and our planned babysitter was still in Albuquerque. (That is a ridiculous word to spell). We left for the hospital and arrived just a few minutes after 2 AM Monday the 13th.I was dilated to a 4 and about 80% effaced. I labored in the tub with the jets for a while and about 4AM I was dyin' and wondering if we shouldn't just do the epi. I mean my labors have been 6, 4 and 9 hours. I should have been done by then! And I had no clue how much longer I was going to have to do this - I was exhausted! We did try to get a saline bag in (prep for epi) but it popped and I figured it was a sign and we should just grin and bear it. We held out and had my bag popped and within the hour Megan was here! I was so eager to push that girl out - I went ahead before we were even ready. The nurse said I was almost a 10 - I just had a lip of cervix. She said if I wanted to I could push with a contraction and she would try and get rid of it. Um, yes please! So we did and then we pushed (had to do a couple full pushes and a couple of half pushes for shoulders and the inevitable cord wrapped around my baby). So... she was born at 6:06AM on the 13th - she'll have Friday the 13th birthdays! Her APGARS were both 8s (knocked down from 10s for her lovely purple color - Denver only has 9s anyway since we're so high). 19", 7lb 14.3oz, 13.5" head circum. A negative blood and so we had to watch her bili levels since I'm O positive. I let Rick pick the middle name - giving him the choice between Emaline, Erika and Brigitte (my middle name). He liked Brigitte best and so there you have it! Megan Brigitte Bair!

The bunnies

If you're on facebook you'll recognize these as the babies stuck in our window well. TINY!!! Two were later found decapitated by a cat in the backyard and buried in shallow graves by the kiddos (unbeknownst to us!). Later moved to a more suitable site by Daddy.

Fourth of July

   

Love this last pose - they did it on their own and I had to be quick to snap it!

The yearly Rockies game - June

Making applesauce

April 2009

St. Patrick's day

And please notice the water bottle that Ashlyn is holding! The kids were amazed and astounded when the clear lemonade in the pitcher magically became green when poured into her water bottle for lunch. :) (Put a few drops of food coloring in the bottom!)

Hey, hey, hey

Well, here's some good news!  Rick heard last week that the first round of layoffs occured last week.  And since we knew nothing about it that means we still have a job!  At least until the fall when we have Round #2.  Yay.

On the family front:

Miss Patti is now approved for the new zoning for her preschool (Nathan has been on hiatus due to these issues) and will be meeting soon to figure out if she needs any updates or changes to her school in order to start up again.  Maybe we'll have preschool again by March?  Nathan has also been having more playdates with his buddies and just loving it!

Rick is trying to find a certified welder to stitch-weld our support beams together downstairs.  We had a bunch of burly men over, was it last Saturday?, who helped lift 550 lb of steel overhead where it now is bolted on to our old I-beam.  We were amazingly grateful to have so much help.  When the guys at church are asked to come out for a move it seems as if you are lucky to get five guys out.  Lifting a beam is not like a move - it won't take longer with less help, it just won't happen.  We figured we needed at least 10 people to come over or they wouldn't be able to lift it.  Rick had 2 co-workers come by (who don't live even remotely close to us - thanks Dave and Matt!) and had so many other guys come by to help that we literally had it up in seconds.  They were so fast that there were a handful of guys who showed up late and missed th show!  But they did come just in time for cinnamon rolls.  :)  As soon as the beams have been welded together we can remove the supports and Rick's hated lally column and we can continue working on the main area of the basement.  I think Rick plans on trying to finish up the back bedroom while he waits on welding.

Rick has been super fabuloso about getting to work by 7 so he can be home at 4:30.  I can't tell you how much that helps out my day!  If he's home after 5 it seems the evening is just shot.  (What would I do with a normal workweek?)  It's nonstop craziness from the time Ashlyn gets home and it seems if we don't eat by 5  then we don't get baths, family time, scriptures, prayers and such done without tears and frustration on all sides.  I really appreciate that he has been so good about getting up and out of here on time.

And on that note - I have been working to get this household running the way I would like.  We are making monthly trips to the thrift shop to donate our purged items and I'm organizing away trying to make things easier to find and use.  I am trying to find a nice schedule for kids/cooking/cleaning/etc that will let me do all the things I would like to do for my family.  I know it is possible and I like being able to work on this now and hope to be in a pretty good position by summer.

We've been trying to get out of homebody mode and have people over for dinner and games about every other weekend.  So far it's been really fun!  We really have been itching to break out Settlers of Catan.  Last week Carla and Mike creamed us (beginner's luck?) but the time before that I actually won!  This happens so rarely that I didn't even notice.  :)  Rick had to tell me that I'd collected enough points and the game was over.

Big plans for Valentine's Day - none.  :)  But Rick does have a meeting about 20-30 min away that morning for church.  What the Sunday School presidency needs regional meetings for I don't know.  And on Valentine's Day?

Ashlyn is a spelling genius.  She now has a pretest each Monday where they give her 10 words to spell sight unseen.  Friday is the post-test and she hasn't missed a Friday word yet!  Last week she was the only one in her class to do it!  Yay!  This week she missed "always" on the pretest - she used 2 "l"s.  And I think I'm over hating her school.  She has shown me that she is really doing well, choosing good things and making good decisions.  I couldn't ask for more.  She really is fabulous.

Lauren is still a mystery wrapped in an enigma.  We haven't had a weight check since 6 months (since her percentile went back up to 10 from 3) so I'm not sure how she's doing.  She is still having a bottle at night when she goes to bed, another around 11ish (at night) and sometimes one more early in the morning.  She doesn't like to drink much during the day.  She should be sleeping through the night  by this point but because of her weight issues in the past I am nervous to cut back her calories - no matter when she's taking them.  I realize that she will most likely start eating more in the day if we do cut her off at night, but I'm too scared that she won't and I am not brave.  In a month she has her 12 month check-up and I will need to see some good percentile numbers there before I think I will have the confidence to do it.  Or maybe the doc can just tell me it will be fine and then I can blame someone besides me if it doesn't work.  She's not walking, or cruising, or talking at this point.  She does love to stand and will walk holding your hands as long as you let her.  And then she will refuse to let go or sit down.   She can make a "number one" with her pointer finger (I love having that picture on their first birthdays) and she claps and will occasionally wave.  She loves to wiggle to music and turn pages in books (but not necessarily when you are finished with that page).  She is such a happy girl and loves her family so much.  She just lights up when she sees Daddy or Ashlyn come home and she loves to play with everyone.

That's it for us!  Hope you're well.

Christmas FHE at the temple

Each year we go to see the Nativity scene at the temple for a Family Night. We bring the DVD player and watch the Nativity (Luke 2) video muted, and synch it up to Amy Grant's "Breath of Heaven" and enjoy the sweet spirit it brings. It's a beautiful song and it matches up to the movie wonderfully - it's uncanny. And check out the frozen temple fountain!

El Paso

We went to El Paso to visit Kurt for Thanksgiving. First pic is behind his home on the road to through the Pass. Second pic is driving along the border near downtown El Paso looking at how close Juarez really is.

Christmas List

Hey all! Are you wondering what to get us for Christmas? :) Well, helpful me - here you go.

Rick: the boy always needs clothes. Mostly we always ask for jeans, because he goes through them like paper undies - but this year we are going for something new and exciting. He needs any kind of clothes. It has literally been years since he's had new clothes. He need shirts (long and short sleeve - L), and the ubiquitous request for jeans (32x34), and undies - the Holy kind :o) if you know what I mean (Med and 32). Now of course we plan on making sure he has the means to get dressed in the morning - we aren't desperately begging or anything. But this way you know what he needs. And as for wants, Home Depot gift cards, Mountain Dew, yummy eats.

Kids: really - they are good. Grandma is picking up Sleeping Beauty from what I understand. Movie-wise most new stuff is trash now (I'm talking the animated stuff - made for kids but with adult humor - what's up with that?) so we like to pick our own stuff to be safe. Clothes are fine - Nathan is a 4T bottom, 5 top, 11 shoes. Ashlyn is a 7/8 top, 6 bottom, 13 shoes.

I bought some Leapster games for them (ya I gave in - but at least it's not an Xbox or something - they're EDUCATIONAL, big difference!) and I'd be happy to put your name on one. They were $15 (normally $25) if that's what you'd like to spend. That goes for Nathan's B-day too (poor kid). They do not need playthings - at all. We are already having to purge what they've accumulated in their short stint on earth.

Lauren is a baby and only needs a desire to nurse. Or clothes (see previous post about Ashlyn's lack of hand-me-downs). We just spent way too much on clothes for her so she's good right now, but extra cute things are fun. Or socks and solid color onesies. She's 9-12 or 12mo .... 9 mo just barely fits her right now. Or maybe you want to buy for spring/summer. Should be 12-18.

And of course, as we said before, if you wanna pop for swim/gym/soccer/etc. just let me know and we'll arrange it. They really do think this is cooler than a gift!

Me: Really, I need nothing, except to get off my butt and exercise. If you've found a solution for that I'm all ears. Nothing I want is cheap (wanna buy some food storage for me? gym membership and a babysitter?) and I have all the toys I need. Thanks though! Give Rick a shirt for me. :o)

First snow this season today!

The latest snow on record was the 21st - so we didn't set records but this is pretty late for us! Nathan is already very disappointed that it's melting - already nothing on the roads and the driveway. :) I told him "That's Colorado!"

Final Pumpkin Pics

Here is the picture of ALL of our pumpkins. They were sagging badly so this pic is out on the compost heap - Care to guess whose is whose?

Back in the Saddle again!

Here is a preview of coming attractions - for those on our picture list anyway...

I finally had a camera to go out and take the kids' pictures. I went to the same place as last year but we were too late in the year to catch the beautiful grassy shots. But the rocks haven't gone anywhere! : ) Lauren is too sick to go out just now - I would have to Photoshop out a lot of snot and sick, red eyes so I'm hoping to try on Saturday when the weather is supposed to be a bit better.

And next up - Halloween. Rick took all the pictures this night as I felt pretty yucky, so all but one of them are around the dinner table at the Trunk-or-Treat. So no cute full body shots - but you'll get the idea! They each just picked out something from the dress-up box. Nathan had actually been dressing up most of the week. Mostly in a big plush Tigger, but also a full-bellied Winnie the Pooh (I have never understood that name!) and knight. At the last minute he went for Buzz. Ashlyn wore her fave neon green unitard (the one from Homecoming Week last year if you remember) and was a gymnast for her school parade and party.

And here we have a picture of our bow board. : ) Cuz I like you to know I strive to be crafty. And because I took pictures for my Facebook album - why not share here too? You can't see, but it's 12"-wide board covered with batting and fabric. Three ribbons run down the length of it so I can put on the girls' clips. Nice way to keep things organized! But I think it's kinda full - I'm going to need to make another!

And I got a haircut! You like? I do! I'm not sure if I'll like the length by the time Thanksgiving comes so I want to make sure you all see it now while I'm still in love with it.

Just disregard the puffy red eyes - such is the life of a baby mommy.

Quick election notes - I have been thinking this since, well, forever. Skip through this if you still want to be friends and you voted for Obama. Especially if we share the same religion. Unless you REALLY want to hear my thoughts here...

Can you really profess to believe what I believe and still vote for someone who stands for things that you know are wrong? I was one of those undecideds. Until about 3 days before the election. At that time I made a decision and did a little research. More about that later.

There is a very interesting article on Democrats and political diversity in the church here. Read it before you go on - it's not too long. Notice it's from 10 years ago. I totally agree. From the time of Joseph Smith you will find that church leaders have always encouraged members of the church to vote for the issues, the candidate and to vote their conscience. Don't vote for a Party. Party lines change - I don't believe you can say for the duration of your life that will always agree with a certain party. They are political entities - and I mean that in a bad way. They shift and adjust to what they believe will put them into power. Candidates need your vote and will try and appeal to the broadest base possible. I feel it's disingenuous but inevitable. Perhaps originally the elected officials told you what they really thought. They did what they thought was right. But I don't think it would take too long before people realized that you could get farther if you held your tongue sometimes, courted certain demographics, focused on these issues and tried not to touch these others.

I watched a PBS special this week about both of our major party presidential candidates. It was eye-opening. I think I was a little naive. Obama was groomed to run for office for years before this election. I remember watching him on Oprah not long ago saying that he didn't think he would be running for president, that he was not aspiring to that position. But it seems that was false. From the beginning of his time running for office in Illinois his advisers and the people who wanted him to run were telling him that he needed to avoid hot button issues, to seem moderate, to not do anything that could be used against him in a run for office later. The people who shared this were his advisers and mentors. I suppose that this is normal but I think it's a little sad. But like I said, maybe it's inevitable in our current system. Now don't get me wrong, McCain had similar experiences. And I'm not saying Obama is bad - it's just an illustration of how things work. That things aren't real and honest - for the most party politics are manufactured.

But I digress. Ever since my best friend told me that she was voting for Obama I have wondered - How? I think that you will not find a candidate who espouses all of your beliefs and desires and must choose the one who comes closest. As the article says, you need to give on some issues and stick tight on issues that are most important to you. I think that someone who believes in the Gospel must have some non-negotiables. Abortion and Gay Marriage. Easy peasy and straight forward. Or so I thought. I actually went through LDS.org and pulled quotes and official statements on my top issues.

Here's what I found...

ABORTION:

Human life is a sacred gift from God. Elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and the commandments of God

Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer.

When a child is conceived out of wedlock, the best option is for the mother and father of the child to marry and work toward establishing an eternal family relationship. If a successful marriage is unlikely, they should place the child for adoption

HOMOSEXUALS:

We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties. But we cannot stand idle if they indulge in immoral activity, if they try to uphold and defend and live in a so-called same-sex marriage situation. To permit such would be to make light of the very serious and sacred foundation of God-sanctioned marriage and its very purpose, the rearing of families

I wish to say that our opposition to attempts to legalize same-sex marriage should never be interpreted as justification for hatred, intolerance, or abuse of those who profess homosexual tendencies, either individually or as a group.

STEM CELLS:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official position on the moment that human life begins. Further, the Church has not taken a position on the issue of embryonic stem-cell research.

EUTHANASIA:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in the sanctity of human life, and is therefore opposed to euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined as deliberately putting to death a person who is suffering from an incurable condition or disease. Such a deliberate act ends life immediately through, for example, so-called assisted suicide. Ending a life in such a manner is a violation of the commandments of God.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not believe that allowing a person to die from natural causes by removing a patient from artificial means of life support, as in the case of a long-term illness, falls within the definition of euthanasia. When dying from such an illness or an accident becomes inevitable, it should be seen as a blessing and a purposeful part of eternal existence.

DEATH PENALTY:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regards the question of whether and in what circumstances the state should impose capital punishment as a matter to be decided solely by the prescribed processes of civil law. We neither promote nor oppose capital punishment.

It was so helpful to go through and make a list of these definitive statements. Many LDS women in my acquaintance voted for Obama. I'm not bringing this up with them because I don't want to have a big ruckus. But really, can you imagine that abortion is something you can compromise on? I just can't see how. Can you knowingly vote for someone who will protect a practice "contrary to the will and the commandments of God"? I actually like many of the principles that the Democrats currently espouse. I think it's a shame that the one issue I need to be firm on needs to overpower everything else in a candidate.

Well, I've told Rick many times, next election I'll be old enough to vote for myself. Now there is someone I agree with.