A time to be wary . . .and times to have fun.

So . . .I finally remembered my camera! Hooray! Okay, you weren't missing the pics that much but I hate getting behind because now I have lots to say. And not just about my silly little boys. There is so much going on in the world right now that has me on edge. If you don't live in California or Utah you may not be aware (or as aware) of the situation Proposition 8 in California is causing. Prop 8 recognizes marriage only between a man and a woman and was passed through the normal democratic process in California. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which I am a member, stood along with many other churches and organizations in support of this proposition. It turns out that the majority of funding for advertisements, etc for the bill was provided by church members (note, this is not the church, but rather its individual members standing up for what they believe in and donating as they choose). Now the church as a whole has come under attack by those who were against the bill. They have held demonstrations at the LA temple (even defiling a wall there) and here at temple square. They are planning another demonstration for tonight I believe. In addition to this, there is an organization that will send our prophet, President Monson, a post card for every one who donates money to try and repeal the bill. This infuriates me and I see it as an attack on a man that means a lot to me personally. I also found it interesting that these cowards do not post any online contact info, but there is an address and I am thinking of starting my own post card campaign. In addition to this, there have been envelopes with a white powder found in the LA temple and the Salt Lake temple. So far they look to be benign but it is nonetheless frightening. I think the worst thing of all with this situation are members who are fighting against the church and leaving it over this matter. Some have even speculated that enough members will leave the church over this that the church will "change its mind" and allow gay marriage. I am happy to stand up and say, that will never happen. The church is led by God and our prophet receives direct guidance from the Lord. Changes in doctrine will not occur based on the whims of society. Gay marriage is simply wrong. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and is the way intended for children to be brought into this world. Families are central to the plan of happiness and our entire existence. We believe families are forever and our sacred temples are part of that plan, where marriage are recognized for all eternity and not simply for time. We take marriage and family very seriously in our church and I can assure you that the church will not be changing its mind on this and that gay marriages will NEVER be performed in our temples regardless of laws or challenges to that fact. I am quite alarmed at this turn of events and reminded again that this is a sign of the times. We know that Christ will be returning to the Earth again and before that happens wickedness will abound and the church and its members will be prosecuted. I hate to be doom and gloom, but this Prop 8 thing certainly has me on guard. In addition to that, there was an interesting clip on the radio this morning. They were talking to an economist who predicted both the stock market crash in 1987 and the crash of this year and he has a bleak outlook for the next 4 years. He said these years will be some of the most difficult ever, rivaling the 1930s with unemployment, tax riots, and food shortages. I sure hope he is wrong, but again, it was a reminder to me to pay attention and make sure my food storage is up to date. It is unfortunately a time to be wary.

Okay, doom and gloom aside I'll get on to our week. Sunday we took a nice hike up to Bridal Veil Falls. The boys loved being out and we brought Max, one of our dogs, and of course he was thrilled. Here are some shots:
Davis throwing leaves at me. I don't know why, but I love shots of boys in just jeans. It was a little cold for it this day . . .I think I will try it again in a studio setting.
My bubs in front of the falls. You can just barely see that their sweatshirts are wet, this is from reaching in the water to grab rocks to throw back into the water. Who knows?
Carter throwing leaves at me
Davis smiling on a somewhat dreary day
Carter walking Max, both boys really enjoyed walking him by themselves.
Backing up a day, Saturday we went to the aquarium and then Lowell and I had a date lunch. We tried out the new Paradise Cafe in American Fork. I enjoyed it, though it was a little trendy and spendy. I recommend the cookies. Sunday we also played with my family as well as Saturday afternoon. Tuesday we had lunch with grandpa and Davis went to the dino museum with Lowell and Carter and I went shopping. We got a cake mix to make on Wednesday.

First. Here is another of Carter's drawings, he says this one is Uncle Robbie. I think he was generous with the hair ;).
Here are the bubs and the beaters. . .
Another "portrait", this one is Daddy
And more cake, they screamed when I put it in the oven--looks like they are going to be batter eaters like Lowell and I.
And finally, Carter asleep with his new "beew". That is their name for gun. He enjoyed this until he broke it! Santa has something a little better built in mind for him.

It seems like all I have done this week is work, it has been busy at work which is good for money but bad for sleep. We did go to Toys R Us last night to let the boys window shop a bit. I picked up a few things on sale and have gotten most everything else already taken care of. It's good to have something done and I have to say, the kids' gifts are at the top of the list. I have half of Lowell done and good ideas for the rest of the gifts I need to get. Waiting for the Black Friday sales to finalize. In light of current events I am trying to slim down my gifts, but I am bad at it, I love Christmas!

No real plans for the weekend since I will be working. I think that brings us up to date! Oh, I'll end with a little story Carter told me at the store the other day, he was flipping through a book and was "reading" it to me: "Once upon a time there was a monster and a duck. They said, Come in. Then they shut the door. They made Halloween pumpkins. It was scary." I love their little imaginations!