Catherine Speaks Out!!

It all happened yesterday while we were driving home on Hwy 111. Lincoln got into one of his "What if's.....". "What if this car bumped into that car and that car FLEW UP into the air, came down, bounced over the other car, and then fell off the bridge, and then...... and then that would be SO COOL." That is just an example of one of the segments I listened too. I, at some point, blocked him out. I came back around when I heard Catherine talking to Lincoln rather sternly. Then I just started laughing to myself when I realized what she was saying. I heard Catherine say "LINCOLN, will you stop talking about that!!!" He didn't. A little louder "LINCOLN, will you STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT!!!" I don't think he heard her still b/c he was still "What-ifing" Finally, Catherine says as loud as her little voice could "LINCOLN, STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT!!!!!!" What made it even funnier was that Coleman joined in with Catherine- he mimicks and repeats what he can. So by the last demand, it was really Catherine and Coleman yelling at Lincoln. Lincoln, did finally pause and I said, "Lincoln, your brother and sister want you to be quiet now." He kinda frowned, but respected their opinion with no further comment. It was funny to that Catherine get "fed up" with Lincoln's ramblings.

Happy 6th Birthday Lincoln!!

6 years ago today, we went to the hospital to be induced. Lincoln was 6 days past his due date and showed no signs of coming on his own. At 11:09 pm on September 4, 2002, Lincoln Ronald Brown came into this world weighing a big 5 lb 8 ounces.

There is no way to know, until you have one, just how much a little baby like this can change your life. There is no way to understand just how much love one can feel for another little human being until that baby is here. We thank God daily for our children. They are gifts that God entrusts us with to love, teach, and inspire.

And here is my very first "baby" as a 6 year old this morning. After eating his 6-shaped pancake, he said "I don't feel any different..." I am not sure if he was glad or sad about that. What a special day this is, and I have to stop and praise God for this wonderful little boy He created. :)

A Mom's Perspective on Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin

Governor of Alaska

Wife of 20 years

Mother 0f 5 (the youngest being 5 months old)

Republican Vice-Presidential nominee of the United States

WOW!

My first reaction- "What in the world is he doing picking a woman .....with 5 kids... no "real" experience... the youngest is a newborn??.... what kind of mom would......well, McCain can kiss being President good-bye.... "

I have been intrigued though. Because we choose to keep our cable disconnected I didn't see McCain's "Live"announcement, so I decided to watch it online. Quite frankly, I wanted to watch Mrs. Palin, listen also, but watch her actions, interactions, her husband, her kids, their eyes. As I listened to McCain I found myself wondering "What is Mrs. Palin doing behind the scenes?" Is she in one room practicing while her family anxiously waits in another? Is she watching McCain backstage, holding/feeding her baby? Is the baby fussy, she stressed and screaming "Someone else deal with this?" Those are just a few of the possible scenarios. I think I would have been in the restroom dealing with nerves! Then McCain finally announces her and she comes out.

Mrs. Palin leads the way with her family slowly coming behind her. I can only imagine what her teen-age girls were thinking. Then I notice the oldest holding the baby- what a pro! Her youngest daughter, Piper, was so sweet. She stayed on her mommy's heels. She smiled so sweetly at the crowd. You could tell that she was so proud that they were clapping for her mommy. What an awesome experience for all of them. Then I started to feel sorry for this little girl. I started to watch Mrs. Palin differently. I thought she's not even acknowlodging her daughter. Piper is following her and she isn't even making contact with her youngest daughter. Not a physical touch, nothing. Minutes (maybe seconds) go by. Where are the motherly instincts????

As Mrs. Palin approached the podium, she felt little Piper at her side. She turned away from the crowd, bent down and gave Piper a little hug and a kiss on the cheek. Aha, her motherly instincts. Joy filled her daughters face. Immediately after that, Mrs. Palin turns and does it. She already knew where Piper was and that she was okay. But she would not be able to start her speech until she completed it. I am talking about the mommy mental checklist. We all do it- in the store, at church, or at the playground. We locate our children and make sure they are all okay. Mrs. Palin did that. She turned and finished the mommy head-count. She saw that her other 3 children were close-by and happy. I am sure that in that second she was so proud and confident of her oldest daughter's ability to help out. Peace of mind. A family unit working together. Supportive.

Some will argue that as a mother, of a newborn especially, she shouldn't be accepting this position. I totally get that arguement- I already felt it, trust me. But she gets the choice, just like every mommy does. And even though I choose not to work right now, I KNOW that "Working" mommies are very good mommies too. I saw one of the things that I wanted from Mrs. Palin. I saw that her motherly instincts existed, and I saw that she was just like me when it came to the peace of mind one gets from knowing where her "babies" are and how they are doing.

Wow! Something new is finally here! It is short but I have more (that's what happens when you don't blog for over a month). So check back very soon for part 2. I will add the details.

Lincoln's first half day of Kindergarten

Lincoln's first FULL Day of Kindergarten.

Catherine dressed up as a princess for "Fairy Tale" day at Mother's Day Out.

Catherine "swimming" to Andrea

A fun Saturday with high school friends Susie, Evelyn, Gretchen and Heather.