Happy 3rd Birthday Abby!

Can you believe our little girl is 3? It is amazing how time flies. I remember holding her for the first time like it was yesterday. She was so very tiny (4 lbs. 4 oz.) and just stared at me with those gorgeous brown eyes. . . .a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life. I also remember that three years ago there were many nights of no sleep because I just kept praying that Heavenly Father would help Amanda sign the papers that would mean Abby was ours. We were in a constant state of prayer! How unexplainably (I know it's not a word, but it fits!) grateful I am to Amanda for signing the papers. She gave us the greatest gift we could ask for--our Abigail! Now we pray to find her sibling(s)!

So we've had quite a week! First I'll include a few gymnastics pictures because they are pretty cute. Abby had a little trouble listening this week and I had to go in and remind her that she had to listen to Teacher Sunny and do just what she said. She did a little better, but we are working on her listening and obeying skills often!
Abby with Teacher Sunny.
Learning to do a cartwheel.
Abby said she wanted to "Hug Mickey" for her birthday so I got this crazy idea to take her Disneyland for her birthday. So we woke up really early and the two of us drove down and went to Disneyland. Our first stop: the train and then Toon Town to hug Mickey.
She also saw Minnie and showed her the new Minnie shirt she received that morning for her birthday.
Minnie's dishwasher.
Outside Minnie's house.
We also rode the Casey Junior Train--she chose the Animal Cage.
Here she is on the Carousel.
Abby with Woody and Jessie.
I told her she could have one treat in Disneyland (we brought in other food) and so she chose the Pineapple Dole Whip which happens to be my favorite too! Yummy!
Abby used some birthday money to buy a Mickey sweatshirt.
I have to say that this was one of the most special days I've had with Abby. She listened, did not run and hide, held my hand voluntarily and was just the best girl. I was so proud of her and I simply cannot explain how much fun we had together. But we were sad that Daddy could not join us.
Apparently Abby was a little tired because before we got out of the parking structure I looked back and saw. . . .
We then had to drive back because Grandma and Grandpa Garrett were coming up to our house. They picked up Matt from school and soon realized they were locked out of the house because we have special locks so that Abby cannot open the doors! We were still 30 minutes away, so they went over to a restaurant and we met them there.
Friday I decorated the house and Grandma and Grandpa helped so much.
Abby and Grandpa playing with Abby's new Duplo legos. They also went to the store and Grandpa bought peanuts. They ate them outside--pretty cute!
Abby before she left for the store with Grandpa.
I decided I wanted to make Abby a train cake. It ended up taking much of the day! I combined lots of ideas from on-line and it turned out somewhat like I wanted! I found out that chocolate cake mix is not too friendly with frosting--especially small pieces! The engine was a struggle and so I put it in the fridge and went up to take a shower. Matt knew to leave out the blue frosting so that I could finish the engine, but his Dad did not know and washed the bowl! So the engine was what it was! Abby loved the cake and that is what matters anyways! I learned a lot and will do a better job next time!
Grandma Barbara and Choo-choo Grandpa with Abby before the party.
Abby and Jen before the party.
Eating Abby's favorite dinner--spaghetti! I put a trash bag over her (much to her dismay) so that she would not ruin her clothes. We usually stick her in the bath after this meal! Heather, Brandon and Dexter (Matt's sister and family) were so nice to drive up for Abby's party. We are so glad they could come.
We played a pin the number 1 on Thomas game and had a lot of fun.
Brandon being guided into the closet instead of to the paper!
Our friends, the Randall's also came over and we loved having them at the party.
They gave Abby a Thomas backpack--how perfect! Here Abby is with Caleb and Hannah.
Lincoln Logs from Heather, Brandon and Dexter. Watch out Uncles Jeremiah and Brent--she's quite the builder!
Grandma Karen and Grandpa Mark gave Abby a new set to her wooden train and a card. Now her train is bigger and has tunnel! Thanks!
Abby eating the engine!
Let's all eat cake and ice cream!
Today (Saturday) I tried a new breakfast recipe--Caramel Monkey Bread. I should have read the instructions a little more carefully because it took a while! I ended up having to get up at 4 to make it before everyone had to leave! But it was sure good. Here it is before it baked.
Matt found an incredible deal after Thanksgiving on a little 4-wheeler. So we saved it for Abby's birthday. She is learning how to steer!
Today the Huff family (Abby's birth Dad's family) sent Abby a gift in the mail. Abby was so excited to find a card, a Thomas flashlight that talks, and a beautiful dress with a white sweater. She has carried the Thomas around ever since and likes to go into dark rooms so that she can see the light! Thank you so much for thinking of Abby!
Matt decided in order to speed things up in the backyard her should hire one of the young men who is trying to do odd jobs to save money for his upcoming mission, to dig out the pond we want. Abby thought it was a great place to play and wanted to help dig!
Ever since Abby was born I've kept a journal of the things she says, does, and ideas and thoughts from me. I finished her second journal right before her birthday and made the first entry in her new journal on her 3rd birthday. I love being able to tell her about her many adventures and hope that she will enjoy reading it some day!

I am off to help the Young Women with their musical number for New Beginnings soon, but I want to get a blog post off before I go! I love helping music be a special part of our new ward!

First, Matt invited his home teaching companion and their family and one of the family's he home teaches over for dinner on January 28th. We had a great time getting to know them and enjoying their beautiful children. One had a 3 month old and the other had a 6 month old. It only made us want to get another child so badly! For those that don't know, we were approved for adoption again a year ago and when we arrived in California we not only had to meet the California criteria, we also had to redo our entire file due to some problems with our file in Arizona. So we are almost finished with everything we have to do and we will be back up on the LDS Services website (pray the fingerprinting clearances come back quickly from the other states we lived in--that is the major hold up!). So please, PLEASE remember us if you ever hear of someone looking for a home for their child. Abby prays every night for a brother or sister and she would be the best big sister ever! Anyways, we had a wonderful time with our new friends and hope to have them over again!
One Tuesday, January 31st Abby went to gymnastics, but this time it was on her own! She is taking a different class at the advice of her teacher. I was not worried about her skill level, but a little concerned that she might not understand the idea of sitting and listening and waiting her turn. She did pretty well, although she tried to follow behind the teacher as she worked with each kid instead of sitting on the balance beam with the others. We are working on little things, but she did a great job and she will learn a lot in this class!
Waiting to go inside for her class. Notice the new leotard--she used her Christmas money from Great Granny Ruth to buy it for gymnastics. Thanks Granny!
Working with her teacher, Miss Sunny.
Much of the time Abby was wandering while the other kids sat on the beam. It looked something like this!
Abby running to jump off the spring board.
Abby, Matt and I found a nice park in Bakersfield by accident! There was a nice play area, water fountains, bridge over the water, etc. It will be a great place for picnics! You can see Abby running in the bottom of the first picture!
Thursday I had the opportunity to do a workshop at Cal State University Bakersfield. It was for a high school theatre workshop and my workshop was called, "Singing the Musical Theatre Songs." I had a great group of students and taught them some information about breathing, posture, warm-ups, etc. and then we learned a song from the musical Rent called, "Seasons of Love." They loved the song and even auditioned for some solos. We had to move quickly, but by the end they sang through the song and sounded great. I really enjoyed the opportunity and hope to have many more opportunities like this!
Saturday, February 5th we all went to our friend Roegan's 5th birthday party. It was a Star Ward party and so Abby picked out Star Wars legos! We had a great time at the party!
Here is the cake his Mom, Amber made--awesome huh?
Abby jumping on the tramp at the party
Abby turns 3 this week! Prepare for Abby birthday pictures next Sunday! We are having a "choo choo" party on on Friday with family. Abby is very excited.

Life's Little Lessons

Yesterday a student came into my office and shared a bit of his personal life. He explained how he was leaving behind the old him and taking a more responsible path by returning to college. After high school he worked for a while, then lost his job, and was on unemployment for the past two years. He said that during that time he received $26,000/year in unemployment benefits. Because of paperwork issues and retroactive qualification he said that much of it was dispersed in large lump sums, one as large as $13,000. Then he pulled out his MGM casino gold card and explained how he would regularly go to Vegas and with friends and spend that money. He played the high rollers tables where it costs $500-$5,000 per hand. Casinos compted his rooms and gave him free limo rides.

What should Democrats learn from this. . .

You cannot doll out lump sums of money to the poor/unemployed. They will just blow it. That is why most low income households I’ve ever seen tend to have big screen TVs and multiple video game consuls; many drive a nicer cars that me. If they ever get a wad of cash they spend it on frivolous things. A local school teacher here tells me that his district hosts a workshop on “the culture of poverty” which includes a segment explaining low-income/poor Americans tend to view money as a temporary thing that needs to be spent before it is taken, lost, or otherwise used up. Hence the big TVs, fancy car stereos, and shiny rims on cars. So if we are going to give out welfare (unemployment or otherwise) it needs to be in small steady increments, and it would really be nice if much of it was in the form of vouchers for food and rent or some form of credit that could not be spent in electronics stores or at casinos.

What should Republicans learn from this. . . .

There is a large chunk of the American society who are irresponsible. If you really think these people are capable of managing their own social security funds you are insane. We cannot privatize everything or they’ll be exploited, starve, and then taxpayers will have to pay for their idiotic spending habits in the end. The same is true of health care. They may not want to buy it, but let’s face it, they need it. If they don’t buy it then when they get sick and go to the emergency room (which costs a heck of a lot more than a preventive doctor’s appointment) the US taxpayers get the bill. I’d much rather see Uncle Sam garnish their wages and force them to have some insurance so that they are the ones who pay for their bad habits—not me.

Some folks say it is wrong for the government to force Americans to buy something they may not want. That is the exact same argument Southern Democrats used in the 1840s when Northern Whigs were developing public schools and laws mandating attendance. Whigs said that people could not be trusted to make the decision on their own. If given the choice, they’d put their kids in factories and make money off them and years later those uneducated children would have no future. Americans agreed, after several decades of debate. It is better for the whole of the nation to force every family to send its kids to school and then raise their local taxes to pay for those schools. Agreed? Today you must send you child to school (you can opt for the government school, private school, or home school but they must attend) and every American must pay the local taxes that finance the public schools (much of your property taxes is for the schools). Similarly, California requires car insurance because if it did not we’d have drivers all over who could not pay for the consequences that they create. We can’t always control who will hit our car, or if we will get cancer, but sooner or later most Americans will need that insurance. If they don’t have it, then taxpayers pay the bill (often at an inflated cost). Most who refuse to pay for it while healthy will be the ones asking the government to pay for it later when they need it. They are short sighted, just like those who opposed mandated schools, and just like my casino attending student, and just like many other Americans who can’t pay their bills but have expensive toys. They are not capable (or are unwilling) to do what is best for them and everyone else, and in the end we pay for their foolishness. I for one am tired of paying for them, and the only solution is the same one we’ve used before—mandate it. Require it, just like we require auto insurance and education of children. If you really think that is a violation of the constitution then why don't you call for a repeal of the mandates for education and car insurance? If you are in favor of mandatory schooling than you don’t have much room to say mandatory health coverage is wrong. It is clearly better for everyone, and those who resist are really just asking Americans to pay for them when they do get sick and cannot afford it. Requiring people to have health coverage is no more unconstitutional than requiring they send their children to school.