Tis the season . . .

. . . for days without shirts.

It's September. The temp is hovering around 100 degrees. Sometimes you've got to sacrifice image for comfort.

Actually, Ammon was babysitting Emma. Every toy was on the floor when I got home. Emma had just spewed on her shirt, and she was looking . . . frustrated. See below.






















. . . for Halloween costume shopping.

Here's Emma in her adorable lamb-y outfit.

Again, looking frustrated.




















. . . for elections.

Emma is already making her political passions known. Here she is wearing her "lil tree hugger" onesie:

my latest hobby

making emma laugh... and making myself look ridiculous!

a post that you'll likely skim

a long-awaited political rant from ammon:

Let's be clear: I am not an Obamaniac. I do not agree with every word that escapes his mouth. I also do not support every social or fiscal program promoted by the Democratic party. Nevertheless, I believe Obama is the best candidate for President.

I think the problem with political dialogue is that it polarizes people. There's almost nothing more divisive. Yet, if you listen closely, people actually want the same things. People want freedom, they want prosperity, they want the city garbage trucks to pick up the trash each week, they want world peace, they want to maintain a belief in American "exceptionalism," they don't want to destroy every piece of green on this earth. People are reasonable. But once you start mentioning abortion or national security or taxes, people stop qualifying their statements. Suddenly everything is dichotomous.

I could count on my fingers all the things that I know to be absolutely true. So many of the issues we talk about are not so black and white. We live in a world of gray—not red and blue. One thing that Obama and I agree on is that people should stop talking about what divides us, and start talking about what unites us.

I was asked recently to describe one good thing about Obama. Here are several.

Leadership. One thing that the President of the U.S. should signify is leadership. Many people are concerned that the "wrong" president could somehow change the face of the country. The grand reality, and the beauty of our inefficient system of government, is that the president cannot unilaterally fulfill all promises of his campaign. The power of the purse still lies with Congress, and the fate of the Constitution still lies with the Nine. So, although Obama's campaign of change is good politics, the real power of change (or the idea of change) is the power it has to unite people. The United States is a hodge-podge of culture, belief, and race. Who better to unite the American people than the quintessential postmodern man?

Connection. McCain, I am sure, loves his country. And Obama, I know, has his flaws. But one thing (I think) we can agree on, is that McCain represents a sunset generation. McCain's constituency is the elderly (and also the white, and the rich, and the complacent). And lucky for him, that group has consistently performed well in the polls. But that group is also on the fade-out. They've made their money, left their careers, and made their mark. The group I'm concerned about is the generation that's graduating college, or buying their first house, or starting their family, buying insurance, beginning a career. . . . Obama's constituency is generation now. We need someone who is connected to the common man, not the common plan. We need an ambassador for millennial America.

Communication. The Fathers of our Constitution knew how to put words together. Madison, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton. These were politicians with a message, and the tools to promote that message. The President of the United States should be able to make a great speech. He should be able to move people with words, and communicate an idea to rally the American people. After all, the President is the spokesman of the nation. Obama has the gift of oration, whether you like him or not. And so did a slew of past presidents. But the latest offerings of the GOP have me wondering if our speech is devolving.

Eco-response. We are stewards of the Earth. And we are largely failing in that role. It's fascinating how the GOP suddenly became interested in the "green movement" when it became a lucrative industry. There are other reasons –healthy reasons—to end Global Warming, to recycle, to save forests, and to promote clean energy. It's called improving your existence on the only known life-supporting planet in the universe. Obama understands that concept, and he has consistently supported methods of sustainability throughout his campaign. Won't it be nice when we can tell the next generation how bad the pollution used to be, or how much oil we used to consume, or how many forests we used to rape.

Diplomacy. I'll be clear: the Iraq War was a mistake. That's all I have to say about that. Hence, I would appreciate a president who uses tact instead of tanks, negotiation instead of annihilation. McCain's knee-jerk reaction to overseas conflict seems to be "send out the troops!" It's the same rash obstinacy that characterizes Bush and Palin, and tends to precede bad policy. We need a cool head in the White House, not a cowboy-maverick. Obama is cerebral. He is subtle. And he believes in the power of diplomacy before hostility.

I could continue this debate . . . but I'm tired. And you are also likely tired (if you've made it this far). I think we can agree on at least one thing: this country is great. Also: discourse is healthy. But so is compromise. Peace.

Happy 3 Months Emma!

We can finally celebrate one of Emma's month birthdays because we don't have to go to the doctor and get ridiculous shots! Hurray for one month of peace! We celebrated by taking a bagillion pictures. It was a little hard for me to do it myself, so most of her good ones came when Daddy came home! ("I'm so glad when Daddy comes home...") We haven't gotten a new camera yet, but she's adorable nonetheless! :)

So before Emma came out with all that AMAZING red hair, we had these 2 dolls in her crib. Strawberry Shortcake (far left) was my favorite doll when I was young. It was the theme of my 1st birthday (and will now be the theme of Emma's). The Beijing Olympics mascot was given to in-the-womb Emma when Grandpa Brown went to China for business. I got to choose between this red one, and a panda looking one. I decided to give the panda to Mads, and took the red-head home to put in Emma's crib. As luck would have it, Emma came out looking identical to these two. Which one is Emma?
I love Emma in this sleeper. It's from Gymboree, of course! Grandma Brown's FAVORITE baby clothes store. We're practicing sitting up.
Daddy and Emma. Don't they look so much alike?
Only Daddy can get her to smile like this!

Ever since I was 3, I have been obsessed with squeezing ears. Weird? Probably, unless you had a little brother like Logan who had the most amazing ears! It looks like Emma also has the squeezing ear trait. Oh dear!
She's working hard during tummy time!
Who is she staring at? She's so incredibly serious! Another Mommy trait!
Doesn't she look so graceful? My little ballerina!
Exhausted from all the pictures!

Starting her young.

camera help!

i have had the same digital camera for 5 years now. many of you would probably be disgusted at that thought. ammon and i have recently decided to look for a new camera. he worked at best buy for like a month nearly 3 years ago, so has an idea of what good cameras were THEN. but clearly that's not very helpful for NOW. therefore, if anyone has ANY idea of what type of camera we should get, please let us know. we are just looking for a middle-of-the-row camera that is small so it fits in my purse. THANKS!

a lil landscape and a whole lotta emma

Landscaping update. The grass finally grew in. You can see the bougainvillea exploding up the wall. And the three fruit trees: Arizona Sweet Orange, Tangelo, and Lime. Desert Bird in the foreground. The garden next to the house has some lingering Basil, Peppers, a newly planted Yellow Bells, some Vincas, and now a fist-sized cantaloupe.


Looking forward to some Tangelo this February.






















Photo shoot with Mommy last Sunday. She's just starting to find her stomach muscles, so I'll prop her up and then right when I try to take the picture, she flies forward!

Little princess! Looking down upon her subjects and pronouncing judgment with her imaginary wand.





















Did I mention that I have chubby cheeks?






















"Someone help. I can't stop falling forward!"






















Hmmm.... blanket in the mouth. The look, the taste, of cotton.





















Cutest heavyweight champion of the world. About to box it out with an imaginary opponent. Look at those fists, that form. KO.




















Emma was talking up a storm until, of course, we get the camera out. Oh well... she makes a few noises on camera. Still waiting for when she's not camera shy. :) Oh yeah... and did I mention that we don't like lights at our house? We're so used to it that it's not until I post this video that I realize how dark it is! :)