SWARMED!

We came home from Glenn Beck, only to find out that exactly at 10:15 that morning, our neighbors had watched a swarm of 10,000 bees fly onto our street and settled into the tree in front of our house! Fortunately, they thought to call the fire department. They sent some guys over to foam our tree with a poison and when we got home, all we saw were mounds of dead carcasses all over our sidewalk and a few lingering angry bees. Geoff will try to finish them off tomorrow morning, but talk about random!

Glenn Beck's American Revival Tour

Geoff and I went on Saturday and it was totally awesome. Yes, Glenn cried... a lot. But it was so good! The theme was restoring America through Faith, Hope and Charity. 10,000 people attended. It was started off with the Pledge of Allegiance and he prayed. Glenn talked about having the fortitude of the pioneers as we try re-establish American values in our political system. He quoted Come, Come Ye Saints and Ephesians on putting on the whole armor of God.
He had David Barton talk about the religious foundation and example set by the Founding Fathers. Did you know that 29 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence had theological degrees? The original intent of the separation of church and state was to determine that the state couldn't dictate the doctrine of the church, not that the govt couldn't have religious expression. In fact, most of the original states had official religions. The Nation just couldn't officially adopt a religion. The American Bible was printed by the first Congress of the United States for the purpose of being studied in schools because they firmly believed that a society could only remain free if it remains virtuous and moral. Here is a link to his organization WallBuilders to learn more.

David Buckner, an economic professor from Columbia University, spoke on having hope through uncertain economic times. He said that if all govt spending were stopped today, every man, woman and child in America would still owe $184,000 to pay off the national debt... without considering the interest. But I liked his recipe for hope:
H - Home, focus on putting your own house in order.
O - Ownership, focus on individual ownership
P - Preparation, Be prepared for rough times ahead, food storage, savings
E - Education and Engagement - Teach yourself and your children how to spend wisely, only vote for representatives willing to cut the spending, let go of your own pet projects you like the govt spending on...
We LOVED Andrew Napolitano's speech re-asserting our God-given inalienable rights and that whatever powers not expressly stated in the Constitution belong to the States and the States need to take those powers back! He had at least 4 standing ovations! His book is entitled Lies the Government Told You. I will be reading that soon.
The best past of the day was that we ran into Kristen and Mike Schern while standing in line to get in! So we had lunch together on the patio at the Yard House and it was so fun! It was a
gorgeous day to be in Phoenix!

No, I didn't lock her up...

These are just a few pictures taken at the park this week. The dare devil has mastered climbing, going down the two-story slides, and hanging from the monkey bars. She always makes a friend, usually an older girl who teaches her how to be more daring. I am riddled with anxiety the entire time she plays because I can't predict what she is going to do next. But since she loves it so much, we go almost every day.
I've been riding my pink cruiser that has a trailer on the back to go to the different playgrounds in the neighborhood. It has been so warm here, we've even gone swimming in the kiddie pool, though usually we just go to the splash pad.
We are still motivated to potty train. We have been using her Easter candy for her reward system. So far it's not working out so well. Can we say laundry and carpet cleaner?? Every time she hangs out with Ella Shea, she wants to use the potty, but on her own she seems only to be motivated after she has wet her pants. We took a break the past few days and I think we will start up again tomorrow. Sometimes I question how much TV Miss k watches. She seems to have started her performance career early. Not only does she have a repertoire of musicals memorized, she is now quoting and imitating any she watches (of course, her speech is still mingled with elfish so it requires translation)
Mary Poppins references:

• She nods and dreams, shaking off the sleep like Michael when I sing "Stay Awake" to put her to bed at night - such a ham!
  
• She quotes Michael while she's eating cereal "Strawberry! Hmmm"
• When I get her out of the car, she says "Aaaaaand snap! The job's a game!"

Chito Bang references (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang):

• Driving in the car, she yells "A boat! I can see a boat!"
• "So delicious, so beguiling...." over and over and over
• She will grab Geoff and I by the hand and have us sit in a circle and she will sing "Someone to... Someone to...I Have You Two"

We had a picnic in our backyard, sitting on our porch swing. Note K is wearing her princess dress again and her hair in not combed. Any tips for getting her to sit still? Wrestling and bribing don't seem to work...
This is Geoff's vegetable garden we started. We are very proud of the 11 stalks of corn and two tomato plants that have sprouted. Our goal is simple: just to gain experience in gardening before the summer sun scorches them to death. It's been fun.

Finally, I cannot end this blog without saying what a FABULOUS dinner I cooked today! LOL!! This chicken & vegetable pasta dinner was covered in a cream sauce of Parmesan cheese, butter, garlic, onion, fresh basil and bacon. We had artichokes in a butter & vinegar dipping sauce... and Katherine DRANK the dipping sauce before I could get it out of her hands! We missed going to the Hatch's for Sunday dinner, but it was a good day to eat at home.