December

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!  I’m doing a little catching up… mostly in pictures… for anyone who still visits this neglected blog.

Attempting to get some photos of everyone looking at the camera.

Cedar waxwings.

Two buddies sleeping in the snow.  Rip (the one on the right) is no longer here.  His owner decided to give him away and if it weren’t for the fact he was a runner (and showed Jaska how to breech his electric barrier) we would have seriously considered keeping him.

Playing the “fiddo”.

Just like big brother.

Piper in the woodshed.  Pippin (her brother) was in the garage allowing an injured leg to heal.  He no longer jumps up in wheel wells of trucks!

As requested (you know who you are)… the expanding belly pic.  Although there is no snow and I am lightly dressed, this really was taken in December.

Some of Noah’s creations.

Ben is the new reader offering stories to his younger siblings.

Broomhilda?

Is she shocked by our singing?  Or is it the fact that I would dare serve her leftover cake from a potluck as birthday cake?  I don’t know, but after spitting on the cake to attempt to extinguish the candle, she eagerly devoured her piece.  She’s two.

A happy birthday boy who is now seven!

A little knitting and felting.

Attawapiskat and other issues

You Probably Didn’t Know He Blogged

I am aware that not everyone will find the humour in these posts, but I just can’t help it.  I find myself getting a good chuckle out of many of the posts on Satan’s Blog.

The Best Five Toys of All Time

A friend posted this article on Facebook (yes, I’m still on there) and I got a kick out of it, especially since I was just contemplating getting rid of every single toy in our home.  The fights seem to be mostly over toys.  I wonder if I got rid of toys….. would they just fight over the items in this article?

Check it out at GeekDad on Wired.

Great Resource on the Damage Caused by Porn

 

Now, 20+ years into the Internet age there is no doubt that pornography has devastating affects on individuals, families and society. These increased societal ills include: addiction, exploitation, family disintegration, violence against women and children, sex trafficking, increased crime, and the list goes on. This site is dedicated to providing the facts about pornography. We have gathered the most accurate peer-reviewed research on the harm from pornography, along with relevant news, opinion and personal accounts to document these harms.

We invite you to become more informed about the consequences of pornography use and to consider the extent of these impacts before you chose to use it. We also encourage you to use this a resource tool to help others understand and to share this content where ever you would like.

Taken from “About” page on Pornharms.com

I’m not linking to the articles…..

….. if you really want to read them you will find them. My connection is slow and it makes me not even want to blog when I try to include links.

In California you have to be 18 to use a tanning bed, to get a tattoo, and to get any body piercings other than in your ears. Even parental consent cannot change this. This is to protect the health and safety of minors. You must be 18. Does it not seem like a glaring contradiction then to allow under 18s to get an abortion without parental consent and without having to inform the parents? There are physical and psychological consequences. Some studies suggest that abortion is linked to future premature birth. Some studies are starting to link breast cancer and abortion, though this is still controversial. Consider this study recently published by the British Journal of Psychiatry:

Women who have undergone an abortion have an 81 percent higher risk for mental health problems and are more likely to attempt suicide, abuse alcohol and suffer depression, according to a study in a mainstream British journal that is getting considerable attention from both sides of the abortion debate. (From Opposing Views)

Photo Update

The night we got home from Duluth. 13° in the house and furnace broken.

Lovin’ the kittens.

The waves never look as big in the photos as they really were.

That’s our house peeking out there.

Watching the big waves splash up the cliff side.

Big splash!

These two follow us everywhere… on all of our walks.

I think that after the high winds of the last few days all of these leaves are probably blown off.

Bonding moments.

Call for Mercy – Sign the Petition

Hawk Ridge September 2011

I’m pretty sure this is a Philadelphia Warbler that Ben is releasing, but I’ll have to check with the resident experts in the morning.

Uncle Sam with the magic touch of getting babies to sleep got Danica into such a deep sleep that he was able to slip her into the trekker for me and she continued to sleep for a long time after Uncle Sam and family left.

Gabe released a sharp-shinned hawk.

Zach and Gabe with their Hawk Ridge buddy, Erik – discussing and watching birds.

These here are the not-so-enthusiastic birders.  Not yet anyway.  They were ok for the first few hours, then it got old…. and cold.

And Zach with his Cooper’s Hawk that he waited patiently for after writing his request on the “wish list”.

We also spent hours at the waterpark, visited the Great Lakes Freshwater Aquarium, and celebrated Gabe’s birthday with a specially requested cake brought from home.  I just realized we didn’t take a photo of eating Gabe’s cake in the hotel room with the cousins and that’s sad.  No birthday cake shot of Gabe’s ninth birthday.  :-(

 

 

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Maybe she’ll be a cellist.

Reading with biggest big brother.

Bouncing on a birch.

Phew! He doesn’t eat kittens!

Deck full of people. 37 children, 20 adults, plus our family. Great homeschool group gathering!

A nice neck squeeze….

…. followed by a kiss.