Happy Halloween! Vintage Costume . . .

My brother wore this costume when he was 10 months old . . . which was nearly 23 years ago! Mom made this costume back in the day; so it is a classic in the family! It usually just hangs on the wall as a decoration . . . but not this year!

Ben II Dracula:

And of course he did the Mom-pulled-out-the-camera-so-I'll-stop-smiling thing!

Payless Deal and Photo Shoot in the Park

PAYLESS DEAL

50% today and tomorrow (Thursday, October 29 and Friday October 30), because one of Payless's new fashion designers is being featured on OPRAH, they are going to have a 50% entire purchase sale.

Go to oprah.com/payless to access the special offer either by downloading a coupon or sending a special text message.



PHOTO SHOOT

Well, my little guy was having a super day and wanted to walk all over and be cute, so I thought - let's zip over to the park and I'll take some cute photos of him. Well, once I pulled out the camera, this is pretty much what happened. No more smiles, and he didn't want to walk around but be held. So here are some of the better shots I got, but out of 100 it's not very many!

Kansas is in the center of it all!

One more summer adventure.

We love the heartland of America, and even greater, the heartland of so much Church History. Actually, we could just say Gospel History when you consider this picture was taken in no less than Adam-ondi-Ahman. And I guess you could actually say Gospel Future as well . . .

It is absolutely beautiful there--green, expansive, peaceful. From this picture we are near an outlook of the actual valley. Behind us at the top of the hill are acres and acres and acres of land that the Church owns and is currently being farmed.



Baby Ben is growing. He has 6 teeth, can walk with a decreasing wobble, and jabbers like crazy. And he smiles like this when he's about to do something that will make you laugh or race him to something he probably shouldn't be going towards. In this instance I think he was just lunging for the camera.



This is a sign of a horse and buggy--which means slow down. We went to Jamesport, an old Amish town. I could live there; the Amish would make great neighbors. They are industrious, devout, friendly, foreign language speakers (German is their day-to-day language, surprisingly), modest in living, and many other positive qualities.

All of their homes are nicely kept, and you'll notice no telephone or electricity lines running to them.

Great place to visit, and they enjoy visitors. They have several local stores that they sell products in from quilts (hand-quilted and anywhere from $400-900), furniture, crafts, breads, jams, buggies, etc.

There are bed-and-breakfasts in this town as well. If you'd like a refreshing and peaceful get-away place - go to Jamesport, MO.



We also went to Liberty, MO where we saw the Liberty Jail where our prophet of the Restoration was held for nearly 5 months back in 1838 and 1839.



And this is in the Independence, MO Visitors Center.



He lives.

OOoo-klahoma Where the Wind Comes Rolling Down the Plains!

We've seen more of the Great Plains, the American Bread Basket, the Midwest. We drove past Witchita (the other Kansas city) and to Oklahoma City, OK. (I clarify the state, because Kansas City is mostly in Missouri :) . We met some wonderful old friends there (Emily and Logan Mallory) who are living in Texas right.

We saw the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, which was excitin'. Saw a Rodeo--very atypical--we should tell you that story someday. Ate at Crabtown--fabulous. And little Ben was a trooper.



We also attended the wonderful Oklahoma City Temple. The smallest temple I've been too, but the feeling in that House of the Lord is just as great!

Here's some of the latest photos. And if anyone wants to talk about NARNIA, Brooke finished the last 3 books during the last three days (stayed up till 12:30 am last night, though we go walking at 5:30 am!) Would love to talk about it!

Much love and thank you all for the posts, they are fun!

Sometimes We Want Stuff We Should Not Have

I ran into this short film and think it has a lesson to teach us about life.

Great Video About Life

This is an interesting speech given by Steve Jobs (founder of apple) at a Stanford graduation. If you have 15 minutes, I suggest you watch, especially if you are in school or just recently graduated.

And We're Back on the Air

So, we moved to Kansas--Topeka, Kansas (KS) to be exact. We are an hour from Kansas City, MO; about 6 hours from Nauvoo, IL; 9 hours from Chicago, IL; and 15 hours from Salt Lake City, UT.

Our move out here was a delight--really like a vacation. We traveled with family, stopped in Grand Junction for a night, then Denver, then straight through Kansas (it's mostly farmland until you hit Topeka).

We've only had a major thunderstorm every other night (at least a really good one once a week); seen lightning out our window that I'd only ever seen in National Geographic Magazines; and finally can say we've seen fireflies! As we drove by a large grassy field one night (there's never too much traffic, nor has been seen too many cars on the road on his commute to and from work) we must have "triggered" them, because they were jumping all over. Impressive.

We arrived in Topeka on a Friday, unpacked, and at 4:30 am on Tuesday got up to hop the Amtrak Train to Nauvoo, IL (or Fort Madison to be exact, which is 9 miles from Nauvoo). Incredible--the entire experience. That is a sacred place, that really leaves a special place in the heart.

Ben has started working at Payless Worldwide Headquarters and hasn't had to pay for lunch yet :) . They have training for weeks and go to lunch with lots of managers. He doesn't actually start his real job for 5 more weeks! He's been touring lots of stores and hearing all about shoes!

Our new apartment is a step up from our 1-Bedroom . . . to a 2-Bedroom. Yay! We even have a washer and dryer, which is incredibly convenient. My family also generously gave us a new couch, which we like very much; and our bedroom doesn't feel like a food storage and storage shed anymore . . . but Baby Ben's does a little, but he said he didn't mind ;) .

Little Ben is 9.5 months now, still no teeth, incredibly mobile, and getting more fun every day (and also more exhausting!).

Please let us know how you are doing. Also, we video chat on SKYPE, so if you want to give us a ring, that would be fun for us.

Love from Kansas.



You probably know how beautiful the Nauvoo Temple is, but I didn't realize how lush and green it all is (similar to Kansas) and how close the temple is to the MISSISSIPPI! There is a wonderful little live dramatization that depicts the Saints during their prosperous times in Nauvoo and the role this great river played in their lives. Amazing.

Here's our sweet baby, all growing up.

Family Photos!

Check out our family photos that our friend, neighbor, and fellow ward member took (Whitney Lewis):

http://whitneylewis.smugmug.com/gallery/7844054_EidhC#508342010_fHrKE


And as an update:
We move to TOPEKA, KANSAS around May 22 or so (give or take).

Calm and Dignified Protest

Read more about how we should respond to HBO's series BIG LOVE

6-months old!

Baby Ben is growing so fast (he outweighs most babies in the ward, even if they are older than him!). We've been enjoying his new gifts: sticking out his tongue, rolling over-stretching-reaching for things he wants, boisterous laughing, sitting in his new booster chair, strength-of-steel grip (watch out hair at the bottom of your neck!), sucking on his toes, waking up on his belly, and more.

Ben and Ben and I played in Salt Lake on Wednesday. Ben has been working at his own business, which makes our schedule nice and flexible. We enjoyed the Joseph Smith Movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building; a gourmet sandwich at the Nauvoo Cafe, and pictures outside the temple.



My personal favorite from the trip is this one of Baby Ben -- I feel like he looks solid in his testimony and is saying, "It's no joke--it's all true."



Also, keep in touch - we may end up in Topeka, Kansas in T minus 3 months. We may be taking a job at Payless Shoe Source Headquarters. KANSAS!

He DISCOVERED Jumping Yesterday!

I just enjoyed one of the most fun growing moments with my son. He figured out, right before my eyes, how to jump in his jumper. He had previously enjoyed sitting in it and could even twist around in it—but never actually jump continuously. When he learned, it was like joy entered his body and motivated his legs. He loved it! It was so fun to see that joy and learning happening at the same time. What was nearly as cute was when he pooped out. Suddenly the jumping just stopped; it didn’t just slow down. He went from vigorously jumping to none. He looked so tired, especially when you consider that little body working out for about 20 minutes straight. I pulled him out, laid him on my shoulder, and after a minimal effort to keep his head up he crashed. He was in a deep sleep in just a minute or so!

I wish those joys could translate in this fast paced world. Mothering and participating in a child’s life is special and I’d even say sacred. I love that little boy! And I love being able to mother him!

This is a day two video, the day one videos are too large to upload.

He can jump for about 20 minutes straight...but then he looks like this--exhausted:

Fight FOCA

Obama announced that he would sign the Freedom of Choice Act (or the Freedom of Partial-birth Abortionists Act).

It is important to be informed and active in political matters, especially moral issues. Abortion is a controversial issue, but it is also quite simple. Take away all of the marketing from both sides and campaigns (pro-choice, pro-life, women choose what's happening to their body, etc) you're dealing with life.

Pro-choice should really focus on the choice to create life. Pregnancy is the result or consequence of a choice. The choice is to have sex and get pregnant. If you aren't ready for parenthood, then you aren't ready for sex. Also, once that consequence of pregnancy comes (which we would hope it was a joyous occasion) then you have finished making choices.

If an adult were to argue that they killed another individual, because they simply didn't want to deal with them, they didn't like how they looked or that the other individual had some health issues that would be burdensome, or that emotionally they couldn't have that person around (if I were more eloquent, those points might be more powerful), we would think that adult were crazy for even suggesting they had a right to kill someone for those reasons. Likewise (if this point is coming across), just because a woman is part of bringing life into the world, the choice to end that life is not hers (yes, there are some issues about health, rape, etc, but we are speaking about the general practice and the 99% of most cases). Life is life. Life begins when those two cells start reproducing. Did you know the heart of a baby is developed enough to start beating after 22 days of gestation, and blood circulates at 26 days!

Concerns - "Concern for the health of the mother is a vital one. But circumstances in which the termination of pregnancy is necessary to save the life of the mother are very rare, particularly where modern medical care is available. Another concern applies to pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. This tragedy is compounded because an innocent woman’s freedom of choice was denied. In these circumstances, abortion is sometimes considered advisable to preserve the physical and mental health of the mother. Abortions for these reasons are also rare" (http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=b4b8db98e2b9c110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1).

This is a heated argument, but if we are informed, we can help preserve the lives of the defenseless. Also, we can take this as an opportunity to inform others of the principles of chastity (which would eliminate the "on demand" abortions) and other moral principles.

What are you thoughts and how can we help fight FOCA?

Please also see:
The Library of Congress - http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.2020:
Fight Freedom Of Choice Act website - http://www.fightfoca.com/ (sign the PETITION also)
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Choice_Act
NRLC: http://www.nrlc.org/FOCA/LawmakersProposeFOCA.html

Solar Power

Solar: The wave of the future. Catch the wave!

Click here to see a great video on solar.

He is SMILING!

What a darling smile!

Why not vote Obama?

If you would like to see Ben's opinion on this matter, he wrote an article on TrendTrap about it.

If you are interested, he describes several simple reasons that you may find interesting. Click here to read the article.

Baby Ben's New Preference

Let's talk about how the baby used to lie down and be content. Lately, that has changed. If he is to be left alone, he will not tolerate lying down, he wants to be sitting up. Moments before this picture I thought he was hungry again, because he was crying, though he had just eaten. Then I sat him up, and voila - he was fine for another 30 minutes (till he dozed off!).

Here is a masterpiece of a cake that I made last week for a family Halloween Party. I will be making it again for the Ward Dessert Contest on Halloween (tomorrow), with darker orange frosting, and hopefully a taller version of the cake since I had some issues with this one, though it still resembles it's Kraft Food magazine original.


Last week Ben went to Topeka, Kansas for an interview at Payless ShoeSource. We actually think the idea is appealing, but are still waiting for an offer. It is the land of tornadoes, though! And apparently it's pretty lush looking and may foster large spiders, which is something I'm incredibly opposed to! :)

Here's a picture of the famous clouds, though...


Well, that's enough text for me! I suppose I'll end with a plug for MCCAIN, whom I'm voting for tomorrow morning. Though Obama speaks appealing messages to the general public, like focusing on the middle class and their tax deductions, or needing to preserve the American Dream and bring a Change for once (like that's never been promised), the fact is, he is promoting policies that show a lack of understanding of general economic principles, and a socialist approach to health care and the market/businesses. I think MCCAIN's experience, though he is not the most glamorous candidate, and his goals are more in line with stong principles (whether dealing with war tactics, economic policies, taxation, energy, etc.) This is obviously a long conversation to be had, and I'd be interested in hearing your views, but I'll be voting for MCCAIN tomorrow.

Happy voting! It's great to be American! May Freedom be preserved and may we truly proclaim "In God We Trust."

Our Family - Took pictures on Sunday :)

Our Buie Family Super Star Son

Baby sleeping. Baby trying to wake up! He loves studying next to Dad. As long has he has a leg on him, he'll sit quietly. If you set him somewhere by himself...not as amused!

He's out of Newborn Onesies, and has upgraded to outfits with separate pieces. Soon he'll be in college :( .




Check out that neck strength!!! 5 weeks old!

Wiggling and Giggling

Baby Benjamin is growing so fast! This is the first time he put on this outfit and he's getting too big for it already!

He's so fun to watch and listen to...