Sunday, November 23, 2008

Chalyse's 9 month check up

This past week Chalyse had her 9 month check up. She is getting so big! We decided to go to a doctor that was closer to our home that my aunt recommended. When we first got there i wasn't sure i was going to like this new dr. very much because the receptionists weren't very professional and we waited for over an hour. As soon as they took us back, though, my opinion totally changed. The girl that took us back was so cute and sweet, and she kept apologizing about the wait. She was so good with Chalyse and Chalyse loved her. Next our Dr came who was also sooo sweet and gentle. Chalyse didn't even know she was at the doctors. After the doctor was done, they came in to give Chalyse her shot. She normally screams and cries, so we gave her her binkie and blanket, but after they stuck her, she wimpered a little bit and was happy again, probably because she was having so much fun. We loved our old doctor, and we're glad that we found someone close by that we like, also. The diagnosis: Chalyse is healthy, on track, and super cute!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fun in Social Psychology

My professor of this class is a Democrat, which is neither here nor there. Today we talked about aggression. He started out his lecture by talking about guns. I'll preface my writings by saying that I think both sides of the gun control debate are a little overly simplistic. Are there a lot of guns that are misused in the US? Absolutely. Are there unnecessary deaths? Absolutely. Has there been some success with gun control in other countries? Yes, but there have been warnings for us, too. On the other hand, are there countries that have widespread gun ownership and extremely low levels of gun crime? Absolutely! Norway and Switzerland have among the lowest crime rates (of any kind) in the world.

Lessons can be learned from these two examples of gun ownership. One thing, first of all, must be understood: a gun is a tool and it can't kill people. People kill people. A gun is inanimate and can do nothing by itself. They understand that very well in these two countries. Switzerland has mandatory military service for all men, and therefore has a very well-trained population. If I were a criminal, I would be most worried about those with guns than those without. Additionally, I would be very deterred from committing a crime if the likelihood of the other person having a gun was great, especially if they know how to use it.

The second amendment isn't going away. We are going to have guns. I propose mandatory training on firearms. In many places we have mandatory sex ed., the purpose being to limit unsafe sex. Why in the world don't we try to limit unsafe gun use and ownership when far more people die from misuse of guns than from misuse of sex? I'm just saying.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Chalyse Crawling

Silly Chalyse

So Chalyse has been making strides in mobility lately, much to our amusement. She keeps us on our toes. She has been trying to crawl for about a month, and this last week she finally figured it out. It's fun to watch her struggle across the floor. She has always sat with her left leg extended, and so it is more natural for her to crawl the same way, I guess. It looks like she has a cast on her leg. It's pretty cute. The day that she figured it out, she also learned how to clap rather than just hitting her fingers together and clasping her hands in front of her. I guess she had a lot of examples of how it's done with us encouraging her.

A couple of days before she figured out how to crawl, Camille and I put her down to go to bed, and she sat there and talked and made noise for a while as we watched a movie in the other room. She suddenly went silent, and we knew that she was up to something. When I went in to check on her, she was standing up, supporting herself on her headboard. She had climbed up the bars of her crib and scooted along the edge to the back. She turned to look at me with a look on her face as if to say, "Hey Dad. I'm not doing anything." She lost her grip at that point and bumped her head on the bars of her crib.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Crawling Backwards

Lla touba s'taht llew. Yay, Yadirf ytud yruj sah eh dna, ho. Yadrutas no maxe sixarp eht sekat eh. Loohcs htiw ysub stuj si Mot. Tey ti wonk t'nseod ehs tub gnilwarc yllacitcarp si Esylach: tsetal eht s'ereh llew. Tuo ti erugif dluow enoyna fi ees dna sdrawkcab tsop a etirw dluow ew dediced I dna Mot os yas ot hcum evah yllaer t'ndid ew.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Halloween

This Halloween we dressed up as some of the characters from the Wizard of Oz. I was Dorothy, Tom was the Scarecrow and Chalyse was the good witch Glinda. I put alot of work into the costumes. Every year all of my family go to my Mom and Dad's for trick-or-treating and a Halloween party. I told Tom to get it off but when he asked they told him every one has to work it because it is one of the busiest days of the year. I was so sad but his manager said they would get him off as quickly as possible and my sister volunteered to come pick me up. Tom got to the party only 15 minutes later than we did and we had alot of fun! Here are some pictures:

The Scarecrow and Glinda (she's a little excited)




Here's Bethany. She's Strawberry Shortcake. My mom made that awesome hat.


Brighton went as a golfer this year. This costume suited him--he's got a set of mini-golf clubs and he's always golfing around the house.


Everyone's Jackolanterns. My mom insisted on having 10 of them. (Brigham was still carving his--a Buckaneers logo). Jame's is on the top--he shaved his.




Jame's costume. His wife shaved the back of his head to look like a face.