Pelican Island (Galveston)--Seawolf Park

This looked a lot prettier in person.

 John explained that this yellow powder is Sulphur which is the main impurity in crude oil. It is an export of Galveston, in addition to cotton.

Today we went to Galveston Island to take a few tours. The last time we drove through there, it seemed kinda run down and depressing, like it was a happening place full of history, but was beginning to look abandoned. I didn't realize how much damage was still being repaired from 2008's hurricane Ike. Some old buildings, over 100 yrs old, survived the storms, but many places were compromised by the flooding and had to be taken down. I noticed Galveston was less green than what we've seen of Texas--they had to cut down many old beautiful trees which were literally starved because of the salt water. Back in 1900 they had their worst Hurricane (THE worst natural disaster in the US to date) killing thousands. This place has just always built itself back up and the surviving residents remain loyal!

First we went to the Seawolf Park, where we got to tour and old Naval destroyer the USS Stewart and a sub USS Cavalla which were both used during WW2. While it was really cool to enter both ships, I felt sad while in the sub...I felt sad for all the sailors who had to live in these horribly cramped, hot, dangerous claustrophobic quarters, and for the sailors who gave their lives stuck in these subs/ships when they were sunk, whether by enemy or friendly fire. It was also very sticky and humid, and it was kinda musty and dirty, and dangerous in these small spaces...and the steps were SOOO steep and narrow-so taking the babies up and down them was scary. But upon seeing the destroyer and the memorials outside, it made me once again proud of this country and our military. And of my mom's dad who survived years as a POW, and my dad's mom who also endured Japanese brutalities as a a POW.
           Here are some pictures of our time---we stayed pretty long despite the humidity. Once we got on top of the ship, there was a nice breeze. The ships had a certain old smell to them.

It was kinda windy--Olivia's hat was a parachute!

 

The engine and missiles.

 

 So cute!

These plaques were in memory of all the submarines that were sunk--mostly in WW2, and Vietnam...whether by enemy, friendly fire or mechanical failure--like the 2 nuclear subs in the Vietnam war, which led to the Navy to implement a quality control program. (or so John says lol).

More in Galveston to come...

Kemah Again!

Being so close to the boardwalk, which is free and fun to enjoy with the babies, we regularly play out there and it's always a good time, especially when daddy has some time off to relax with us  share in the responsibilities of keeping 2 babies happy and safe :)

 We were smiling while watching a big crane thing being lifted lol.

 Lucas waves like he's a regular here.."I'm here guys, how's it goin?"

 "So I'm allowed to get drenched mom?"

 Olivia runs away from any water lol.

 Our free (packed) lunch lol.

 Arcade fun :)

  It was a nice day for all :)

Random Update

I recorded this earlier today; I didn't realize what Lucas was saying at first, but then I recognized it as a song from Yo Gabba Gabba! He hadn't even watched it recently, but he is enthusiastically (with added head choreography!) singing "Please, Thank you!"

I loved it.

We also took the babies to their first doctor's appt here in TX. Not sure how I like their new doctor, yet but they behaved alright. Lucas was an angel when they took his vitals but Olivia was immediately reminded of her last visit to the ER with a high fever and all the poking and prodding they did, so she screamed away. I told the dr about how I am slightly concerned about Lucas' speech, so she referred me to a therapist, but they just called and told me they don't accept Cigna yet.

  I know Lucas is very smart, but I think it's hard for him to concentrate, and I feel guilty for the lack of individual attention he and Olivia get from me & john. But he is communicating and saying more "words" everyday, just not as clearly pronounced as I'd like. I think the first sentence he ever said a few months ago was "mama, wha you doeen?" (mama what are you doing) and it was so cute to hear! The problem I see now is that Lucas has been saying his own words--some of which I have deduced meanings for--but Olivia is so smart, she has adopted his language, sometimes more than true english! She is a very smart baby--seems to understand what I am asking most of the time, to the point where she is a smart alec and defiant. The cutest things I have witnessed lately:

*Olivia and Lucas both recently got Zsu Zsu (?) pets and they love them. They took ownership of their particular one and know to give the other his or hers. Olivia grabbed both of them one day and she was so happy---I thought because she finally had them both to play with, but she immediately ran over and gave Lucas his....and he immediately said, "Ank yoo". 

(Lucas and his Zsu Zsu)

*Another Zsu Zsu story---not as cute. Usually we clean up the living room millions of toys, clean the kitchen give them a bath and put them to bed - Lucas with his Woody doll and water cup, and Olivia with her glow worm baby and water cup. Apparently Lucas took his Zsu Zsu too. At 5am a few days ago, all of the sudden (while I'm in a deep sleep!) I hear an annoying gibberish over the freaking monitor...never ending...just little breaks of silence that lull me back to sleep til the next "zhivhioeoevvbabui" that the Zsu Zsu had to say! I was so irritated--and when I went in there, they were both asleep!! Is there no way to turn these things off!? ugh. So I guess this one's alive!

*Lucas is getting smarter. Well, thats what I think because he is understanding the art of pretending. We were at the park today and he stood by this little play window thing and we played drive thru...I ordered food and he gave it to me and says "bye! ank u!" and the cutest part was when he handed his fake fries to Olivia, who was frustrated that there was nothing in her hand at all!

So here are some recent pictures of us at the doctor and then playing in the at Kemah:

Kirk Cameron

Sometimes I read celebrity blogger sites. Usually boring, and overwhelmingly biased in favor of liberal ideals. Today I read that Kirk Cameron in an interview with TMZ challenged Stephen Hawking who said that Heaven is just a "fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Kirk Cameron said,

 "Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything and that life sprang from non-life...Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific belief that out of nothing, everything came?"

And Perez Hilton basically just derides Cameron although admits he doesn't understand his point. I think it's a very good point and one that should be acknowledged. It's too easy to write him off as a crazy christian, instead of using your brain. No one is trying to 'prove' there is a Heaven. All he is doing is applying Hawking's own logic to his baseless claim. Hawking among many other scientists, will not accept a Biblical "God", because there isn't any evidence. At the same time they stand firmly with a ridiculous evolutionary theory to counter any possible intelligent design, "life sprang from non-life, nothing created everything, evolution coincidentally creating complex beings" which is inconsistent with many scientific laws. The fact that they can't even allow room for other possibilities, when they themselves have no proof, significantly reduces their credibility, regardless of their "genius" titles (at least to me and Kirk Cameron). Often times the best way to refute someone, is to truly question their own stance and/or apply their own 'rules' to them.
Basically Cameron saying, 'PROVE IT'.

 Cameron even went further:
 

"[Hawking] says he knows there is no Heaven. John Lennon wasn't sure. He said to pretend there's no Heaven. That's easy if you try. Then he said he hoped that someday we would join him...Such wishful thinking reveals John and Stephen's religious beliefs, not good science."

I've never really liked that "Imagine" song, but I like Cameron's twist on it's meaning; maybe people, maybe all those American Idol contestants, have been mistaken about Lennon's message. Too many times it seems like people hear or sing that song and feel some sense of having contributed something to the world or having accomplished some humanitarian feat. Like they are so enlightening, and they know how to end all war, poverty and strife. Listen to the lyrics though--essentially, Lennon's Utopia is a world without accountability, without anything of value, without gratitude, without ambition. Hey if that's your idea of "Heaven," that's fine with me. But I am sick of celebrities spewing the same anti-Chrisitian crap over and over just because it's the cool thing to do and will garner attention. Christianity is too easy to attack...because we won't behead you.

I never argue with people who proclaim to be atheist because in most cases, it's just not true; whether they call God "God", or Heaven "Heaven", the fact is that they believe in a higher Being, and ultimate judgment. I always go back to C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity which follows a more scientific mind of a former self-proclaimed atheist-turned-agnostic-turned-Christian's path to understanding his faith. It makes a lot of sense and I think provides the most "proof" of a God as possible. But what scientists don't understand is that faith is not requiring proof.

Nice Day at The Park

We took the babies down the street to the park again today and we let them play a little while on the playground, but evidently there was some kind of party going on because there were soooo many kids running around. It was too easy to lose track of L + O, or watch them get pushed over by filthy running kids so we took them for a walk down by the water. This lake has jumping fish that entertained Lucas and then we saw this bird in flight, finally land and went over to get a closer look. There are lots of egrets here, mostly white herons that are still pretty to see. But this one was different. I looked it up and it's a "Yellow Crowned Night Heron". We got pretty close til it flew off--and then we saw what it was eating--some crawfish!

"In The Red" Tina Dico cover

I really like this song by Danish singer/songwriter Tina Dico. I have been learning it for a few weeks and the more I practiced it, the worse it was getting so I had to just settle with this recording. It's such a beautiful song and if you listen to her version (which will make mine even more pathetic!) make sure you listen to her live version. She's flawless!

Olivia's Head

She does not need any help getting hurt; she's a climber and not very graceful...I mean, I suppose most babies get hurt a lot when learning to walk and get into things, but she is a drama queen about it (remember her breath holding spells lol) whereas Lucas is pretty tough.
    Well, this time Lucas was to blame. I let him play with a pad of paper, and eventually he lost interest in it and left it on the couch....cue Olivia. She swoops in and thanks to her Herculean-strength grip, Lucas could not get it back. He stopped whining so I figured he was getting another toy...nope! He was grabbing his sippy cup to throw at Olivia ....
   Once I heard it, I hoped it was not her head..because it was hard. She screamed and Lucas grabbed the pad of paper. I was pretty mad at him and told him to get in his bed---which he did (he was tired). Well, I comforted Olivia and she was fine. But she still has the bruise on her forehead today, and this happened on friday...hope people don't think we abuse her!

P.S. Lucas did apologize and kiss and hug her like I always make him do. It was cute because Olivia knew what I was asking him to do, so she looked at him waiting and leaned in to kiss him. Basically, she forgave him :)....took a little longer for me. was pretty mad...

Does Anything Good Come From Chicago?!

Our first lady has invited rapper "Common" to the White House for some poetry BS...I used to have respect for the guy, as he wrote a very honest song about abortion from the perspective of a man which seems very pro-life: "...Knowin you the best part of life do I have the right to take yours...Must have really thought I was God to take the life of my son...$315 ain't worth your soul..." But of course he had to slip this in for immunity: "...not have a judge tell me how and when to raise my seed..."
  Anyway, after reading about him, I don't understand Michelle's intent in bringing him to the White House...if she and President Obama don't want to be associated with the same ideals Common espouses. No, Common's not running for president so who gives a shit what he thinks, but to be invited to the white house as a supposed hero for today's youth, while he glorifies the murderous Black Panthers, and while he supports Rev. Wright's racist and anti-American (we asked for 9/11...) and Jew-bashing rants is confusing. Even during Obama's first presidential campaign, he denounced Wright's views and tried to reassure America that he doesn't agree with Wright:

"...we've heard my former pastor...use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.



I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely — just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country — a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America..."

(Ironic that neither Wright nor Obama seem to care about today's TRUE black genocide that is abortion..)

And this idiot Jehmu Greene tried to defend the invitation, essentially saying that in comparison to other rappers, Common raps about social issues and doesn't objectify women...speaking out against misogyny...despite the fact that he admires Fela Kuti (a Nigerian activist who advocated Polygamy). So, he's relatively a great influence, assuming we had to influence kids via rappers? I'd prefer 50 cent.


   So why especially just before a possible re-election, bring this guy in, who is also a friend of Jew/'gutter religion'/'white devil' hating, Ghaddafi-loving Farrakhan, and who sings about the victory of a black panther woman who escaped her prison sentence and fled to Cuba after being convicted of murdering a NJ cop?
 
 Guess he's pretty sure that the idiots who voted for him the first time, who disregarded those associations will follow suit this round. Glad you caught and killed Osama. Glad you correctly did not release the photos of it. Glad you didn't (weren't able to) close Gitmo. Glad you wisely continued the same route Bush did regarding the war (yeah, not many protesting it when you do it). Not glad about the government-run health care "option"--leave health care to professionals, don't mandate insurance for all, and allow competition to keep insurance costs in check. Not glad about the huge federal deficit, and the stagnant economy. Don't care that you got a Peace Prize..(interesting take on this here...lol). And I don't care about your birth certificate. (Donald Trump, please do not run for president!) As expressed before, I believe it was a waste of time (and potentially distracting to the duties of our troops) repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Not glad that no effort was made to expand nuclear power or drilling to relieve our dependence on foreign oil. So, you have your work cut out for you America. This election, CHOOSE WISELY...

A Day With Olivia...

...minus the whining, crying and pooping. :)

Yeasayer

I like to dance like Napoleon Dynamite to this. Olivia likes it.


I think I like this band. But probably just because it's a band of 4 hot girls.

My 2012 Alternate Pick :)

Hot.

My 2012 Pick....Thus Far

                               Herman Cain

 I didn't catch all of the debate, because the babies own the tv. But I enjoyed Cain's responses. I remember a long drive back home to VA from Massachussetts when we visited friends last July 4th, and we were listening to conservative talk radio, when I believe Herman Cain sat in for someone. I immediately asked John who it was. I have been waiting for a candidate that could speak and answer questions without making me nervous (i.e. not Sarah Palin). Herman, at least this far, is that person. He takes stances on everything with self-assured confidence that is unwavering, despite some of their unpopularity.  Last primary, I voted for Mike Huckabee. I still like him, but he's not firm enough. Mitt Romney was my second choice, hey, he's good looking. But the few times I have heard him speak, I never feel passion or pride. I really like Bobby Jindal a few years back, but he's just too young and not sure enough about himself to withstand the barrage of criticism a president, and even a presidential candidate must. Perhaps because of his not having been a politician, Cain is more than willing to state facts and opinions with an equal amount of aplomb and poise.   When asked about his experience and how he has never been elected to office, he responded with: "I believe everyone in Washington has. How's that working out for you?" While he may not have been a politician, he does have a lot of management experience. Which right now, is what we needed over a perpetual campaigner.

He got a degree in mathematics from Morehouse College, and worked for the US Navy when he got his master's degree in computer science from Purdue. He then worked as a business analyst for Coca-Cola, and then for Pillsbury, where he rose to VP within a few years. Next he worked with Burger King (Pillsbury subsidiary) managing 400 Philadelphian stores, bringing them from the least to the most profitable in just 3 years. Pilsbury then named him president and CEO of their Godfather's Pizza chain, which in 14 months he restored to profitability, subsequently landing him president-elect CEO of the National Restaurant Association, while also serving as a Chairman for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

I am sure there might be some odd stances that will come out that I may not agree with, but what I know of him so far I appreciate and I think he could run the country well and cut some of the wasted tax dollars. He spoke of a new tax code last night, which is funny since John was just talking to me about that earlier. It's scary to think about a ~25% tax on everything, but to not have it automatically garnished from your paycheck would be a huge deal. I try not to look at the taxes taken out of paychecks but it is a hefty amount. I suppose it would be better to only be taxed when you are purchasing something rather than when earning it.

Another big reason I like him (an interview with "Focal Point" radio program):

“I absolutely would defund Planned Parenthood — not because I don’t believe in planning parenthood, [but because] Planned Parenthood as an organization is an absolute farce on the American people,” he said.


As I have tried to explain to ignorant people before:

“People who know the history of Margaret Sanger, who started Planned Parenthood, they know that the intention was not to help young women who get pregnant to plan their parenthood. No — it was a sham to be able to kill black babies,” he added.
He told the program that proof of the agenda is seen in the fact that “75 percent of all Planned Parenthood facilities are located in black neighborhoods.”

And finally, for judicial appointments:

“I believe that life begins at conception, period. And that means that I will have to see enough evidence that someone I would appoint shares that same view. I believe that the current Supreme Court is leaning too much to the liberal side,” he said. “I’m a Christian, I’ve been a Christian all my life. I’ve been a believer in the Bible since I was 10 years old. I’m very active in my church, and there is no way I would compromise my religious beliefs about the sanctity of life. And so it starts with, will they have demonstrated in their career, in some of their other rulings, if they come from the federal judge bench, whether or not they also share that.”

Oh the audacity of hope :)

The Official UBL Funeral Song :)

"Love Letters" -Elvis/Ketty Lester Cover

My mom asked me to do this song she liked by Elvis, and I had never heard it. So I looked it up on youtube, and I couldn't do Elvis' version because I could barely understand the lyrics the way he sang it. I looked up a few others (really liked Ketty Lester's version) and kind of just took what I liked and more importantly what I was capable of doing and added some chords I liked better. I sang in my bathroom because it was the furthest from the babies room, in which they were napping :) Enjoy!

Overcast, Flying Kites

We went to a new park yesterday in Clear Lake right on the water. It was pretty crowded even though it was overcast. The water isn't very clean; there are signs saying "No Swimming" and "Fish Consumption Warnings"--and yet there were lots of people fishing..yuck..and 'crabbing' using raw chicken thighs!! so gross.
    But the wind picked up and we were able to fly Lucas' Buzz Lightyear kite :)

Love Me- Elvis cover

Been a while, and I had to force myself to play more music..Just learned this song. Babies help me out :)

Bin Laden

We had just put the babies to bed, when John and I saw an "alert" flash on the tv, saying President Obama was going to speak at 10:30pm E....we immediately speculated whether it was about Ghadafi or not...then I said, "Why would he need to talk about it at 10:30 at night? Especially just after having had the white house correspondents dinner...what if we got Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan?" And 5 seconds later, that's exactly what Geraldo was reporting! An hour later, President Obama (it's hard to keep those names straight!) spoke about it. I thought it was a great speech, although he seemed pretty somber, but maybe that's just in comparison to how ecstatic Geraldo was lol. It is really saddening to think about the "empty chairs at the dinner table," as a result of 9/11. It's crazy that it was 10 years ago....that a 10 yr old would be 20 now. It's frustrating to me that it took 10 years to find this crazy guy, on dialysis, regularly releasing his stupid videos in caves etc...So to know that he was found, in a HOME (not hidden in a cave) close to Islamabad, reveals that the Pakistani government was obviously protecting him. He was probably even in Iran under Ahmadinejad's protection at some point too. I didn't initially think it was a huge deal, but realizing how much power he evidently had over so many people for decades, and just being a figurehead for Al Qaeda, has to have  good affect. I hope conditions rapidly improve in the muslim world. And I hope the conditions for our brave military also improve. It breaks my heart when I hear about fallen soldiers and kids, I mean, servicemen almost 10 years younger than me, protecting our freedom in such harsh environments. Fighting an enemy that is more than willing to martyr themselves just to kill one American. And they aren't always given the credit and respect they deserve. I wonder what they will do with his body? His family wasn't on his side...
   John would periodically change it to ESPN and we saw that everyone in the stands at the game, was looking at their phones to read the good news, and they began chanting "U S A!" I wonder what the baseball players on the field were thinking lol. There were also many people gathered around the White House cheering...it reminds me of the few times I was in Washington DC and how exciting it was. It is really touching to see people once again united in patriotism for the best country in the world. God bless America and God bless our troops!
  Be careful if you're traveling...radical islam is bound to respond.