We Surround Them!!

So Neil and I frequently listen to and watch Glenn Beck. For about 3 weeks leading up to this day (March 13th) he kept talking about this "We Surround Them" project that he was going to unveil. As many people are, he is tired of all the happenings in Washington and all the "bipartisan" mumbo jumbo that takes place. He talked about how we are a country that is too divided and too focused on parties rather than principles. He asked people three simple questions...

1) Do you watch the direction America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it?
2) Do you believe that your voice isn't loud enough to be heard anymore?
3) Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach...as if you're completely alone?

Well, he wanted people to realize that they're NOT alone. That there ARE things that we can agree upon. That this country was founded upon good principles that many still believe in today.

So he created the 9-12 project.

http://www.the912project.com

It is based on 9 principles, and 12 values - that if you believe in at least 7 of the principles, then you have something in common with the rest of us. It also stands for a date ... 9-12-2001. The day after the terrorist attacks on our country. A day that we all stood together - united in the belief that America would prevail.

9 Principles :

1. America Is Good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the external rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” From George Washington’s first Inaugural address

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

Charity “Is it not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worthy of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority of to share my personal opinion.

On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

So on to the post...

He unveiled the project on his TV show on the Fox News Channel. He asked that people gather in their communities to watch the show together. We went to the gathering at the Noah's building in South Jordan. There were well over 1000 people in attendance - it was incredible! It was nice to know that there were so many like-minded people around us that we could band together with.

We were able to have some nice chats with some local "well-knowns" in the politic world. Mark Shurtleff (Utah's Attorney General) was there, as well as Jason Chaffetz (Utah's newest Congressman.) The whole event was such a morale booster. That there are other people out there who have the same concerns we do. All-in-all, it was a really neat event to be a part of.

God Bless America!!!

(The sign Neil is by is the "Flag," if you will, of the 9-12 project. It is based on a flag that Benjamin Fraklin's newspaper the Pennsylvania Gazette printed to warn the colonies that they must band together in order to achieve freedom from England. More info on the original flag can be found HERE.)

(Avery & I with Congressman Jason Chaffetz)

(Neil's mom, aunt, Avery, & I with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff)

Draper Temple

(Best view we could get with all of the white canopies on the property.)

Neil and I took little Ave to the Draper Temple open house a couple of weeks ago. It was a really neat experience!! There were so many things that I absolutely loved about it. I was literally breath-taken when we walked into the first of the two painted endowment rooms. All the walls were painted as if you were sitting in the mountains. The other endowment room was painted as if you were in a grove of Aspen trees with a stream running by. They were incredible!! The chandeliers were beautiful as well - especially in the celestial room. One other thing that I loved was the sego lily theme throughout the entire temple. The chairs had sego lilies embroidered in them, as did the carpet (at least in the sealing rooms). There were beautiful sego lilies on the ceiling of the celestial room as well.

Even though we don't live in Sandy anymore, we both felt kind of like it was OUR new temple, since that is where our parents will go now. It was such a beautiful place and we can't wait to attend it. We were privileged to also attend the dedication last Sunday. The spirit was so strong! I'm so grateful that we have so many temples so close and that we get to participate in such a marvelous work.

(They had a wall of pictures of different temples around the world. The only two we've been to are the Frankfurt, Germany one - on the left - and the Salt Lake - on the right.)

(The artwork that they had in the chapel that you went to afterward was amazing. We got a picture by this one - after seeing many others do it. I realized later that it was kind of strange - as if we were posing for a picture WITH Jesus himself...)

Pay it Forward

So even though I wasn't one of her first three, my friend Jenn is doing this and I thought it would be fun to pass on.

So, here's how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or copy paste it like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Come and play!! :)

New swing

(Staring at the mobile)

So my incredibly generous sister Lori had a new swing shipped to us for a baby gift for Avery. She absolutely LOVES it! It is so cute to watch how intrigued she gets with the little bear and stars that rotate around it. Sometimes they captivate her and she will just sit and watch it circle around and around until it puts her to sleep. Other times she will just sit and coo and talk to herself for what seems like hours. We really appreciate her generosity and can't thank her enough. Thanks Aunt Lori and Uncle Scott!! We love you!

(You'll notice these pictures look almost exactly alike, but if you look at the mobile, it's moved. She will just sit and stare at it go round and round! She's so cute!)

My baby's growing up

So I just fed Avery her first meal other than breastmilk! I decided to give the 'ol rice cereal a shot - she loved it!! It's fun to reach a new milestone, but at the same time it's just one more reminder that she's growing up. A lot faster than I want her to!! *SIGH*

20 weeks

(Wrapped in her "snuggly")

So Avery is officially 20 weeks today! We haven't had her 4 month appointment yet because her doctor suddenly decided not to accept our insurance anymore, so we have to find a new pediatrician. From what we have looked up though, she's making every milestone on time, and a lot of them she hits early.

* She can roll over from front to back and back to front in either direction. She often rolls all over the place when she's on floor time.
* She grabs at everything she can, always bringing it directly into her mouth!
* She coos and talks all day long, and loves to make new sounds.
* She loves to smile and giggles a lot (is now starting to without being tickled)
* She can hold her own bottle through an entire feeding.
* She can sit up pretty good - we think she'll be sitting on her own soon.
* She is learning to army crawl - combined with the rolling, she needs a lot of room around her when we put her on the floor!

We absolutely adore her and can't enough of her!! We are both surprised by how quickly the time has passed and want it to slow down. But we do love to see how she progresses. We knew being parents would be fun, but had NO idea it would bring us both SOOO much joy!! We're amazed everyday at the precious little miracle we have been entrusted with. She fills our hearts with so much love and joy!

(Smiling - as usual!)

(Playing with dad)

(Ridin' on dad's shoulders)

(Holding her bottle while watching Baby Einstein)

(When unable to locate anything else to put in her mouth - in goes the fist! Lately it's been the thumb, though she more so chews it rather than sucking it.)

(Playing with her tongue)

(Holding hands with her friend Alexa)

(I love this picture! It's like she's been caught red handed! She wouldn't let go of Alexa's PJ's)

(Practicing sitting up in the boppy)

(She fell asleep grabbin' dad's shirt.)

(Gotta love those eyes!! They look like they might fall out in this pic)

(Another one holding her bottle)

Avery's blessing

(Her long pretty dress)

The Sunday after Christmas we blessed Avery so we could do it while family was still in town from the holidays. It was a very exciting, humbling, and memorable day. Neil did such a beautiful job with the blessing. We had our friends and family over to our house afterward for some brunch food. Our brother-in-law Ed used his fancy pants camera and his mad camera skills to take some amazing shots of Avery in her dress. My mom crocheted that beautiful white afghan she is on in the pictures - Thanks mom!! You're the greatest! The whole day turned out just perfect.

(Family picture)

(Mom & Aves - notice how our eyes match) :)

(Cute picture of Dad & Avery)

(Holding our wedding rings)

(Smilin' for the camera)