Stock Show

My parents took Molly and me to the stock show that they have here. It is basically a rodeo and fair devoted to western things. Poor Ryan misses out on the fun things we do while he's working! Molly enjoyed the petting zoo. The goats were coming up to her and nudging at her hands because lots of kids were feeding them, and they were looking for more food. I talked mom into posing for this picture with me. The background has lots of cowboys on it, and we thought we'd get a good picture with the cowboys, but only one showed up in the picture.

What Would I Ask For?

In the book of Matthew, the mother of two of Jesus' disciples dared to approach Jesus with a request. She kneeled down and asked a favor. Usually when people approached Jesus regarding their kids, they were asking for physical healing. However, her request was that they would be sit at Jesus' left and right hands in the Kingdom of God. In essence, she was asking that they would be #2 and #3 in the Kingdom after Jesus. It sounds like an arrogant request, but I'm reminded that sometimes I want Molly to be the best- the most polite, the cutest, the brightest.

Later in the passage, Jesus instructs the two brothers, "Whoever wants to become great among you must your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." What God really wants for Molly is that she would love and serve others. So, my request of Jesus should be that Molly serve others and be humble in heart.

Do they not know anything about how budgets work?

When making a budget, it becomes a bit problem when the money going out is greater than the money coming in. Because our politicians do not understand this, the size of our national debt is inconcievable. This morning, I read a small blub in our newspaper about a bill proposed by a legislator in Texas:

from the Star-Telegram Sunday, January 18, 2009, p 5B (by Maria Recio, Anna M. Tinsley, Dave Montgomery, Aman Batheja)
Rep. Kay Granger says she wants to help people out during these tough economic times.

Granger, R-Fort Worth, signed on to a bill by Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Tyler, to give taxpayers a two-month reprieve from paying federal taxes.

"I think this is a practical solution," Granger said. "Not every option has to include spending billions of dollars. I think most Americans would be surprised at the amount they could save if they didn't have to pay federal taxes for two months."

So, if the revenue from income taxes goes down by one-sixth, the government's spending should decrease by a proportional amount. Has anyone heard of the federal government cutting spending? I've only heard about bailouts for the financial and automotive industries as well as a hefty economic stimulus plan in the works. Am I mistaken, or does this plan make no sense? I don't see much difference in spending extra money and spending the same while earning less. It seems like the end result will be the same- more debt. What do these legislators gain from this bill? Approval from voters? Maybe we should all agree to pay more taxes to reduce the national debt with a strong limit placed on government spending. It seems practical to me, but unlikely to ever happen.

Praying today for Joshua

Could you pray for baby Joshua? Our friends' little boy (10 months old), is having a major surgery on his skull today. They have had this scheduled since last April, and are praying for no blood transfusion to be necessary and minimal pain. His eyes will probably be swollen shut for a few days, and he will be frustrated at not being able to see. I'm praying that they won't even be swollen at all. If you pray for them, then call 517.794.4169, then enter 3355# or your phone number, a pager will buzz to let them know someone prayed for them.

Thanks!

Cowtown

When my mom was out of town, we went with my dad to the Stockyards. Twice a day they have a cattle drive down the street. This was the first time Molly and I saw it. Beforehand, cowboys come out onto the street to let children and foreign tourists pet their horses. Then, the cows walk down just a few feet away from where the onlookers are standing. Their longhorns are quite impressive. Molly was amused by the cows and pointed. She also likes to visit papa's cows when we are at my parents' house.

I let Molly drink from a "big girl cup" while in her high chair. She is very good, except she occasionally will put a piece of food in the cup. She perfected her skill while in the bathtub. This picture was taken on a warm day when I made Molly some banana milk (banana, milk, and ice cubes blended together- it is somewhat bland, but she likes it!).

Sharing daddy's ice cream!

Christmas in MI

We had a relaxing Christmas in MI. We spent a few nights with Ryan's mom and stepdad and a couple with my aunt and uncle. Instead of driving around trying to see a lot of people, we convinced a bunch of our friends to come to a sports bar. It made it a lot easier on us! (I'm posting the pictures with friends on facebook.) We had a few family gatherings. Molly really became a pro at opening gifts. She got a lot of books and toys. There was a lot of snow when we arrived, but a couple days after Christmas, the temperature hit 60 degrees. It felt like Texas!

Child Dedication

We had Molly dedicated at our church on Dec. 14. We hope that she'll be baptized when she is older and makes her own decision to follow Christ. The purpose of the dedication is to publicly show that we wish to raise Molly according to God's word. One verse that is important to us is Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way she should go and when she is old she will not turn from it. Two church staff members prayed for us and Molly while the band played "What Child is This". It was pretty cool!