NASA and Obama

I was shocked and appalled that President Obama cut ALL (yes, ALL) funding to NASA. It is absolutely horrific, in my mind. Why would he stop such an important program? Why would he stop the progression of discovery? Of scientific exploration?

I trust NASA. For me (and I think for many people) they are the most trusted name in space pioneering. I also trust them in other areas of science. NASA recently conducted a test independently and discovered the greatest threat to our planet is NOT global warming, but rather GLOBAL COOLING. Yes. You read that correctly. Despite what we have been lead to believe, the Earth is experiencing extreme COOLING.

Right after they announced this discovery, President Obama cut all funding to NASA.

A coincidence? I think not.

(BTW: And don't think Obama is cutting funding to NASA to save some huge amount of money. NASA gets ONE HALF of one percent of Government funds. ONE HALF...Yes...HALF of one percent.)

A Surreal Moment With A Peanut Butter Sandwich

Last night, Taiger wanted a peanut butter sandwich. So, I made him one and he took it outside (Taiger rarely sits down to eat...he usually takes things with him...Too busy with his three-year-old life!) A few minuets later, Bryttan came in the other room where I was and told me to go peek at Taiger. She said, "He doesn't want help...you just have to go look at him". I came around the corner and there was the most precious sight! The lights were off in the kitchen except a small one casting a glow on him. I saw him from the back. He was wearing only his "big-boy-pants" (batman underwear) and a t-shirt. His nose barely reached over the counter. In one hand was a knife plunged into the peanut butter jar. In front of him was a piece of bread with a small area of peanut butter spread thinly just in the center of the bread. Carefully, he pulled out the knife and slowly added a tiny amount to that already on the bread, and painted it around carefully with the tip of the knife. It was the CUTEST thing EVER! He had gotten the bread out himself and was making himself another sandwich. Jeremy ran to get the camera and when Taiger saw him he said, "Jeremy, could you help me with this?" It was so cute and so sweet that Taiger wanted Jeremy to help him. When Jeremy agreed, Taiger stuck the knife in his mouth and licked off the peanut butter to get it all ready for Jeremy's help! So funny!!

Jeremy is AMAZING with Taiger and showed him so lovingly how to apply the peanut butter to the bread. Then, he asked Taiger if he wanted to fold the bread himself. Taiger tried but couldn't. Jeremy took Taiger's little hands in his and set the bread in Taiger's palms so gently. He then helped Taiger fold the bread in half. Taiger was SO PROUD as he marched away with the sandwich HE had made.

It was such a surreal moment. Seeing Taiger making his own sandwich was so sweet. The childish way he did it, and the pride he had in doing it himself. It was so, so cute!! Also surreal was the tender moment shared between Taiger and Jeremy. The way Jeremy took Taiger's tiny hands in his big hands and with such tenderness and gentleness helped Taiger. It was beautiful and so touching.

GREAT Picture!!!!

As you all probably know, I am OBSESSED with photography and pictures! Sometimes, I search around online for cool pictures just for fun (am I totally pathetic, or what?!) I LOVE pictures of people (among other things). I love pictures where the subjects don't know the picture is being taken, but sometimes, I like pictures that are "staged", like this one, to make a point, or to direct the viewers thoughts or emotions in a specific direction. (I do, however, like MORE photos that do that without being "staged", but oh well).



TOTALLY LOVE this picture, so I just had to share! Hope everyone is having a fantastic day!

Sensory Integration Disorder

Does anyone have a child who suffers with Sensory Integration Disorder? My son does and I am wishing I knew others out there who are dealing or have dealt with the same situation! I am wondering how children with the auditory side of this disorder handle preschool. I am thinking of putting Taiger in a little preschool, but I worry a TON about how he will handle the noise. (He doesn't go to Primary at church because the singing time is so horrible for him.) Anyone had any experience with this? I plan to home school him anyway, but I thought maybe going to a little preschool just a few days a week might be fun for him...learning the little songs, meeting other children, doing crafts, etc...all those fun things that kids enjoy, but maybe NOT kids with SID. He had to quit taking violin because the noise was far too much for him, and now I am afraid he really hates violin and violin music. I don't want to ruin the enthusiasm he has now for learning by putting him in a situation that is horrible for him.

Any suggestions?!!?!?!?!?

Also, is there some wonderful way to handle group situations at all? Birthday parties are hard for him (singing, laughing, etc are all too loud for him) as is church, even eating out can be hard for him. I do the best i can, talking to him about the possibility of noise before hand, removing him promptly when there is sudden and loud noise, providing him with headphones and peaceful music when we go to the mall or other loud places...but is there something else I should be doing? I have heard of SID therapy...anyone tried that?

HELP! If you know anything, please share!!!!!

Father Time and Mother Regret Are Hanging Out Today, Thanks To Me

You know how sometimes you wish you could turn back time? You made a mistake that you didn't realize until later, and then once you realize it you so badly want to go back and do things differently? I am having one of those days. This whole day has felt like a blur...I have that sickish feeling in my stomach, the one that says you have done something you shouldn't have and now you can't change it. If only I could turn old Father Time around and make him retrace his steps...

Sometimes, though, I have wished I could take something back, but in the end it worked out for the best that things happened the way they did. I only hope (hope, hope, hope, hope) this is what happens in this situation!

And I also hope this sickish feeling goes away...

(PS I had a different picture of a lovely clock on here, but I decided it was MUCH more appropriate to use a clock showing 11:00, for the idea of "The Eleventh Hour", as it were.)

What's A Wedding Without Cake?!

Have I been a negligent blogger or what?! I don't have too much to say, but I wanted to post a picture of Taiger. This was taken at my cousin's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, the colors, the decor, it was so nice! Taiger was looking SO CUTE! Taiger did NOT want to go to the wedding, but I promised him cake if he came. By the time we got there, it was GONE! Taiger was so disappointed, but remained polite and didn't tantrum (fuss and whine about it, yes, but I almost did, too! LOL!). Anyway, he was NOT happy to be there, and was certainly NOT happy about the false promise of cake, so he sat in the chair, tired and hungry and oh so adorable. I will show the SOOC (straight out of camera) picture first, then the one after "post-processing". I WISH SO BADLY I had Photo Shop Lightroom!!!!!!! It is a program where you can tweak pictures to make them look better. This one I adjusted only with the "Windows Media" thingey where you can change light, contrast, etc. Nothing too grand, but you can see how a bit of tweaking can really enhance a photo. (Don't worry...I am not one of those people who take a horrible picutre and then make it look good in post processing and believe they took a good picture! Sometime, maybe I will share my views on "those people", BUT I will make it clear that I am not at all above ENHANCING a photo just for fun...But I never would be comfortable showing the enhanced one as THE photo...I have to make sure everyone knows it is adjusted!)

SOOC

Post Processed

Taiger's Yarn Braids!!

SO...I decided that since no one said they liked Taiger's hair on here, I would take out the braids. This morning, I began to take them out, got through three of them, realized it would take longer to take them out than to finish the back, and I proceeded to finish the back. If anyone doesn't like it, too bad! You didn't speak soon enough and now it is done! :D HA HA! Anyway, _I_ think he looks cute, but I do worry he looks like someone from the '90's. Oh well. It will be easier, cooler, AND we won't have tantrums and crying each morning because now i don't have to comb it! I think by the time I take out the braids it will have grown a bit more and I can maybe do twists and/or braids and NOT have to use the yarn. That would be great! Okay, but really...you guys can say what you REALLY think of his hair.

I put Pure Olive Oil hair moisturizer in it so maybe it will sit in the braids and soak and be healthier when we take them out. When I take them out, I will trim his hair and start washing it with Main and Tail (Shannon, I remember your Mom always had that!) which I recently found out is what many African-Americans use on their hair!

Let me know what you all think!

Yarn Extensions

So, I tried something new with Taiger's hair. Again, I was inspired by others in the yahoo groups and blogging world with black children. I kept hearing about yarn braids, but I kept thinking to myself, "No way is it yarn as in YARN yarn. They are just called that." But in my mind, I kept thinking, "Wow! Could that REALLY be yarn?!" I was too embarrassed to ask if it was real yarn because it sounds so ridiculous. So...I turned to my answer provider now that askjeeves is not my favourite...youtube! I youtubed yarn braids and sure enough! There in the video of a Mom adding extensions to her daughters hair was a skein of YARN!

So, yesterday I went to the craft store and bought black yarn and started doing extensions in Taiger's hair. Let me know what you guys think. I have had mixed responses. Some people like them, some people HATE them...some people hated them at first but now like them...I am still on the fence. I think they are DANG cute...BUT i worry people will think I am trying to turn him into some kind of "gangster", or something.

What do you all think, eh?

Fourth Of July Fun!

We are home from our wonderful Fourth of July holiday! We had a great time! Here is what we did: Thursday night we left for Idaho, where half of my family lives. Friday we went to Yellowstone. Saturday we went to Idaho Falls and did some shopping and went for ice cream at Reed's Dairy. That night we went to the AMAZING Freedom Celebration Fireworks show. Sunday morning we woke up at 4:00am and went to the Hot Air Balloon launch. We stopped at the Swan Valley Commissary and had square ice cream. Monday we went to Reed's Dairy again for ice cream and to get some Cheese Curds, and then drove back to Utah.

The people who were there were: Mom, Dad, Bryndon, his girlfriend, April, Bryttan, her friend, Russel, BeQin, Jeremy, me and Taiger! Ryan and his boyfriend, Zach, were there as well but didn't go to Yellowstone, Reeds, or the Hot Air Balloon launch with us. They did stay at our house, though, and went to the fireworks show with us.

What a FULL HOUSE we had! It was good to be home again, AND to have our house full of family and friends again. I remember when I was younger and there were ALWAYS people outside of our family there...friends, relatives...People just came and went. We used to call our house OZ because of the line in the movie, "People come and go so quickly here!" The door was never closed! This weekend reminded me of that time in our lives when we were all together as a family, and our house was full of people and fun and LOVE.

Yellowstone was really fun! We saw SO MANY BUFFALO! In the evening, as we were heading out of the park, we saw a huge herd with babies, youths and adults. They were so active and playing...YES...PLAYING! One baby went to his mama and head-butted her and pushed her and pawed the ground. She got up and nudged him and hoofed the ground back. He ran and jumped (yes, we saw many JUMP!) and came back and head butted her and ran off again...they were so fun to watch PLAY! It was so cute!

This was Taiger's first trip to Yellowstone and he really enjoyed it. It is one of my favorite places in the world...so relaxing and SO BEAUTIFUL! I am glad he liked it.

Our first buffalo sighting was just after we entered Yellowstone Park. There was a HUGE herd, complete with babies (yay!), so we got out and took pictures. Here they are in the back ground. (Taiger believes he is either a super-hero or a pirate 90% of the time. Thus, pictures are nothing more to him than opportunities to show off his super-hero-pirate muscles. And how could I not follow suit?!)

Our first GEYSER sighting was at Lower Geyser Basin. Everyone was really excited to see them! Here, again, Taiger is flexing his amazing muscles of wonder.

Seconds after this picture was taken it began to rain, and only seconds after that, to HAIL! We were soaking wet and FREEZING by the time we got to the car. Needless to say, Taiger, Jeremy and I stayed in the car and warmed up while the others braved the weather at the next stop, Middle Geyser Basin. Here, everyone decided to copy Taiger and pose for the picture in a muscle-showing fashion.

The Fireworks show was as amazing as ever. I had not been to it in a couple of years and it was fun to go back to the same spot we always sit and watch the wonderful show put on in Idaho Falls. Jeremy had never been to that show and I was so excited to show him! Idaho Falls had over 1500 fireworks in their show, over 3300 people were estimated to have attended this year, and, as always, the show was choreographed to music. It is amazing! I LOVE the Idaho Falls Freedom Festival fireworks show!

Taiger fell asleep on the way to the fireworks show. He was SO TIRED from Yellowstone the day before and the fireworks didn't start until 10:00pm, half an hour after his bedtime! On top of that, he had missed his nap with all the excitement and celebrating!

At the fireworks show. Taiger wouldn't be in the picture...little stinker!

The Hot Air Balloon launch was so fun! It is always so early in the morning, but I love to go! Jeremy had never been to a hot air balloon launch, either, so that was fun to show him, too! The balloons are so beautiful and it is amazing to watch them fill with hot air and rise into the sky. Something about it is so surreal and so awe inspiring. It is a miracle they can fly and it is so lovely to watch them. They launch at dawn. The event we always attend is at the foot of the Teton Mountains. It is in a small town surrounded by fields and dense Forest at the edge. The mountains are so close it seems you could touch them. The sun rises behind the Tetons as the balloons rise into the air and it is so just so beautiful and surreal.

On the way home from the Hot Air Balloon launch, we stopped at the Swan Valley Commissary for SQUARE shaped ice cream! Yes, square. They have a square ice cream scoop! For some reason, it is fun to eat square shaped ice cream. :)

Jeremy carrying Taiger over to where the balloons were laid out in preparation to be filled with the hot air.

The first balloon we saw being filled with heat.

"The Group" in front of the balloons being filled.

A row of balloons filled with hot air, waiting to launch.

Uncle Bryndon playing with Taiger

Taiger wearing Uncle Bryndon's hat and Jeremy's jacket!

Mommy and Taiger about to be run over by a Chaser Team, the group that has the trailer and follows the hot air balloon and it's passengers until they land, where the chaser team picks them up.

Taiger eating his square ice cream at the Swan Valley Commissary

Saturday and Monday we went to Reed's Dairy. (Sorry! No pictures! :(!)Reed's Dairy is our favorite ice cream parlor. It is made fresh there at the diary, the flavors are AMAZING, AND each scoop is HUMONGOUS! We love Reeds! Taiger had had Reed's ice cream before and was also excited to go back and get some more. He loved it! I had brought Jeremy there over Christmas and he was excited to go back, too! Jeremy said even if we didn't want to go (YEAH, RIGHT?!) HE was still going and would go alone if he had to! That is how good it is!