and Penny makes six

When the Robinson triplets were here in January we lined up all five of the baby cousins for a picture. Now that baby Penny is here, we thought we'd try it with all six.
Gabe didn't think it was such a great idea, as you can see.

Sorry for the awkward orientation of many of the pictures on this post. I have tried everything and cannot seem to get them going the right direction. So that is that.

Penny's Blessing Day:

Her tiny diva hands are almost always spread out like this.
So funny and dramatic.

Aunt Mimi and Gabe
Jonny, KC, and a couple of triplets

Julia and Mimi feeding the triplets

Julia cannot get enough of these three.
(Not sure if they can say the same about her.
She might just love them a little too much at times?!)

a new rule

First of all, Jonny's previous post is not stale yet! I just want to put in a plug for that and his new blog in case you didn't get chance to check them out.

This morning Julia instructed me to make a sign for her bedroom door. "Mommy, it says, No Day-dee!" I asked her if we should put "please" to make it nicer. She said, "No thanks."

Then she made a sign. I asked her what it means. She told me it was just a picture and "it has no mean." (But she did draw a picture of Gabe's head on the sign I made. Look closely, it's not bad.)

Julia didn't come up with this idea on her own. On a recent episode of her favorite cartoon Max and Ruby, Ruby made a sign with a picture of her little brother Max that read, "Keep Out. This means YOU!" When Julia put the sign on her door she said, "See Day-dee. This is YOU!"

Poor Gabe. Yes, he does get into anything and everything these days. But does his curiosity really warrant such harsh signage? On the other hand, if it is effective, I just might make duplicates and put them on the toilets, bookshelves, dresser drawers, and garbage cans.

Honestly though, who can refuse this innocent little guy?

I guess this girl can.

And I might as well add a slide show to make sure Matt is appeased. Are you, Matty?

"Never talk religion or politics"

Hey all, this is Jonny. This post is a little long, however, I feel the subject is very important.

The title of this post is an interesting phrase that I hear often at work. It is wise in business to never talk politics or religion as one can easily be offended and let personal opinions affect the business relationships. However, these two topics are of greatest importance and I'd like to take a moment to share.

This life is but a moment in eternity. It is part of a great plan that has always existed and always will exist. Knowledge of who we are, where we come from, and where we're going is essential to our happiness and progression. All the doctrines of the gospel teach use the attributes we must obtain to gain exaltation, how to do it, and how to take advantage of the Savior's atonement to overcome our failings.

Until ~8 months ago, I had little idea of the importance of politics in our lives. I have always been "Republican" (even though I always registered as an Independent), but never really knew what that meant. All I knew was that the Republican party aligned more with my values, therefore, to me, it was good.

I have also always felt inadequate in discussing politics with others. I felt like one needed a PhD in political science to be able to be fluent in political lingo and understand the debated policies. Boy, was I wrong! What I have learned about politics is that the underlying principles of the proper role of gov't align with the eternal principles of the gospel and the plan of salvation!

(Wow, two exclamation points in that paragraph, yeah, I think I'll leave them in.)

Reading a big long post about politics may seem quite boring, so I'll try to organize it a bit, I hope you're still reading...

What I have learned. (this took a lot of "unlearning" of previous notions)

1. We are endowed with certain unalienable rights from our Creator including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Right life, great, I get that one. Liberty? Well that is freedom or freedom to choose, or in other words AGENCY. Eternal principle, right? Absolutely. I'll talk more to this later, it's huge!

2. Right to pursue happiness.

This doesn't mean we have the right to happiness. We don't have the right to food, shelter, or health care. We have the right to pursue it. We are not born equal beyond the fact that we are equally given the same rights. I may be born with certain skills or affluence while another has a different talent or ability. But we are all free to pursue happiness.

3. We have no right to another person's life, liberty or property

You have a rich neighbor who has 5 automobiles. You also have a poor neighbor with a large family who is need of transportation to be able to commute to work. Would you personally go take of the rich neighbor's cars and give it to the poor neighbor? No way. Why? A 5yr old knows the answer... because that would be stealing.

So, instead you call up your senator and tell him of the situation and how unfair it is. You then convince him to pass a law that takes a car from the rich man and gives it to the poor. Is this not stealing? Indeed it is. Not only has the rich neighbor now lost some of his property, but also his ability to fight for it.

The whole big debate about health care really comes down to this principle: we do not have the right to someone else's labor.

3.1 We have the right to be charitable

We can and should help our fellow man. But taking from one and giving to another by force is NOT charity. Often pro-redistributionists take the moral high ground that they just want to be charitable. I must assume they are being sincere, but I also sincerely know that doing so is violating the natural laws given to man.

4. Liberty to choose good or evil as long as it doesn't infringe on the natural rights of others.

Like I said earlier this is HUGE, and took a lot of unlearning on my part. Remember that the plan of our Heavenly Father was to grant unto men their agency. Lucifer's plan was to take that agency away and force men to do good.

I believe that Republicans align more with this principle, but not completely. They love the right to own a gun, freedom of speech, religion, etc. People have the right to choose for themselves. People may be misinformed and make mistakes, but that is their right... they have the right to choose.

Now, let's apply that principle to a law common in most states: the seat belt law. Should it be the role of gov't to force us to be safe? Here is my thinking a year ago, "Well, I think it is a good law b/c it keeps dumb/misinformed people safe." Here is the question to ask... does someone's action of not wearing a selt-belt infringe on the rights of others? If not, then what right to we have to force someone to do good.

Think of alcohol consumption. I believe that no one should consume alcohol and would try to help someone to choose not to. But should I use the heavy hand of gov't to force someone to do what I think to be right? NO! What if the person drinking alcohol gets behind the wheel? Well, now he is infringing on the rights of others and that should be illegal.

4.1 Do not confuse government with society

If we allow people to choose evil, it will make our society more evil and dangerous. Yes, that is true. And we knew that was true when we chose agency in the preexistence. It is against God's law to force someone to do good, and we shouldn't use gov't to do exactly that.

It is up to us to declare truth & encourage our fellow man to choose good, but not force. Remember whose plan that was.

5. Free Market Economics

"We are all Keynesians now." - Richard Nixon. Keynesian theory is that the government and central bank (The Federal Reserve or "Fed") can pull certain levers to drive and control the economy. Whereas free market economics allows the natural laws of supply and demand run the show.

In 1999 there was a huge internet stock bubble and when it popped we entered a recession. The recession wasn't the problem, it is the cure. However, no president wants a recession to happen under their watch, and Bush was no exception. He worked with Fed Chair Greenspan to artificially lower interest rates which in turn makes money very easy to borrow. So during our "recession" we had record home and auto sales. A recession induces saving and producing, but instead we were borrowing and consuming. We didn't take the needed medicine, and then in 2008 the crash came.

What is the gov't doing now? The same old thing. We need to take the medicine and suffer, rather than push off the inevitable and make it much much worse.

6 Foreign Policy

This I'll keep short. Basically, we should not be in the business of nation building, policing the world, or forcing our goodness on other countries. We should defend our country and preach freedom through example. We need to be the light on the hill.

I believe our current policy will change soon anyway, for as all large empires end not by conquest, but by bankruptcy. We simply can't afford to have troops and bases in 700 bases in 135 countries around the world.

Man, I have so much more to say but I don't plan on any more posts of politics on this blog, but I've created another blog (thenoblefree.blogspot.com) where I'll have an outlet.

For those of you who read this entire post, I really appreciate it. For me, I feel like these truths are so simple and so true that it's like preaching the gospel. I also feel that when I have learned these truths I am obligated to share them with others (once warned, warn your neighbor).

I have many books and articles I can recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more.

Upcoming Races

Running outside in the not-so-freezing-cold mornings has me excited for summer races. Even Julia is talking about them. I looked up the ones we hope to run this year so I can calendar them and sign up in advance. (Race fees are usually pricey so I never like to leave registration to race day.) I thought I'd share my list here for those of you who may also be interested. We usually stick to 5ks, but may venture out and do a 10k if we feel like it. The kids don't typically love to ride in the stroller that long, so we'll see.

May 1 - Linda Buttars Memorial Fun Run 5k/10k (South Jordan)
-This is by far the cheapest race we'll run all summer. If you register before April 16th it is only $5, t-shirt included. Ran this one last year and thought it was a great kick-off.

June 5 - Eagle Mountain Pony Express Days 5k
-This is advertised as "Utah's Fastest 5k" as it is all downhill. We love to run this one because it is in our own city and we don't have to wake up extra early to get to the starting line in time!

June 19 - Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days 5k

July 10 - American Fork Steel Days 5k

August 7 - Provo River 1/2 Marathon
-Still deciding if we'll tackle this one. It would be my first 1/2 marathon. I guess I better decide soon, as I'm sure I'd need to register in advance, not to mention lengthen my running routes.

August 14 - Alpine Days 5k

Might as well included the fall races we plan on running:

September 11 - Beat Beethoven (Pleasant Grove)

September 25 - Mike's Mad Dash (American Fork)

Oct/Nov ? - First Dam Run (Logan)

November 25 - Cedar Hollow Turkey Trot (Lehi)

Wow, this looks like a pretty long list now that it is all down. We may not run one or two of them. And to save on cost, we will probably forgo the t-shirts on most of them. (I have piles of race shirts as it is. I will probably splurge if they are offering a tech shirt though.) Can't wait to make the most of our upcoming Saturday mornings. If we're not running, we will most likely be hiking. We'd love some company on an early morning hike if anyone is interested! Man, I am looking forward to the summer.

P.S. We won't be running one on the 24th of July, as we will just be getting home from a pioneer trek. But we'll keep the Orem Pioneer Classic 5k in mind for next summer. Oh, and we usually don't run one on the 4th of July. We like to take it easy on the holiday. We'll go on an awesome bike ride.

P.P.S. If you are looking for more Utah races, check out the Utah Race Guide.

ducks (and turtle) in a row

I currently have this picture as the wallpaper on my desktop computer. It takes me back to last summer, making me laugh for a few reasons. Julia had put together a family of ducks. The blue one was Daddy, the big yellow one was me, and the little yellow one was her. One day, not long after Gabe was born, she found the turtle and announced that is was Gabe. We often found the family of ducks and a turtle lined up in various places around the house. I remember thinking it was very sweet when she independently included Gabe as a member of the family, even if he was the lone reptile.

Look closely. I have always thought that blue turtle actually does resemble Gabe.

P.S. Of course Gabe has since been included in all of Julia's adaptations of our family. There are only three cows in her small farm. So Gabe is the goat. Maybe someday he'll make it into the same species as the rest of us?

It's contagious

And I am not talking about toddlers learning to go on the potty, though Julia's almost-two-year-old cousin Jane seems to be taking it up after observing how much fun Julia is having. No, finally I am posting about something other than toilet training. Something even more prevalent on my mind. Liberty.

Since Sunday night many of us have been thinking more of the lack of freedom we will experience after the Health Care catastrophe plays out. But I won't go into that, as I think Jonny is brewing up a post on that subject-among other things.

And speaking of Jonny, he is the main reason the Founding Fathers are on my mind. Over the past few months Jonny has caught a bug that has him pondering, studying, and discussing the Constitutional Rights we all hold, or should hold, as Americans. He suggested I read Cleon Skousen's The 5000 Year Leap to better familiarize myself with the basic principles of our inspired Constitution. And man, was that document ever inspired. I won't go into detail about it, but I will recommend this book to every American. I don't know why I hadn't read it sooner.

There was a time when all Americans were extremely well-versed in the tenets of the US Political System and their direct roles in it. This quote from Alexis de Tocqueville demonstrates that:

"In New England every citizen receives the elementary notions of human knowledge. He is taught, moreover, the doctrines and evidences of his religion, the history of his country, and the leading features of its constitution. In the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts, it is extremely rare to find a man imperfectly acquainted with all these things. And a person wholly ignorant of them is a sort of a phenomenon."

Sadly, the opposite is true today. That's why I am learning all I can about my role in America and what should be the Governments's very limited role. How very far we have strayed.

P.S. Thanks to a recommendation from my mom, I am currently reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang. It's the true story of three generations of women in communist China. I am learning even more about the liberties we enjoy as Americans. Here's to striving to revive and preserve the basic freedoms our Founding Fathers laid out for us in this exceptional country. This "Grand Experiment" is not over. America is not lost. Yet.

Potty Party

If you are not interested in potty training you may want to just watch the video then skip the rest of the this detailed post. But several people have asked me how the training went with Julia so I thought I'd outline it here. It was incredibly successful and I want to be able to refer to the method in a few short years when Gabe is ready to get going. Yikes.

Let me set the scene at the time of training, a little over a week ago:

Julia: 2.5 months shy of her third birthday, communicates very well, wakes up wet every morning and most naps, still sleeping in a crib. (She has never tried to escape her crib and is happy sleeping in there so I am in no hurry to move her out of the blessed cage! I know it isn't really the proper order of things to potty train before the big bed, but it is working out quite well for us. We'll probably move her into a bed for her birthday. She likes things done ceremoniously, after all.)

Me: Not excited about potty training because changing her diaper a few times a day seems a lot easier than rushing her to the toilet and cleaning up messes. Yes, laziness. And I am nervous that I'll be stuck at home for who knows how long while she learns the life of no diapers. To me, it all sounds like more work and less freedom. Like I said, not too excited.

Jonny: More than ready to help Julia learn to be a "big girl." Doesn't want to put it off another single weekend!

Gabe: Thinking, "Ooh, the door of the bathroom will always be open, as well as the toilet seat. This will give me easy access to dive right in. I love splashing in toilet water. Can't wait. Let the training begin."

Now, onto the method. I had heard about the famous book Toilet Training in Less than a Day by Nathan Azrin. I didn't have time to order it from Amazon, but while searching the book online I came across a blog of a mother who used Azrin's method. Bless her for taking the time to summarize the main points in the book. After studying her post and adapting the method to fit my Julia, I felt fairly well prepared. Here's how it went. (If you are truly interested in doing this method yourself, see her blog or check out the book for far more details and instruction.)

• We talked up our "Potty Party" for an entire week. Because I am a nerd I even made up a little theme song. Julia and I "interviewed" the preschool kids, all experts on the potty.
• I bought lots of sugary drinks - Squeezits, juice boxes, Caprisuns. Also loaded up on salty snacks - Cheetohs, Pringles, peanut-butter crackers. Then the treats. I had a big bag of Sixlets, little marshmallows, and Bottle Caps. Wish I had thought of jelly beans.
• I bought some basic underwear. I didn't go all out with the character underwear because I thought it may cause problems. (What if her favorite ones are dirty!? I don't need any crying over which ones to wear. She was excited enough about the solid color panties.)
• We dedicated an entire weekend to training. I wanted to do it when Jonny was home so one of us to give our complete attention to Julia at all times. This was key.
• We braced ourselves for a long day of training. After breakfast on Saturday morning we told Julia it was time to start our Potty Party. She was thrilled. We began by helping her teach a dolly how to potty. We went through all the steps with the doll. (Just used a favorite dolly of hers and poured water in with a syringe for the pee pee.) Gave the doll a treat for going, and a treat for being dry. Had the doll "wet" her pants. Helped the doll practice.
• Then we went through the steps with Julia. We had a seat that sits on the normal toilet and a small potty. She preferred the real toilet. (Now she switches off.)
• The book and blog say to put the small toilet in the kitchen. But our bathroom isn't far so we just taught her to "run, run, run" when she needs to go.
• Hand sanitizer is made for potty trainers. It is the best.
• We ate, drank, played, and drank some more in the kitchen. Every fifteen minutes we took her to the potty to try. When she went we danced, celebrated, and gave her a treat. We also called a different family member each time to brag. This was fun.
• Every 2-5 minutes we asked her if she was dry. She would feel her panties and get a treat for being dry and clean. This was important because it kept her mind on the training.
• She had an accident or two that morning. The book and blog stress practicing ten times after an accident. Julia DID NOT like practicing. I decided to let it go after a few practices, even though the blog author says this is crucial. Turns out she caught on fine without the practices. But they definitely wouldn't have hurt.
• After about two hours of 15 minute potty runs, we set the timer for 30 minutes. Sometimes she said she needed to go, and that was great! Kept asking if she was dry and rewarding.
• The book/blog say to skip a nap on the day of training. But she was exhausted. So we put her in her crib in underwear. We didn't want to do pull-ups or diapers for naps and nighttime, but weren't sure if she'd be able to hold it. (She was always waking up wet.) So we thought we'd give it a try. She took a great nap and woke up dry, saying she needed to go pee pee! We were ecstatic.
• Saturday afternoon and Sunday were full of more training and asking the dry question. (Tried not to ask, "Do you need to go?" Kids usually say "No!" to this question.) On Sunday afternoon we stopped timing and let her say when she needed to go, or took her if it had been a while. She didn't wet all Saturday night but woke up wet in the morning.
• Three accidents on Saturday, three on Sunday. Three on Monday. Two on Tuesday. None of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• Actually, she wet once in the middle of the night last week. Other than that she has woken up dry every morning and nap. This has come as a total surprise. We are so glad we let her try to sleep without a pull-up, she can do it!
• Saturday and Sunday were completely exhausting for Jonny and me. But Monday was easier and by Wednesday the treats were phased out, she was going on her own, and she was as proud of her new skill as could be. There was no need to be nervous about outings. She did fine all week with the few outings we went on. (But I always bring an extra pair or panties and pants.)
• She wears stretch pants that are easy to pull up and down. After going at preschool she decided she didn't want to use the toilet seat topper at home anymore. She can climb up onto the big toilet independently, via a stool, and wipe herself. (I still help her do a more thorough job, though!) Sometimes I help her pull her pants up, sometimes she does it herself, though it is a little tricky. (But she usually takes her pants and panties all the way off so it is easier to climb up.)
• Oh, I forgot to tell about the poopy. This was a little scary for Julia. She went in her panties for the first few days. When she needed to go on Saturday she said, "Where's my diapers go?" Then she tried to put on on herself. It was quite pitiful. But on Wednesday she went in the potty as Jonny distracted her with a story. We all had cake to celebrate! She went on the potty again on Friday.
• I know she will still have accidents here and there, but overall we feel her training was a huge success. She truly was "trained" in less than a day. (I agree with the blog author that "Trained" does not mean accident-free. I believe it means the child know how, where, and when to go.) The first few days were labor-intensive, the but the rest of the week was blissful! I still remind her to make sure she goes when she needs to. And I ask if she is dry every now and then.
• I think a huge motivating factor for Julia was her not-too-much-older role models at preschool. When I told her to "run, run, run" if she needs to go at preschool, she nonchalantly replied,"No, Mom. Me just walk to the potty like the preschool kids."

Now, to conclude this long, tiresome post, let me set the scene as it stands today:

Julia: She is so proud of herself and her pottying. She went to nursery during church yesterday and came to me twice saying she needed to go. And she went. (She won't stop talking about the cute little potty at nursery. It is cute, I must admit.) She "cries wolf" sometimes as she is in bed before falling asleep. This is happening less and less.

Me: I can't believe I was ever nervous about potty training. She is doing so well and I love to celebrate her successes and help her learn that accidents happen and she can try better next time. I miss my diaper-bottomed baby and see this whole experience as a little bitter-sweet. But she was ready. So I guess I am ready to let her grow up. But just a little bit.

Jonny: He loves to come home and hear the potty updates for the day. Seriously.

Gabe: Thinking, "Ah man, Mom usually catches me just as I reach the potty. And Julia always shuts the door right in my face when she goes to the bathroom. If I could just reach that doorknob..."