Women's March

 All three of the girls beg to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings because they have tablets.  It is kind of fun because when we are there and they are all connected to a screen it is kind of like Brandon and I are on a date.

One of Ike's favorite toys is the bag of nail polish.  He loves to pour them out and chew on the tops.  The colors are so interesting.  The only problem is that he has a squirrel's desire to hide and hoard things.  We find nail polish all over the house in little hidey holes.
He does this all the time with all kinds of things.   We lost the remote control for a couple of days and then found it in a box of wipes.  The wipes that had been there never were found.
When we were in Utah one day my mom realized that the mouse to her computer was missing.  After an extensive search Brandon found it upstairs in the office in an empty cracker box.
I am sure there are things hidden in this house that will never be found.

 It took us 2 years but with the help of some neighbors we finished off the giant Nutella.  It will be missed.  Don't worry though because Daisy and Brandon came home with a brand new regular-sized jar that has already been opened.

Ike models how Nutella gets eaten at our house.  

No caption. It's just cute.

Ike has really been hitting the books lately.

 Okay, I promised the march, and here it comes.
Part of the reason that January was so hard is that I feel so upset about the election of Donald Trump. I disagree with almost all of his policies and am offended by many of the things he says and tweets.  I am frustrated with the way he is representing our country.

I have said so many times how much I love the Obamas and it was a sad day for me.

The next day Brandon and I took the kids to the Women's March in Eugene.

We must live together as brothers or perish as fools.

 For me, it was AMAZING!  It was upbeat and empowering and I felt united with all kinds of people.  There were like 7,000 people marching in Eugene. There were people chanting and banging drums and uplifting signs and I was with women that I admire and consider mentors.  I was also joined by an amazing and supportive husband and our kids.
I guess it was a similar feeling that got President Trump elected.  People just want to feel like their voices and opinions matter.  We all have different ideas on how to accomplish things and this election cycle has reminded me how important it is that we are informed and involved and that we take the time to think about and decide how we feel about specific issues. I personally am going to try to do a better job of listening.  At least that is my goal.  I am pretty sure it is going to be tough because I do love to open my mouth.  I have a suspicion that the more I listen, the better I will be able to make wise choices.  Whether my opinions are changed or not at least I will be sure what I am standing for.

 And now for something completely different.  Here is a picture of my son with the three Oreo cookies that he stole from his friend's plate while the Young Women leaders were having our meeting.  Oh Ike!

 He is really into computers, phones, iPods, alarm clocks, remote controls, calculators, or anything that looks like a personal tech device. And Oreo cookies too.

Just a couple of bums.

 Anne Geddes should hire me.  My kid just does this stuff without even being asked.

 He routinely dumps out all the socks so that he can sit in the plastic drawer.  It is a pretty tight fit.

 Daisy and Rosy think they are hilarious when they say they are "Chillaxin'' I don't know where they learned it, but the giggle that it gives them brings me more happiness than I have a right to have.

And this is the door of our upstairs neighbors.  They are the loveliest couple you could ever meet.  The day they moved in they introduced themselves.  I asked where they were moving from.
"We are from a country far away called, Iran," was his answer.  "Have you heard of it?"
I had a good laugh because I thought it was so endearing.  He had no idea the way that his home country is talked about regularly in the US. From the way he asked the question I could hear the pride in his voice.  He loves his home.
Arash and Atoosa have been nothing but delightful and we absolutely love them.  When we heard about the ban on immigration we immediately thought of our friends.  As a family we decided to heart attack their door.  We left a note telling them that we love them, that they are welcome and valued in our community, and how happy we are that they are here.  I just want to extend this same idea to all of the wonderful immigrants, refugees, and visitors that are peacefully adding diversity and joy to neighborhoods all over this country.