More Play Date Pics

A Snowy Play Date

Last Sunday (1/21) Alena had a play date at our house and of course it snowed 5 inches the night before. But despite unusually small turnout due to weather and various illnesses, Alivia and Jack managed to brave the conditions and come to play. They all had a good time, they played and danced while Amy, Jenny and I ate and talked. Then as everyone was leaving we got all the kids on the sled and Brian pulled them around the yard-- it was so cute! Check them out!

Thank you, Dr. King

Okay, I know this is a day late, but blogger was being retarded yesterday and wouldn't let me post. As I have posted before my favorite quote of all time is:
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
So in honor of Dr. King as one of the World's great orators and one of America's greatest leaders here are some more inspiring quotes to live by courtesy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and compiled by quotationspage.com...

"I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law. "

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. "

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important. "

"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true. "

"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. "

"Segregation is the adultery of an illicit intercourse between injustice and immorality."

"Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality."

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."

"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."

"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."

"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem."

"The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers."

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."

"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. "

"Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' "

"I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Thank you Dr. King for continuing to inspire generations to call for change, speak out against injustice, and promote a peaceful and equal society.

Spelling Bee Heartbreak

Alex and Brady were both chosen to participate in the school wide spelling bee, which was held Tues. morning. To be chosen for the school bee, you must first win your class bee, which both the boys did-- Congratulations, Alex & Brady! The boys have a fairly good vocabulary anyway, we play Boggle and Text Twist and all kinds of word games, plus they are only in 3rd grade and the school wide bee is for grades 3-5, so it was already an honor just to qualify which is what we tried to stress to them leading up to the bee. So that morning they were nervous, but excited. Brian and I were there to cheer them on with the camcorder ready, unfortunately Alex drew #1 and had to go first. The words they have you study are typically either long or complex, so when his first word was "beg" Alex got confused or misunderstood and put an "a" in it and was eliminated. He probably could've spelled every word for the next few rounds, he just wasn't expecting three letter words to be included and tried to make it harder than it really started out. He was very disappointed, as was Brian, and what started as a fun experience, may well turn into Alex's first tramatic event. Hopefully, he will put it behind him and try again next year. Brady made it to the second round when he misspelled "totem" he said "am" instead of "em." Oh well, it was an honor just to qualify and at least next year they will know what to expect.