This is my second time using iMovie and I have improved so very much. I took some more video of Lucia dancing. This time it was in a restaurant, with a small audience. This is my lovebug!\

Lucia has loved music from a very young age. She would bounce in time when she was old enough to sit up. A certain auntie taught her to shake her booty after she had just learned to walk. She will rock out in the car, but she loves dancing. Lately she's been dancing every day. Here is a short video of her and Will dancing today. Keep in mind I have no idea how to edit so this is not a quality video. I'll be working to learn to edit so I can have more video memories of Lucia's dancing.

I'd love to use this while driving...



Via CuriosityShoppeOnline.com

This weekend Lucia was doing homework. The pages she has currently have quite a bit of coloring and she gets bored after a bit. So, I offered to put on some music. Her choice? Jefferson Starship's We Built This City. If it works it's fine with me.

I've been behind on updating my blog with quotes from Lucia. Thankfully I type them into a note on my phone so I don't forget or lose them in a pile of miscellaneous papers which is my bedroom some days. I'm going to edit how I add them to my blog as well because I think about these things and stay up organizing in my head. Yes, it's exhausting to be me.

09/19/09 "Mom, the air is my soap."

09/09/09 "Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little mom is gonna be alright."

09/06/09 Lucia: "Will, did you know my mom is cute?"

Will: "Oh, but I'm cute."


09/04/09 "Will, vampires are nice to each other."

08/30/09 Me: "Lucia, you're clapping too loud."

Lucia: "I'm just clapping the words to the song."



08/29/09 "I don't actually sleep unless I'm asleep."

08/29/09 (Zen, the dog, is enthusiastically licking her arm.) "Do you like me as a popsicle?"

07/24/09 "Me and Will made a deal that I will protect him, even if I'm not there."



07/07/09 "Mom, did you know I'm a small, rude alien? I just hafta pretend I'm a kid.

This state in which I live, Utah, is breathtaking with it's diversity of landscapes. However, the diversity of people is overwhelmingly strangled by a powerful and loud group. I call this group the High and Mighty Utah Mormon Republicans.

Mind you I know that not all Mormons, not all Republicans, and not all Mormons who vote Republican are in this group. I'm referring to a sort of collective of the most closed-minded, over-bearing, and suffocating people who sway public and private laws as they choose and defend themselves with religion or the constitution. What strikes me as ironic is that the same methods of justification they use are the ones that say we all have choices and not even the high and mighty can deny choices.

I was frustrated to learn that our school district would not be giving the school children a chance to listen to President Obama's speech to them this week. I received a letter via Lucia's principal that is from the Superintendent explaining why they made this choice, apologizing as well as stating they would show it to the children, and giving parents a chance to refuse to have their children listen to the speech. Do we really need to have a parental consent form to not listen to the President of our country? Although I do agree there should be a choice I simply wonder what is the fear. Are people afraid the President of the United States of America will brainwash their children? Is there a precedence for fear of what the office of the President would say to children? I didn't always agree with former President Bush, but I certainly did not fear him or what he would have said to children.

I think it comes down to fear of change. Once we know there is going to be change it's as if some sort of defense mechanism is switched on in our mind. Yet, we rarely like the duldrum of a routine. Do we eat the same thing every day? Do we read only one book over and over? Do we wear the same clothes every day? I feel we thrive on change, sometimes more if we believe we are in control/making the choice. At least that's one theory.

To let you make your own choice I'm going to include some of the text from the letter. The paragraph previous summarized the President's message and the one following stated when the children would be able to watch the speech as well as an opportunity for parent's to choose to not have their children participate.

"Nebo District received official word on September 2, 2009, announcing President Obama's back-to-school message to school children. The information we received said, 'The decision to watch (or not to watch) the President's speech should be made by each district. There is no requirement from the Utah State Office of Education, the U.S. Department of Education, or from the President that any student watch.' Given limited information and the timing of the announcement of the President's speech, Nebo District decided that district students would not participate in watching this speech live at school.

In hindsight, we realize that this decision may not have been the best one possible and may have sent a message to students and patrons that we do not respect the office of the President. This was never our intent. We also realize that this decision denied students, who were interested, the opportunity to participate in this live historic event. We regret that our decision had this affect.; While we cannot turn back the clock, we desire to make this opportunity available to our students."

I do agree that the notification should have been given further in advance and more of the content should have been revealed. Thankfully there are always ways to learn from a decision, good or bad. I am glad the school district is giving the children a chance to hear the speech.

Please note that this post contains opinions and feelings held by me and may not be held by others for whatever reason.

I'm emotional. Not all the time, but it's often just under the surface until something pierces my defenses. I suppose I don't have the thickest of defenses. However, I'm okay with my defenses and my emotions because I can acknowledge feelings and then accept responsibility for my choices following.

Before I get more off tangent I'm going to go back to a Friday night. Kari, Will, Lucia, and I are driving from the Covey Arts Center in Provo to Noodles & Co. when I slip into a role of pointing out things to the kids in order to keep them in a good mood and perhaps teach them about their surroundings. The road curves and I see the familiar sign for The Mending Shed. "Lucia and Will look at the wood on that building. Do you know where that wood came from?" I stop. I can't say it because the tears are welling in my eyes and I'm the driver. Kari looks over at me and steps in to explain that the wood came from their Great Great Grandpa Huntsman's farm in Idaho.

When I visited my sisters Keeley and Alex in Kanab this March I started to cry for how happy I was to have this chance to hang out in the kitchen chatting and playing with the kids or the animals talking and talking and talking. I stay up late whenever they come to visit. I tell them every new story I have- and a few they've heard before. I cry when I hug them a little longer and a little tighter and tell them I love them.

For Mother's Day Lucia gave me a card where (with a little help) she had written, "I love you!" It was so sweet and of course tears welled up. However, I accept that I'm emotional and moved to tears at times. I just might stock up on tissues though.

Lucia: Will, do you want to be big and strong to drive big trucks? Then you have to eat this hash brown.

Will: I just want to drive a police car and take all those bad guys to jail.