More Snow

Yesterday, we woke up to a ton of wonderful white snow! When I say, "wonderful," I mean it! I went for a run in it, which was soooo much fun, but while I was out there, all I could think about was getting home to the kiddos, so I could build a snowman with them! So, we did!





It started to rain...yes, rain right in the middle of our snowman building, so he was getting pretty slushy :(






Then, we had a snowball throwing contest that turned into, yes, you guessed it...a snowball fight!


If you're wondering why Aussie wasn't an active participant, it was because he had a headache :(...And, of course, band aids make everything better!

Child Abuse Awareness

A friend of mine posted these facts about child abuse in an effort to raise more attention to child abuse, when so many "friends" on facebook are doing so by changing their profile pictures with the same idea/purpose in mind.

I wanted to post what he wrote, but I didn't want to clog up your news feed :). Here's what he said...please read carefully.

Changing pictures to cartoons to raise awareness of child abuse is fun and supportive, but it doesn't actually give people anything they can use to actually raise awareness or deal with the problem. I propose that if we are going to raise awareness, let's actually raise awareness.

I am proposing, and starting, something more. Let's raise awareness by posting facts. What is child abuse? What are its risk factors? How can we help? That is just as easily done and, in my opinion, much more useful. The fact is, most people do what is convenient. So, in campaigns like this, we must make gaining knowledge and learning about options as convenient as possible. I am going to put my money where my mouth is and practice what I am preaching here, and I encourage other people to do likewise.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #1: most children (about 80%) are abused by someone in their family. The risk of child abuse is 33 times higher (that's 330%) when the child's mother is cohabiting with a boyfriend than if the parents are a traditional married couple. The risk of abuse from a remarriage is also elevated above the risks in a situation where the child's biological parents are married.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #2: restraining orders are pretty much useless against people abusing children, because there are no consequences for breaking them. Protective orders are another story, because if the abuser violates them (even by attempting contact with the person he/she abused through a third party), he/she will be arrested.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #3- more on protective orders: Police often do not tell people that protective orders are a possiblity
(and they are actually not that hard to get), so just because they tell
you there is nothing they can do when you try to report abuse, that does
not mean there is nothing that can... be done. Talk to a shelter, victim's advocate, or child protective services.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #4: a large portion of the people who abuse children are the type you would never think would do it: smart, charming, and well-loved by those around them. So very often, people seeking help for abuse are shot down and lost without help because of the skill these people who abuse have in managing image.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #5: according to some of the most empirically sound data we have now (as opposed to a lot of junk data out there), only between 2%-10% of allegations of abuse turn out to be verifiably false. If someone comes to you to dislose abuse, take them seriously! The last thing they need to... run into is a wall of doubt. That tends to push people back into escalating cycles of abuse.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #6: one of the most dangerous times for abused spouses and children is the time period right after they have attempted to leave a person who is abusing. This is especially true if they get cold feet and return. There is a high incidence of injuries and deaths at this time without sufficient support.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #7: because of developmental issues, many children who are abused will have a hard time expressing it verbally, and when they do they will often have a difficult time expressing a chronology or details. In many ways, they will often say it with their actions long before they find a way to say it with words.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #8: Nonverbal signs of child abuse may include sudden changes in affect or school performance, displaying a sense of intense watchfulness/wariness of danger, being overly compliant or passive, regression (acting younger than their age), anger, depression, and acting out, among others.

Raising awareness of child abuse fact #9: Abuse is often about power and control. People who abuse children are often very good at making the child and/or the non-abusing parent feel like they are responsible for the abuse. This psychological conditioning is part of what makes it hard for both children and adults to report and escape abuse.

First snow of the season

The other day it finally snowed. Now, I will have you all know that this was not a joyous happening for me (I can't stand the snow), but as we all know, it is magical for children. Needless to say, I needed to but my feelings aside, and let the kids play. It was a lot of fun for them! Too bad Anderson was at school, and missed all the fun :(....there will be more snow...

Family Photos 2010

Update

Okay, so it has been a while since my last post, which means, that life is busy! Busy is a good thing, though, as long as the "busy" is filled with lots of fun! So, here's an update....

At the beginning of August, we went on our annual Lake Powell trip. Adam wasn't able to come with us because all of his business getting ready for school and soccer. We missed him, but at least I got to spend some much needed time with him the week after for our 9th wedding anniversary! Here are some pics from Lake Powell...









A few weeks later, Anderson and Aspen began school! Anderson is in first grade, and Aspen in kindergarten. They both love it, but it is taking a little getting used to for me, because I really miss them when they are gone!


I couldn't get my camera to work, so I had to use my phone, which I can't stand! By this tome, the kids were tired of waiting for me, and ready to go to school!
Grandma was able to be there!

Anderson and Aspen also played soccer this year! It is so fun to watch them play! They both scored two goals their first game, and were a big part of the team in the other games! (They get it from their dad...I am no soccer player)! They love to play, and we love to watch them!




(Aspen is #11...can you find her?...)

At the beginning of September, I began my third year teaching preschool out here in Eagle Mountain. I have two awesome classes! It is so much fun, and has been great for our family!
Here are some of the tree-year old's practicing cutting...a must!





In mid September, My dad, younger sister, Molly and I, ran the Cedar City half marathon. It was a brutal downhill race (that took me nearly 2 whole weeks to recover from!). I took 2nd place in the women with my personal best time of 1:20.
(Molly and My dad). I didn't get any shots...not such a bad thing :)!

Two weeks later, I ran the St. George Marathon (the soreness from the 1/2 went away, literally one day before). I will post more about the specifics of it in a later post, but I took 17th overall in the women, and 2nd in my age group, with a time of 3:04.08. Can't Wait to do it again!


Lastly, our baby girl, Azure just turned one! It has gone by so fast! The Saturday after her birthday (which was when we were going to have a little party, Adam ran a race that was entitled "Cake Walk." He won (of course :)), and the prize was a custom made cake! It was perfect for our little party! Thanks, Adam! We celebrated with cousins at Adam's parent's house. Fun, fun...


It has taken me a while to put all this together, and we went to the pumpkin patch today, so here are some pictures in case I don't post again for a whole :).
Preschool class today
Family night last week :)