The Election of Never

Wow...I must report on the Election lessons I have learned over the last few weeks.  I do not want a repeat in four years.

I had never voted until this election....ever.  I was always in another state and needed an out-of-state ballot.  I also didn't care much about the leaders of a state I didn't even live in for the majority of the year.  I moved to Utah and five years later, I finally got a Utah licence   When they asked me if I wanted to register as a voter, there was no question in my mind.  This election coming up between Romney/Obama was too crucial.

With Freddy being born recently, I felt I owed it to him to try to vote for who I thought were good leaders.  They would impact him now as well and that worried me.  Actually it caused me great a deal of stress and anxiety.

I did not know enough about either one of the candidates to really judge, although I cling to the Republican side more than I do the Democratic side.  Romney was the Republican shoe-in and even though he was wishy-washy at times, I knew that America needed a change.  It seemed people had voted in Obama in the first place because they wanted to see an African American in the White House.  My friends down south would assume I am racist with this comment, but if you are not fit for the job, it doesn't matter what color you are.  Obama was not fit for the job, thus the trillions of dollars of debt we now have.

I posted different ads and campaigns that might help convince the other party how wrong they were about their choice.  I wanted to post a few, but I also want to put this behind me and not remember how I behaved.  I should have positively portrayed my side without bias, and encouraged others to become politically involved.  

Most would assume I would vote for Romney because he is a member of my church.  I am a very devout LDS member, who is imperfect mind you.  But that does not mean everyone is.  I admit that one good thing about Romney not making President is that the LDS church will not be in the spotlight and under the heavy scrutiny of ignorant and critical people.

More than anything in the world, I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and that Heavenly Father is in charge.  Not Obama, and when I felt that assurance after the results were in, I knew then that I could deal with this new change.  I needed to stop putting my trust in Romney.  Stop putting my trust in the common man to open their eyes to see the truth.  Stop mud-slinging political propaganda that only made opposers upset, and open my own eyes to see that whatever was going to happen did happen.

I feel at peace with this new knowledge that I have learned.  That God is in charge and he has allowed this to happen.  And now is the time to be the best Christian I can be and rise above the dust.

Best days of our lives

I have to say, and I think Fred will agree (He does :), these have been some of the happiest moments of our life.  Honestly, that is a true blessing for me.  I had a rough few years for a time there, and had a hard time finding happiness.  I got very discouraged along the way, and even when we were first married, I had a difficult time adjusting to that change.  But having Freddy in our lives has been the best and happiest life changer of my life.  We love him so much and couldn't imagine what life would be like without him.  I feel so sad when I find happy and willing couples that just cannot have babies, and my heart goes out to them.

I worried I would be so tired at the end of each school day and I would be annoyed that I would have another "child" to take care of.  This has not been so, although the toddler years are not here yet :)

My babysitter has children at my school, so occasionally I see her volunteering and I run to find Freddy.  I eat lunch with him and go to my classroom, lock the door, and just squeeze every moment I can with him.  There is nothing I want more in this world than to be at home with him.  But that is not an option right now, and I am trying to make the most of it.   I know stay at home moms get tired of staying at home, pursuing their own dreams, or feel like they can't escape the madness.  And I feel for them...but not alot.  What I wouldn't give to not have to work, but to just stay at home raising, being, and loving my children.  I guess it has helped me appreciate every special moment, and other than losing sleep every once in awhile, I feel no need to whine, complain, or vent.  I relish every moment I can, and pray in the future, things will be different.

But for now, we are doing the best we can.  We've made so many repairs, and yet, our house looks so decrepit from the outside (Next summer :)  We fulfill our church callings.  We love being with our extended family.  We love being together.

Life continues

It's been a month of adjustment for the Rabe Family!  I have had a particularly hard time going back to work (My boss has commented several times that I am grumpy!)  Well a teacher cannot thrive in that kind of atmosphere!  After the first time saying it, it really starts to feel like he is targeting me.  I have tried extra hard to be cheerful, but I think he mistakes my sarcasm as unhappiness.  Gotta work on that!

I have a rough bunch of kids this year that constantly have me on my toes!  The first week a boy put a stapler all the way through his finger!  He's a crazy one.  They are all sweet kids, it just takes some time to adjust to them.

It was so hard to drop Freddy off with the babysitter for the first official time.  It is getting easier, but I breathe a sigh of relief when I pick little Freddy up in the afternoon knowing I get to spend the rest of the day with him and Fred.  We do have a great babysitter though.  Chelsea is perfect, and she has a one year old that little Freddy watches and smiles at all day.  :)

I worried that when I picked up Freddy in the afternoon I would be frustrated, tired, and would not want to act as "mommy!"  The opposite has happened although and he rejuvenates me and helps me forgot about my worries.  I love this little boy more than words can say.  We are praying Fred gets a job in Ogden with MarketStar now that his year mark is past.  No luck so far, but we are praying.  Two hour commutes there and back, really wears on him.

We are also praying that my mom finds a job closer to us...it would sure be great to have my family near us.  I love having the Rabe family near us.  We have so many fun times together.  I feel so lucky to have married into such a wonderful family close by.  I never had family growing up near to me, and it such a good change. We have dinners on Sunday, holidays together, and we try to be there for the little and big events.  I never ad that and it would be great to have both families nearby.

Well this is us n a nutshell....a new happy family!

Cough scare

So Freddy has been a little sick for the last few weeks and it has given us quite a scare.  He was breathing heavy progressively each night and his cough developed more and more every day.  It's a little scary when someone so little coughs ten times in a row without stopping.  We got him checked out for RSV and it turns out he just has a nasty cold. I guess it's better to pay the doctor to find out it is really nothing.  It sets your mind at ease.  We are praying for a speedy recovery through his first major cold!

Baby drooling

I have always hated baby drool. Always. I've wondered how parents can just deal with being spit up on, licked, drooled on, etc. The last few days I've noticed an increase of saliva. I'll lay him on his stomach for a few minutes and there will be a pool of drool when I pick him. I let him sit up and a little spittle will run down his shirt. The other night I was holding him and I felt a wetness on my shirt. I lokked down and saw a shiny spot on my shoulder. He had drooled all over it. I looked at him and he smiled. I smiled. Wow how my opinion has changed. It was a sweet moment and the drool did not bother me at all. He has such a sweet smile, it makes me melt. No boy has ever won me over this quickly! He has my heart forever...

Freddy's shutterfly album

Check out the Shutterfly book I made of little Freddy.... :)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Grandparents are grand!

Recently, we had my parents come to meet our new addition (as well as help as build a new roof). Both were accomplished beautifully. We loved having Mimi and Papa Flake here. It is sad they live so far away. We've tried to convince them to relocate here, but the weather scares them away. Fred loved all the extra love he received from his flaky grandparents :)

We also love Grandma and Grandpa Rabe. They have loved spending time with Freddy and Grandma Rabe that has an unquenchable thirst to love her grandson. We feel so blessed to have such great and supportive grandparents. It makes such a difference...