Family: The Final Frontier

Homeschool kids miss out on religious diversity...

2008-07-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

Remember, it's homeschool kids that face religious indoctrination. These kids? They're just learning about tolerance and diversity...

Another thought: When these kids go through this, are they considered Muslim converts? If they are would they be considered apostates if they go back to Christianity? Because it seems like Muslim apostates don't do too well...

a message for daddy

2008-07-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

to y
?xrtyklllk daddy d d a dd i love
you

samuel

Something else homeschool kids don't get to be a part of...

2008-07-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

...peaceful discussion of different religious traditions...

July 4...

2008-07-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Just a quick Independence Day greeting from the J house. Remember that even though we have our problems,we still have a country that is unlike any other in history. It's a country where stuff like this doesn't happen.

We have more challenges today than in a long time. And many of those challenges are more serious because they come from within the country, from people who see this country as a downright mean place that they've never been proud of. Unfortunately, there are more people who think like that now than ever before, and they have a louder voice in society than they deserve.

Only people who understand our unique place in history can help us become what we can be.

Seriously, how many countries could have come up with something as good as the Muppets?

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

A tennis mystery...

2008-07-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

My guess? Michelle and Emily, enjoying Wimbledon...

Toddler sings the blues...

2008-07-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. My terrific family took me out to lunch at one of my favorite places--a blues club in Long Beach. Lunch time there on a Saturday isn't very busy, and they have live music (and great food).

So we enjoyed our lunch, and just as we were finishing up, the band took the stage. They were really good, and it wasn't long before the kids were up and dancing. Well, the band played a few songs, and they seemed genuinely amused by the kids enjoying the music so much.

Then, the leader of the band invited the kids on stage to sing along! The older kids got a little scared, but Toddler Houdini jumped right up there. The song was Nite Train, and her job was to do the train whistle sounds (whoo! whoo!).

Here's what it looked like:

You can barely see her behind the amp, but she is there.

There she is, belting out the tunes...

Finally, DisneyGirl joined in the singing...

And the band rocked on!

Here are the kids with Bob Crail, the leader of the Blackouts.

Thanks guys, for making this an unforgettable birthday memory!

Little MacGyver graduates...

2008-07-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I flooded the 'net with pictures of my kids. I will now attempt to correct that, starting with pictures of Little MacGyver's graduation. His kindergarten graduation was a couple of weeks ago. It was held at a smallish church sanctuary close to where we live.

Here he is in his little suit. He is a handsome boy. Not sure why he's so serious...

All the kids dressed up and ready to go. Toddler Houdini REALLY likes to take pictures!

The sanctuary, just before the festivities...

Going down the aisle.

Here's the little man, talking to the head guy at the school...

The very proud mom...

And the happy dad. The afternoon was nearly perfect. The only problem? The whole ceremony reminded me of one thing: he is growing up really fast...

Blinded soldier joins special forces...

2008-06-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

I caught this story on Hot Air today. This Army Ranger was blinded by an explosion in Iraq. But he came back to the states, and finished training to be in the Army Special Forces. Only a tiny minority of soldiers get into that unit.

It's an awesome story. He should be an inspiration for all of us, reminding me of how much we can accomplish, no matter what obstacles we face.

As for me, I'm going to go lay down. I have a hangnail...

I'm (sorta) back!

2008-06-28T00:14:00.001-07:00

I know the nation has been waiting with baited breath for me to begin posting regularly. (Although the nation has been remarkably silent on the issue. I guess the nation has been suffering quietly.) I've been working on a huge project that has taken up a lot of my time. I hope to return to blogging with a white-hot intensity in the near future.

When I do, of course, I will delight and amaze you with heavy doses of kid pics, along with liberal sprinklings of half-truth, innuendo, and outright slander.

I'm sure you can hardly wait...

Apparently, babies CAN be thrown away...

2008-06-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty outrageous couple of weeks for the American legal system. I'm going to hold off on my opinions over the recent Supreme Court decisions. But this story really gets to me, and it happened not too far from me.

It's the story from 2005 of a USC student who gave birth, then threw her baby into a trash dumpster. A homeless man found the baby's body later on. The coroner concluded that the baby had been born alive. The county DA tried twice to charge her with murder, but the judge wouldn't allow it. (The woman claims that the baby was stillborn, contradicting the coroner.) The DA wasn't left with a lot of options, so they worked out a plea deal.

She pled no contest to a child endangerment charge. (Does that make sense? If the baby was stillborn, how did she endanger it? The whole thing is screwy.) Her sentence? The 30 days she's already served. That's it. 30 days and a stern lecture from the judge, and you can throw your baby away.

Here's the kicker: it isn't the first time this has happened with this woman. The year before, in 2004, she went to an LA hospital because she was bleeding. She told the doctors then that she had given birth to a stillborn baby. But she didn't know where the baby's body was, and it was never found. She wasn't arrested that time.

So that's 2 dead babies, and she gets a total of 1 month in jail. It just shows how little we really value children in this society. Despite the fact that every law and regulation that's passed seems to be about protecting the children. We really don't care. This case just illustrates the point...

Something else homeschooled kids miss out on...

2008-06-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

...quality personnel in the schools. Look at this. I can't even form words to describe it...

Quote that got me thinking...

2008-06-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

"Abba is one of the first human cries. Christ took it from the cradle of babes, and made it an offering of tenderness and confidence to God, a source of consolation and reassurance to man, a light among the obscurities of life."

Charles Wagner, By the Fireside

China "welcomes" the world (just don't get out of line...)

2008-06-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

CNN published this story on its website today. China has released a document detailing what foreigners can and can't do when they visit during the summer Olympics. (Olympic slogan: "One world, One dream.") Some of the highlights:

no protests without government approval (they don't even let their own people protest, let alone foreigners),
Tibet is completely closed to visitors (I thought the Tibetan people were very happy to be part of China),
people with "mental diseases" cannot enter the country (sorry Michelle!),
all foreigners must register at the local police station within 24 hours of arriving,
no banners or displays at the venues that "disrupt the public order (so much for free speech),
visitors can't bring in any materials "that are harmful to China's politics, economics, culture and morals". Does that include Bibles?

Basically, they don't want anyone to embarrass them in any way. So, if you go, please don't mention their religious persecution, their support of the murderers who run Sudan, or their occupation of Tibet. And also keep in mind that war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.

p.s.--There's actually no proof that Michelle has "mental disease." Although some of us have wondered...

More on China and human rights....

2008-06-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add this to the last post. This article talks about the Chinese government has arrested several Chinese Christians who were trying to send aid to help the people who are suffering because of the earthquake. Their crime? They don't go to the official church.

I'm so happy that the summer Olympics are coming soon. We should all join in the celebration of how modern and progressive China has become...

China has an amazing human rights record...

2008-06-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy that we can give so much of our money to the Chinese government. As this article demonstrates, they care very deeply about their people...

More news to make your day...

2008-05-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is the last story today about evil people doing evil things to kids, I promise.

There's so much wrong here. I don't know what to say...

What homeschool kids are missing...

2008-05-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

...socialization. You can't get socialization like this at home:

Tragedy...

2008-05-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, sorry I've been absent for a while. My life has taken a turn for the hectic recently.

I did want to jump in for a second to ask you to pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. He is a Christian musician who has sold about a bazillion albums. He and his wife have also adopted 3 children. They are big supporters of adoption, including giving a substantial amount of money each year to make it easier for families to adopt.

Yesterday, tragedy struck their family. Their youngest girl, who just turned 5, was hit by a vehicle being driven by one of her brothers in the driveway of the family home. She was killed. You can read more about it here and here.

I've got a lot of thoughts, because it reminds me of something a very wise woman told us when we were having some problems with our adoption. But, right now this just hits too close to home. I think I'm going to sneak into our kids' rooms while they sleep and love on them a little. Or maybe a lot...

When did we change the meaning of the word "honor"?

2008-05-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

More madness here...

A note from Little MacGyver...

2008-05-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

i love
you dad

Adoption Anniversary Day!

2008-05-12T09:51:00.001-07:00

Today is a special day at the J house. 2 years ago today, our little DisneyGirl's adoption became final!

This is her, in a pic from a few months before the special day. It's hard to believe how little she was then, and how much she's grown. In this picture her arms are stretched up so one of us can pick her up. Snuggling is always much more important than taking pictures...

Adoption days are kinda odd. They are such happy occasions, but they take place at the children's court building here in LA. That is one of the most depressing places I've ever been. The amount of human tragedy that goes on their every day is overwhelming. I'm not sure how the lawyers and judges that work there get through it.

Anyway, you have to get to court first thing in the morning, but you don't know when you will actually be called in to see the judge. (The court hearing is really just a formality. All the work that makes the adoption final is done beforehand.) When you're finally called in to the courtroom, the hearing is pretty quick. The judge looks over the paperwork, makes you affirm that you are willingly taking this child as your own family, and then it's over. It happens really quickly, then comes a round of pictures:

Here we are with a couple of family members who could get off work and join us. Also, there's the judge, holding DG, the world's greatest children's lawyer holding Little MacGyver, and our other lawyer, who's also terrific.

There's really only one place to go after you've adopted DisneyGirl. So we headed out to the Magic Kingdom to celebrate. DG got to meet some important people, er, dogs...

Then we had dinner with the princesses at one of the Disney restaurants. Since DG considers herself one of the princesses, she had a great time:

And this is my wonderful girl, in a more recent picture. (She's graduating from preschool; Little MacGyver graduates from kindergarten.) She is a great blessing. She is so full of energy and life. She is passionate and fun. She's kind and she loves people (and animals). We are blessed to have her in our family...

A great woman...

2008-05-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to publicly say I married the best mom and woman in the world.

And she is very cute too!

Religion of peace?

2008-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Maybe not...

Maybe if we all just hold hands and sing together...

2008-05-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

And don't forget these wise words...

A bit of levity...

2008-05-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Since there seems to have been a bit of interweb drama since I last posted, I thought some comedy might be in order. Some of you might find this amusing.

This show is a fake, but I'm not sure if Gary Busey knows it. Actually, I hope he doesn't because his reaction to this "pastor" is classic:

The best Busey line? "Yeah, let's go to a commercial. I hope it's about toilet fish."