For our furry friends...

The video pretty much says it all. The ASPCA has a great website, full ways you can help prevent animal abuse. I have only one thing to add - if you plan to give a pet to anyone for Christmas this year, pay a visit to the local humane society and adopt an animal who desperately needs a loving home. You could also donate pet food, beds, or dog houses to your local shelter in your pet's name. Woof!

Meet Spud (or Tater depending on how much of a hillbilly you are. Darren.)

Don't let those demon eyes fool you. He is a lover and a cutie and the answer to Bettie's "dear diary" wishes. We are just dogsitting for now, but I really hope he can come live with us full-time.

Short on Cash?

Cause we are. But there is still so much we can do. I am going to find a few hours a week to spend at the Idaho Foodbank from now until Christmas. They have a ton of volunteer opportunities, including work in the warehouse (where my big strong men at? holla!) and organizing food boxes. They operate warehouses in Boise, Lewiston, and Pocatello. You can fill out a volunteer application online, so get off 'yer keister and do something. LOVE YA!

Give

Every day, from now until Christmas, I will post a link to a charitable organization who could use our help. It will be my way of keeping the community and the world in my thoughts during a month filled with the distraction of sparkly lights and fancy toys and peppermint mochas. Damn you Starbucks.
So, have you heard of KIVA? Kiva is an organization specializing in loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world. The best thing about Kiva is that it is a person-to-person loan service. You choose who you would like to loan your money to, and during the loan period (usually 6-12 months) you receive updates on the business. It is a great way to help someone out of poverty, and in the end you get your money back. How sweet is that?!?

On Giving Thanks

"In America this Thanksgiving we are caught between two competing emotions: economic anxiety and political celebration. These forces pull against each other, making this an uneasy holiday. But there’s one thing that unites us at this moment: hope. America’s better self has emerged, and we hope it will thrive in the future.

Those are national sentiments, because Thanksgiving is a national holiday. Personal thanks is more intimate and private. While being grateful for the usual things - hearth and home, a loving family, being safe and well for another year - I will be most thankful, in my heart of hearts, that awareness can still expand. In times of fear the natural reaction is to contract, to retreat behind the walls of ego and petty self-interest. To be able to resist that urge is a great gift. None is more fragile, and yet none is more needed. Reaching beyond boundaries can save the world.

In a word, if you really want to give thanks, give of yourself first."

Love,
Deepak Chopra

Also, if you pray or even just send good vibes, send them to India.

Lookin' Good on the Cheap

Griffin and I are big, huge, honkin' fans of thrift store fashion. The vast majority of Griffin's clothing and shoes came from either Saver's or children's consignment stores in town. BUT... sometimes a kid needs an awesome t-shirt. That is where the Threadless Kids Annual Holiday Sale saves the day. 5 DOLLAR T-SHIRTS PEOPLE. They are unique and cheap and buying them supports starving artists.

FYI - we got "Caged", "The Embroidaries", "What If They Fought?", and "How Hamburgers Are Made". Feel free to copy our sweet style.

Cause and Effect

This...

Leads to this...And then you get this...
Done by this.
Actions have consequences people.

"EFF AMERICAN IDOL"

That loser doesn't even SHAVE!

Sneaky

Someone found the peppermint bark (and needs Rogaine).

Speaking of which, did ya'll know that Haagen-Dazs makes peppermint bark ice cream? You're welcome.

We Wii

We got a Wii and it's rad. The end.

Ten Thousand Kinds of Awesome

I can't figure out why this picture is teeny tiny, but rest assured that it is me. And it is awesome. If anyone would like to know why I don't want to have any more kids please see above. Just looking at this picture gives me ten more stretch marks. Darren is convinced I secretly had three or four babies in there and just gave them away. I WAS HUGE PEOPLE. HUGE.

The Griffin W. Beck Lexicon

Griffin says about a hundred funny things a day now, here are the few I could remember from today. This is a mean picture of him from two years ago this month. I can't believe how much he has learned and grown over just 28 months. Humans are kind of amazing.

• fish movie = Finding Nemo
• funny fall down show = America's Funniest Home Videos
• HAND = catch-all term meaning "i fell down, i am pissed, or you are not looking directly at me and you need to be"
• chocky = chocolate milk, hot chocolate, candy
• buffy = Wes and April's dog Buddy
• bee = our dog Bettie
• coos coos = Blue's Clues
• kids and babies? = can we please go to the gym daycare so I can ignore all of the kids and babies?
• winny = windy/cold
• Dooda = Julia (his one and only)
• omo = elmo
• football, hike, pass, catch, ooooh miss, tackle = our house is all football, all the time
• beeball = except when it's baseball
• fight = Wii boxing
• wuf oo = i love you
• 'queeze = hug
• pee in a pot = someone else going pee. which fascinates him, but he doesn't want to do it himself.
• doos a may (or something like that) = "don't supersize me" which they say at the end of Sesame Street.
• Griffin can also proudly say his ABC's and count to about 20. Good times.

Pa'cake boy

"Brinner" was a bad idea. The only thing Griffin will eat now is pancakes, and he wants them six times a day. Tonight I got home, half an hour after his bedtime, and he and Darren were in the kitchen making pancakes. His third plate of the day. Apparently D was trying to get him to sleep and Griffin ended up bringing the pancake mix and syrup into bed. My kid is so awesome and oh so manipulative.

On Prop 8

Just pretend this is me talking.

Sunday Brinner

We just ate scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes for dinner. It was the best meal in forever. Even he-who-eats-nothing-but-Cliff-Z-Bars-and-hot-chocolate wolfed down 3 pancakes and even a bite or two of eggs. VICTORY!!!

Good Job America

You chose a black man with a funny name, in spite of rumors that he was an secret socialist, a muslim terrorist, even the anti-christ. You made the right choice. I am so, so proud of you.

"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people."
- Barack Obama, President-Elect

i detov

Did you?

Candy?

He's never had a sucker before! He didn't know what to do with it.
He was thrilled when he figured out that costume = candy.
WE HAVE A DINOSAUR DOWN! I REPEAT, A DINO DOWN!
He really didn't know what to do at first...
But thankfully he had his good friends Julia and Isaac to help. Julia was such a great Halloween helper, she held his hand and led the way, making sure he got as much candy as she did. What a good girl!
I wish you could see the tail on his costume. It was hilarious.