The ODonnell Clan

Aidan the Barber

2009-04-11T05:18:00.000-07:00

Okay...this is never good! How Aidan managed to cut out this chunk of hair and NOT do it in a conspicuous place is a testimony to his barbering skills. :)

Ice Skating with the Youth

2009-04-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Ian's a part of the Youth Group at Trinity now. This year they went to Greenville to go ice skating. The kids had a blast. Our pictures of this event didn't come out very good, but here's a few shots at least:

Trinity's fearless ice skating team.

Okay...they had these PVC pipe things to help the kids learn how to skate at the Skate Center. Watching Aidan put this thing to the test was comedic! You should have seen him scurrying all over the ring! I'm laughing as I write this!

The lighting wasn't very good for photos, plus we had to shoot from behind Plexiglas; so this was the best we could do in sharing the Aidan madness with you. :)

Ian taking a break.

We never did get a good shot of Mia skating, but we did get a good one of her eating. :)

This was a fun trip! All the kids want to do it again soon. Thanks to Andrew and Jennifer for putting the trip together.

Aidan's Birthday 2009

2009-04-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

Aidan had a great birthday this year! His Grandparents came and he got to talk to Aunt Ginger, Uncle Chris and his cousin Tekoa for a few minutes. We communicate with them by Skype because they live in Brazil. Here's a few pictures of the Birthday Bash:

Give Aidan a set of Star Wars Legos and you'll have a happy kid, guaranteed!

Doesn't matter the size or theme, Aidan loves all Legos.

Aidan's new crash kit. Boy does he need this!

Once Aidan opens a set of legos, he'll spend hours with it. It was hard to get him away from his new collection to eat his cake.

This helmet was Aidan's big surprise this year. He's been wanting this clone trooper helmet for months! This picture doesn't do his excitement level justice, he was bouncing off the walls when he found it waiting on his chair!

The man and his cake.

Happy Birthday buddy! We sure do love you!

Aidan's Indiana Jones Birthday Cake

2009-04-11T03:54:00.000-07:00

One of Aidan's favorite characters is Indiana Jones. So for Aidan's birthday, Tisha made a theme cake. Take a look! Yet another great cake to add to her collection!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from The O'Donnell Clan. Tisha made an incredible dinner for us tonight. Pork tenderloin, boiled cauliflower, sweet potatoes, sauteed portabella mushrooms and green onions, and yeast rolls. For dessert, cream cheese brownies topped with a cherry sauce. WOW! I am a happy Valentine! :)

No! No! We Don't Say Guns!

2009-02-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

Anyone that knows Aidan knows he's a Star Wars freak! Talk about an obsession. He is a FAN! That leads us to a quick story about a recent encounter Aidan had with a little boy at Barnes and Noble. They met in the children's area and were looking at a book about the new Clone Wars movie. The little boy was younger than Aidan and Aidan was trying to explain the ins-and-outs of the Clones and how they do battle. Here's how a part of the conversation went down:

Aidan: Okay. You know those Clone Troopers. When they shoot...

Little boy: No! No! No! We don't say shoot!

Aidan: Okay. (Looking a little disturbed) You know those Clone Troopers. When they...throw...those things out of their guns...

Little Boy: No! No! No! We don't say guns!

Aidan: Oookaaay. (Looking for a possible escape) You know those Clone Troopers. When they...throw...those things out of their...things...

A Visit to Troop 28

2009-02-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

Ian's den had a tough choice to make this year. Do they stay with Troop 79 when they move up to Boy Scouts or join another Troop in the area? They visited three in all, Troop 3, Troop 28, and Troop 79. The boys all got together and assessed each Troop, their strengthens, their weaknesses and, how they though they'd get along with the other boys in each Troop.

After much debate, the majority of the Den picked Troop 28. Some of the selling points? They have an awesome Scout House dedicated to the Troop, they have a great record of pumping out eagles, and they camp A LOT. The only downer is one of their den mates chose to stay at Troop 79 because his brother is in that Troop. Here is a picture of Ian and his best friend Michael meeting with Troop 28's Scout Master:

Tisha

2009-02-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

I always think Tisha looks beautiful, but there was something about this outfit I though was exceptional. She was absolutely stunning in it, so I asked for a few pictures. Do you agree with my assessment?

The Children's Book Store

2009-02-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

As Homeschoolers, one of our favorite places to go is The Children's Book Store in Lyman. It's one of the best places to find any material you could want to educate your child. Here are a few pictures of one of our recent trips there:

The world's greatest Homeschool Book Store!

Tisha reviewing books.

They have row after row of books. It's almost sensory overload and everything is at least 15 - 20 percent off, and some as much as 50 percent off!

While we go for the great books and deals, the kids go to see the store cat. This poor thing should have it's picture over the word patient in the dictionary.

Another Aidan Costume

2009-02-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

Aidan has come up with yet another costume. This one takes the cake! He tells us it's his clown suit, but it looks more like a demented super hero thing to me. He sure has the imagination wouldn't you say?

Grandma Mickey's Birthday Cake

2009-02-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Grandma Mickey had a Birthday recently. I'm smart enough to NOT tell you how old she is, but you'll notice there are no candles on the cake; that's because they wouldn't fit. :)

As always, Tisha made a cake and it came out beautiful. She has such a talent! She made the fondant on this cake herself from marshmallow. What do you think?

New Years Day 2009

2009-02-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

In the south it's a tradition that families get together and eat Ham, Black-eyed Peas, Corn Bread, and Collards for dinner. The Peas symbolize coins and the Collards dollars, the Ham and Corn Bread helps us survive the other two. We had Grandpa Eddie and Grandma Mickey over this year for this treat!

New Year family diner.

My New Year stimulus meal.

Aidan Art

2009-02-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

While at Eddie and Mickey's for Christmas Eve I took a few pictures of dinner, but blew it on the exposure. The pictures came out way too dark. I did have some fun with one of them in Photoshop though. I call it Aidan Art. What do you think?

Christmas Eve 2008 at Grandpa Eddie's and Grandma Micky's

2009-02-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with Grandpa Eddie and Grandma Mickey. It is a favorite time for the O'Donnell Clan. Great food, a fun time for the kids, and time spent with loved ones. What more can you ask for! Here are a few pictures:

Tisha made an outstanding flan for this years Christmas Eve dinner. It was THE BEST she has ever done and words could not express how much we all enjoyed it!

Ian opening his gift.

Mia's new purse. She never leaves home without it. :)

Aidan opening his Nerf Gun. Let's just say Pippin was not happy about this toy! We told Aidan if he shoots the dog again, the gun goes.

It's a little late. But Merry Christmas from the O'Donnell Clan!

Tisha's Christmas Mice

2008-12-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

Tisha is just too creative! She made these Christmas mice for a dinner we attended at Roebuck PCA. All the kids flipped (and a lot of the adults too)!

Ian & Mia Playing at Trinity

2008-12-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

Ian and Mia also played their guitars at Trinity this past Sunday. They played "O Come, O Come Emanuel" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." They were quite the hit!

Recital at Converse College

2008-12-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

Ian and Mia did a Christmas Recital at Converse College with their guitar class. They both did a wonderful job. They are really coming along and will start to learn to read music next semester.

To see a clip of Ian and Mia playing. Visit this post on their Grandmother's blog.

Trinity Youth Choir Christmas Musical

2008-12-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

The kids have been busy this year! We'll start with the Trinity Youth Choir Christmas Musical. It was a simple program this year, but fun. Here are a few highlights:

Both Mia and Aidan had solos this year.

This was Aidan first BIG solo and he did a great job! Mia did too!

Ian is no longer in the youth choir, but that doesn't mean he's unwilling to help. He, Nancye, and Stephanie did the puppets. They were great! Nancye especially. She had Grandpa Jack laughing so hard I thought he'd have to leave. She's great on stage no matter what she does.

My favorite part of the musical was one of the last parts. The kids started with a couple of presents they used as props for the opening. At the end they use the same ones for the closing song. Aidan refused to take any other presents other than the ones he had the first time. The had to go through all of them until they found the right ones. He's something else!

Sorry about some of the red eye. I couldn't get my flash to work right with the lighting. :(

Christmas Tree 2008

2008-12-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ian has started journaling every day. Here is one of his latest...

Today we decorated Grandma's Christmas tree. I helped put on the lights and branches. After that Mia and Aidan put on the ornaments. There were at least 50 ornaments. They put all the ornaments in one big blob, so Grandma and I had to move them around.
The next night we decorated our christmas tree. Dad put on the lights the day before. This time Mia and Aidan put the ornaments in reasonable places. Later I put on the star. I think we will have a very good Christmas this year.

A Planetary Surprise

2008-12-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

We went outside this past Wednesday evening and found a surprise waiting for us. It's not uncommon to see Venus in the evening sky, but seeing Jupiter is a treat. I was fortunate to get this picture. My camera is not really designed to take evening shots without a flash. I wish I had a filter so I really could have gotten some good picture. This will have to do though. Click on the picture for a better view.

Second Thanksgiving

2008-12-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Because we spent Thanksgiving with Marc and Kelly, we spent the day after Thanksgiving at Grandma Mickey and Grandpa Eddie's. They fixed us an awesome ham along with collard greens and corn bread. Tisha made her famous macaroni and cheese to go with it and a couple of pies. It was a feast!

The West Table

One great looking ham!

Aidan napping after his big meal.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

This year the O'Donnell Clan celebrated Thanksgiving at Marc, Kelly, and Megan's house. Kelly is Jim's first cousin. They live about an hour and a half from us. Their house is incredible! The indoor theater was a favorite for the kids, and I thought we'd never get Ian and Kelly's daughter Megan off Guitar Hero in HD.

The food was spectacular! Kelly cooked the turkey in one of those oven bags and it came out prefect. My mom and dad and Marc's mom and dad were there and helped with the cooking. Here are a few highlights...

Grandma Pam and Cousin Kelly

Marc, Kelly, and Tisha getting things ready for the big meal.

Marc meticulously carving the turkey. Nice shears Marc!

Marc's chocolate bombs of death. These things are so good they're deadly!

Thanks to Marc and Kelly for having us over. It was a great Thanksgiving!

Go Lightening!!

2008-12-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

Ian had a great year on the soccer field. His team placed first in the region and placed second in the area finals. Great job guys!!!

The Mermaid Cake

2008-11-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Lilly had a fun birthday at Chucky Cheese last night! Tisha once again out did herself with her special cake. Lilly wanted a mermaid, and Tisha came through with flying colors.

She put three days into this cake and Lilly absolutely loved it. When she saw it, she screamed! :)

It was a near perfect night, the only draw back was we have a sick girl again, so Mia and Tisha had to sit this one out.

Happy Birthday Lilly!!!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-05T13:33:00.000-08:00

Tisha and the kids did a great job on the Halloween costumes this year.

Here is a picture of Ian. His get up was my favorite this year! Way cool! I never did get to take a really good one of him because he and his friend jerked their costumes off as soon as they got home from trick or treating, ran up the road to do the neighborhood haunted trail, and then went to an all night lock in at Trinity. You should have seen poor Ian trying to play soccer the day after the lock in! Zero sleep plus soccer don't mix well. All his team mates kept smacking him every time they'd run by trying to get him to wake up.

Here is a great shot of Mia and Aidan. Tisha made the mushroom top out of a sombrero. She is super creative and Mia looks just like one of the little mushrooms from Disney's Fantasia. None us should be surprised that Aidan dressed up as Jango Fett. He loves that Star Wars character.

Last Night's Hayride

2008-10-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last night, Ian, Aidan and I took a trip to Niven's Farm with Ian's Scout Pack. We were treated to a hayride, apple picking, and a corn maze. Here are some pictures of the hayride.

Ian and his friends enjoying the ride.

Not sure what was up with Michael in this one.

Aidan on the ride.

Aidan is always so fascinated with everything that is going on around him.

The scarecrow reunion.

Our favorite scarecrow.

This is where the Scouts camp at Niven's from time-to-time.

Tisha and Mia has some mommy/daughter time while the boys and I were out. They went shopping and got some coffee and hot chocolate.

Aidan the Lego Maniac

2008-10-31T12:18:00.001-07:00

Much to Tisha's dismay, Aidan has become quite the Lego Maniac. Mia took this picture and I just fell in love with it, so I wanted to share it with you. I'll have to do a post of some of his other creations, they're pretty cool!

Ian the Hunter!

2008-10-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ian had an eventful week this past week. It started with a trip to Columbia with his Webelos Pack for a very cold, very wet camp out. We should all be proud of Ian. He set up his tent all by himself, dried it out for sleeping, and threw the tarp over it. Thanks to his efforts, he and his Grandfather were some of the few that didn't wake up soaked to the bone.

After his camping adventure, he and his Grandfather went to the hunt club for a few days of fellowship, hunting, and learning. He kept a journal of all he did. Wrote up an essay of what he learned, and brought home the bacon. This was Ian's first time "really" hunting and he bagged a 7 pointer as a trophy for his effort. Here are a few pictures:

Ian in his home-away-from-home at the hunt club.

Ian showing off his deer. It weighted about 110 lbs.

Ian getting ready to learn how to skin and start processing his kill.

Grandpa also took a deer on this trip. His was a 10 pointer and weighted about 183 lbs.

While Ian enjoyed hunting, I think one of his favorite pass times while at the club was driving the golf cart.

A special shout out goes to David, Rusty and his son, and all the others that made Ian's first hunt something to remember.

A Time for War

2008-10-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you have 7 boys, 3 girls and a bunch of nerf guns? A whole lot of fun! One of Ian's best friends just celebrated his Birthday, and a group of his friends came to do battle as they ushered in another year for Charles.

It was epic and brutal, much to the boys delight, as the war continued late into the evening.

When the group finally had enough, after multiple kills of course, Charles had his cake and ate it too.

The kids all had a blast and they look forward to another war in the near future!

Happy Birthday Charles!!!

The Blue Comets

2008-10-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Blue Comets have not had the best season, but that wasn't from a lack of trying, or lack of team work. In fact, I'd venture to say that this is one of the best teams Mia has been on in AYSO. They always have fun! They always get along! And they always build each other up!

Not only are the kids all great, all the parents are too. They are a fun loving bunch that, even though the Comets suffered many a defeat, never lost sight of what AYSO is all about; the joy of the game.

Here are a few action shots of Mia:

Apple Picking

2008-09-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday everyone got together for a trip to Henderson County North Carolina to go apple picking. This is a yearly excursion for The O'Donnell Clan and it was a pleasure to get the chance to share it with Tisha's family.

Headed out with our baskets and wagon.

Ya admiring one of her picks.

Tisha giving Aidan a boost.

Ian sneaking a bite.

Mia reaching for a great looking apple.

President Tisha

2008-09-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

During all the happenings this past month, Tisha also took some time out of her busy schedule to help put together the thank you gifts for all the ladies that attended Trinity's most recent WIC function. WIC is short for Women on the Church, and on top of all of Tisha's other responsibilities, she is also the WIC President. She is one busy lady!

Courtland and Ya's Wedding

2008-09-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

A week ago this past weekend Tisha's brother Courtland West married Du Xiaoya. Here are a few pictures.

Courtland and Ya

One of my favorite parts of the wedding was when Courtland and Ya sang a minority folk song from Sichuan, China that celebrates the courting ritual and match making of young men and women.

Ya's American family.

The happy couple head back to China this coming Sunday. They'll also have a ceremony in China around December.

The Finished Wedding Cake

2008-09-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in sending this, but with Courtland and Ya here in the States we are trying to soak up as much time with them as we can. They head back to China this coming Sunday. :(

As promised, here is the cake. As you can see, Tisha is an artist.

We'll post about the wedding after Court and Ya head back to China.

The Making of Ya and Court's Wedding Cake

2008-09-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Tisha continues to amaze us with her incredible cake making talent. She is once again hard at work, this time on a wedding cake for her brother Courtland and future sister-in-law Ya. She's been at it for about 3 days now, and will finish the cake at the church tomorrow. Here are some pictures of her progress...

Tisha using her favorite tool. This Kitchen Aid Mixer is one of the best investments we've ever made.

Here is some of Tisha's homemade icing. You would not believe the amount of butter and sugar that goes into this stuff. It will absolutely put you into a sugar coma!

She is marbling chocolate and vanilla together for this cake.

Here is the rough up of the top piece. The cake is going to look great. I'll show you a picture of the finished cake after the wedding.

Court and Ya's Photo Shoot

2008-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went out with Court and Ya to do a photo shoot for Alyssa, our friend that is planning their wedding. She wanted some nice pictures of the both of them to put out on the foyer table. We got a number of good shots thanks to Chris Mackey's wonderful, illustrious, grand, super-duper camera. Here are a few for you to enjoy, just click on the images to enlarge them...

Courtland and Ya are Here!

2008-09-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

It was a happy homecoming for both Courtland and welcome for Ya. They flew in on seperate days and they're preparing to marry this Saturday; so as you can imagine, we've been pretty busy. Here are a few pictures.

All the kids were so excited to see their Uncle. He's been in China for a year now.

Tisha and Courtland have always been close. The distance is hard on the both of them.

Not a bad looking guy for someone that has been traveling for 20 hours or so!

When we got back home, Courtland called Ya to let her know he made it safe and sound. We then called his sister who lives in Brazil on Skype.

We've know Ya for some time know, but here we are finally meeting her in person. She is everything we expected. Beautiful, sweet and a joy to be with.

Here the ladies are having a pow-wow as they discuss what the next week will entail as they get ready for the wedding.

Mia and Ya have become fast friends. Much to Mia's delight!

Our first meal together with Ya. We really missed Ginger and Chris.

Mia's 8th Birthday

2008-08-21T14:01:00.001-07:00

Mia celebrated her 8th birthday this week. Here are a few pictures of her party.

Mom, as always, made an outstanding cake. She worked on this one for two days.

Mia is a gum freak! It's a gift she looks forward to every year.

Ian's gift was a hit! Aidan gave her one of his teddy bears.

We got her a much needed case for her guitar.

Mia and her cake!

She also got a Cinderella Barbie and a flower arrangement for her bedroom. She enjoyed her special day. Happy Birthday Mia!

PS - Tisha makes some of the best birthday cakes, to see more of them, click here.

Our Newest Addition to the Family

2008-08-19T14:10:00.001-07:00

Meet Tekoa Everette Mackey

Born August 19, 2008 11:45 a.m.

7 pounds, 3 ounces
2o.4 inches long

Congratulations Chris and Ginger!

First Day at School

2008-08-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Ian. Aidan and I decided to make a video of Indiana Jones. Take a look and let me know what you think. How did I do?

Our Trip to Bar 10 Ranch

2008-07-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Tisha and I had a blast in Las Vegas. Well that's not completely true. We actually spent very little time in Vegas at all. It was the surrounding areas we had all our fun in. Here are a few pictures of our adventure to Bar 10 Ranch. I'll write more about it in a few days.

To view all the pictures, click here.

Ian's Birthday Party

2008-07-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

The West's, the O'Donnell's, and Michael (one of our neighbors also known as our 4th child) got together to celebrate Ian's birthday this past week. Here are some pictures of the fun and festivities:

Ian and Michael.

Ian opening the watch we bought him. Ginger is also getting an early look at the baby jumper she'll be getting when Grandma Mickey goes to Brazil to see her 4th Grandchild.

Mom helping Ian set his new watch.

Ian's Zelda Shield Cake made by Tisha "The Queen of Birthday Cakes" O'Donnell.

All the kids ready for the birthday song.

Happy birthday Ian!

To see more pictures, visit Jim's Photo albums on his Facebook page.

Fun on the 4th of July

2008-07-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

The O'Donnell Clan had a blast at the lake this 4th of July weekend! We had fun fishing, swimming, and watching fireworks at Grandpa Eddie and Grandma Mickey's lake house. This is one of our favorite holidays!

Besides the fishing and the swimming, the real fun starts when we get together with some of the neighbors and head out for the fireworks show. This is put on by a local business owner, and it's turned into quite the event. They shoot off thousands of dollars of fireworks and the show lasts about 25 minutes. They shoot them off literally one after the other and lead up to a grand finally at the end. Personally, I'd say this show rivals any I've ever seen with the exception of Disney. You will see some pictures of this toward the end of the slide show, but it doesn't do the show justice.

Thanks, as always, to the Moore's for their generosity! Every year they feed us and take us out on their pontoon boat for this event. They have created some wonderful memories for my family!

The two songs included in this slide show are from the Shrek movie soundtrack. To see a complete list of the songs on this album, or to purchase a copy, click here.

Camping with Ian

2008-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

There are few thing I enjoy more than spending time with Ian. He is one of the most fun loving, energetic, creative kids I know. He has really embraced the Scouts and their ideals, and I'm proud of him for it.

Our trip to Camp Bob Harden was an adventure. When we got there, we were under the impression we would be sleeping in an Adirondack. It turns out we were bumped to a tent, or kind of a tent anyway.

The problem wasn't the comfort, we are used to roughing it, it was the breathability. It was 98 degrees that day, but with both sides of the tent opened up, we did okay.

Ian was a pack by himself this year, so we were teamed up with some other loners. One didn't show (guess it was too hot), but Ben did come, and Ian made a new friend.

At the opening campfire, the staff always does some skits for the Scouts. By far, the favorite was Sugarboy. Sugarboy passed out during the skit, and the only way the other actors could revive him was by pouring sugar down his gullet. In went the moonpies, the honeybuns, a can of coke, and finally straight sugar.

The young man (Andrew) was hence forth known as Sugarboy, and everywhere he went, the Scouts would chant, Sugarboy, Sugarboy, Sugarboy.

Part of Webelos Camp is classes. Ian had two clear favorites. The one he liked best was boating. This is the first time he has had the chance to go out in a canoe, and he loved it. The coolest thing we learned was how to help someone that has capsized in their canoe by dragging their canoe across ours to empty any water out of it, and then helping them get back in without tipping it again.

After boating, Ian liked Ready Man best. This is were the Scouts learn how to administer CPR, how to deal with crisis situations, and how to generally be aware of their surrounding. I think, more so than just the fact that this is a topic of interest to Ian, that he liked this class because of the teacher. Dave really enjoyed teaching the kids and they could tell it. Kids are not dumb, they can tell when someone is genuinely interested in them, and Dave really poured himself into each of the Scouts. He's a very impressive young man.

Anthony, the activities coordinator, is another great example of someone willing to pour himself into the next generation. He donates 8 weeks of his time each year to help Scouts grow and mature (the rest of the time he works in drug enforcement). This year the camp had a Pirate theme. You can tell he is dedicated! He wore this outfit half the day in 100 degree heat!

One of the highlights of our stay was we did get to move into an Adirondack, which was fun, I've never slept in one before.

Our least favorite part of our stay was a latrine.

Let's just say Ian and I are still pumping ourselves full of laxatives to get over "holding it" for a while. :)

Would I recommend Camp Bob Harden? Absolutely! Ian and I had so much fun! The camp is older, but very well run. The staff is great, the director was dynamite, and we learned a lot. I look forward to going back with Aidan one day.

Going Camping with Ian

2008-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ian and I (Dad) are headed to the mountains for a few days of camping. We'll be bunking down in an Adirondack shelter with another pack of Webelos because Ian is the only one going from pack 79 this year. I'll be off-line for a while because of this trip, but I'll have my camera with me, so expect some pictures.

Mia and Doctor Ben

2008-06-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

Okay. Here's how it all started. Yesterday, Mia had an appointment to get a filling at Doctor Ben's office. Everything started out fine, but rumor has it, Mia received some unsettling news about needles from her older brother that apparently didn't sit well with her. So when Doctor Ben got ready to numb her up, Mia freaked out. She clamped that little mouth shut, and nothing would convince her to open it. Now Mia is usually very good about things like this, but she had a bad infection a few months ago that required a very painful shot in the leg, so needles are not on her "happy" list right now.

Doctor Ben gave her a hug, told her we'd try again tomorrow, and sent her home. Well that night Mia got a good talking to. We explained what Doctor Ben would do and assured her that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her, he only wanted to help. In fact, Doctor Ben is known as "Gentle Ben", and the nickname fits!

Well , Mia said she was sorry and promised to do better when she went back; and she did.

Here she is in the chair getting ready for Doctor Ben to come in.

After he laid her back, he put the numbing agent in her mouth to get her ready for the shot of novacaine.

When the shot came, Mia tightened up her fists and took it like a big girl.

When everything was done, she and Doctor Ben gave a big thumbs up!

It's hard to be brave sometimes, isn't it Mia? I'm proud of you though! You overcame your fear and did what you needed to do. You're the finest young lady I know!

A Date With Aidan

2008-06-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's not often that we get some alone time with Aidan, but with Ian spending the night with his friend Charles and Mia spending the night with her Grandparents, we had him all to ourselves.

We started our date with a trip to the Olive Garden.

He spent most of the meal telling us about all his future plans. Most involved Indianan Jones, Ironman, and Spiderman of course.

We then finished our night at Brewster's for some ice cream. Aidan chose the dirt sundae.

You will never meet a happier or more imaginative child than Aidan. He's a source of inspiration to us.

Outdoor Activities

2008-05-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Spring is one of Tisha's favorite times of the year. She loves to garden (she is a horticulturist after all) and planting a vegetable garden is something she looks forward to each year. She had a 100 fold year last year, so it will be interesting to see if she gets the same results this time around.

While Tisha planted, the kids played. I added this to the post as both a scolding to my brother-in-law Chris and a chance to for him to see the fruit of his labor.

Chris! Didn't I tell you that you'd have my kids flipping themselves out of swings before summer time! AHHH! This is why we had to send Chris out of the country! It also adds just one more reason for me to say, "down with Uncle Chris!" :)

They Are More than Boyfriends or Girlfriends

2008-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Brett McKay wrote a blog post about Chastity on The Art of Manliness. This is the twelfth post in a series of posts about Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues. I'd like to come up along side Brett with my views as a father and share a few things I'm teaching my children now, and will continue to teach in the future.

Remember Who You're Dating
I often tell my oldest son that it is so easy for people who are dating to get caught up in a relationship and forget to respect the person they are with, and their future. They start thinking about how much they "love" them and how they want to be with them "forever". But as we all know, relationships sometimes end. So I'm going to take a little different approach to this subject and say that abstinence can be a gift if we look at it properly.

This Person is Someones Future Wife or Husband
The person you're dating may be your future wife or husband, or they may be someone else's. Either way, both parties should hold to the mindset that the other person in the relationship will be a cherished treasure to someone one day. The physical side of a relationship is "sacred", as Brett points out in his post. It's a special and private bond between two individuals that should be protected. Too often we allow our raging hormones to make decisions for us and do things in the moment. We don't think about the future consequences of those actions. We justify it because we are in "love", but what is love?

Love is that which Protects and Provides
There are many definitions of love. Some good, and some bad. But the best definition of love I've heard is "love is that which protects and provides". Those of us who are in love know that love is more than just the flutter of a heart, it is deeper, unexplainable, and yes it's a mystery. That's why love is so hard to define!

Even if you don't agree with this definition, I hope we all can agree that these two things express love. If you put a young man or woman in a position of choice, "If you loved me you would...", is that expressing love? If you have the opportunity to fulfill your desires, does that make it right? Do these things protect and provide for the person you claim to love? Is this putting them first?

My hope is that my children will see value in waiting for the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. That they wouldn't give in to their passion and share something intimate and personal with another. That they will protect the person they are with and provide them with a future that will be free of guilt or regret regarding this subject. Will they? Only time will tell. But will uncertainty keep me from encouraging them to put others before themselves, not on your life!

The Biggest Lie
One of the biggest lies we're told in these modern times is to do what feels good. But if we all entered into relationships with the viewpoint that this may be someones else's wife or husband one day, and make a commitment to treat that person the way we would want someone to treat our future spouse, can you see the power in that mindset? Can you see how this expresses love? When you truly love someone, it's not about you, it's about them. The hard part is remembering this and acting on that knowledge.

Image: artofmanliness.com

Camping with the Cub Scouts

2008-05-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

The O'Donnell Clan had an adventurous weekend. We did some rough camping with Ian's Cub Scout Pack. One of our local nature preserves allowed us to set up for the night and use some of their facilities for our meals, crafts and award ceremony. Here are a few pictures of what we did:

Home away from home.

The kids LOVE to tent camp.

It wouldn't be camping if we didn't roast marshmallows. By the way, Aidan hates being sticky!

Mia hammering on the birdhouse she built.

Mom admiring Aidan's handy work.

Ian and Aidan sporting their new Blue Bird Houses.

Ian earned his WEBELOS Badge! Well done Ian!!!

Ian and Micheal folding up our Pack flag.

During the ceremony, one of the Pack leaders said, "What more could we ask for? Great weather, good food and good friends. Here here!

To view more pictures, visit my Facebook Account. If you're not on Facebook, sign up and be sure to send me a friend request when you do.

Our Last Trip with Chris and Ginger Before They Leave

2008-05-10T16:56:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick video Ian put together of our last trip with Chris and Ginger before they ship out for Brazil. Ian also added some clips of our overnight on the USS Yorktown.

Lego and Sanity

2008-04-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

While on my trip I received this e-mail from Tisha after a couple of days of being out of touch:

I was going to write you Saturday after we got back from shopping, but what was supposed to be a triumphant trip turned into a mini insurrection. Allow me to explain.

Lee and Laura sent a belated birthday gift to Aidan. $20.00!!! Since we were already going to Target I told him he could take his money. Guess what he wanted to buy? Indiana Jones Legos. Well, we did our shopping but they did not have the Lego set we were looking for at Target. Aidan was sad so I took him to Toys r Us. NO INDIANA JONES AT TOYS R US! Okay, so I broke my cardinal rule and took him to Wal-mart. They did not have the one he wanted either but there was one he would accept and at this point he was not going home without some kind of INDIANA JONES. I had had enough about two stores ago, Mia was stuck to me like glue because she didn't want to get lost in Wal-mart and Ian was threating Aidan with his life if he hummed the Indiana Jones movie theme just one more time. We grabbed the set, stood in line for about twenty minutes (I hate Wal-mart) and rushed home. Everybody was happy, until.

As I was unpacking my other purchases I hear from upstairs," Oh no! It's Annakin Skywalkers head!" Yes, the Lego company had packed a Annakin Skywalker head instead of a Indiana Jones head in the kit. Let me tell you, an 'A' bomb went off in this house that measured on the Richter scale. Well, I'm going to make a very long story short by saying first of all I can just imagine how insane this all sounds coming from a thirty six year old women. Now imagine the way I had to explain this to the very nice customer representative from the Lego company. I had to pinch myself a few times during our conversation. While other sensible people my age are solving the worlds problems I am saying,"No, Annikan has a scar on his face and has blue eyes, and Indiana has a beard and dark eyes. Yes, I have the part number."

Would someone please slip some cyanide into my coffee!

So, in about ten business days we should be golden. I took some Mommy time after all this and shaved the dog's head. I hope your having a good trip. I'll write you again after school today.

Love you, Tisha

There is never a dull moment in my house!

PS - Lego made good and Aidan now has his Indiana Jones head for his mini-figure.

Our Big Date

2008-04-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

It took me a little while to get back to that blog to tell everyone about our big date, but that's not because I didn't have fun, I had a blast!

After eating dinner we hit the road for Greenville and my mind started turning (I didn't know where we were going if you remember). I was thinking we were going to the Bilo Center. I was wrong. We headed down town and Tisha ask, "Know where we're going?" I guessed the Peace Center and she said I was right.

Neither of us had ever been to the Peace Center before, so this alone was a treat, it is a beautiful place. We parked, went inside and Tisha picked up the tickets. They were for Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby. Now any of you that know Tisha knows she loves Bruce Hornsby. In fact, he was the first musician she introduced me to when I met her. I have to admit thought, I was a little unsettled about the whole Ricky Skaggs/ bluegrass thing. I was thinking, "Two hours of bluegrass. I'm not sure how I feel about that." But I was pleasantly surprised!

I knew Bruce Hornsby, but I wasn't as familiar with Ricky Skaggs. He is an incredible musician! He can play a mandolin like no one I've ever heard before. Everyone one in his band was outstanding as well.

We got to hear many of Skaggs' songs, and they played Hornsby's songs in bluegrass too. My favorite song of the night though was Super Freak. You haven't lived until you've heard Super Freak in bluegrass! It was fun!

The night was a great success, especially for Tisha because as much as she has loved Bruce Hornsby all these years, this is the first time she's had a chance to see him live in concert. I was happy for her. My wife is great, and great fun too. I guess it's my turn to plan a surprise date. This will be one that is hard to top though.

Image: skaggs.musiccitynetworks

Things to do on a Rainy Day

2008-04-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today was a cleaning day for mom and dad. Our friends the Gretzingers are coming to stay with us tomorrow, so we thought we’d use the rainy day to our advantage and tidy up.

Ian and Mia spent part of the day practicing their guitar. Mia has been taking lessons and Ian has been following alone on the side. He can’t decide if he wants to start taking lessons too. Sounds like he’s doing well either way though. Here they are practicing La Folia.

Later in the day, Ian and mom spent some time together...

... while Mia and Aidan watched Cinderella...

... and dad studied for his lesson tomorrow.

Tisha has planned a date for us tonight, unbeknownst to me. I'm not sure where we're going; it's a surprise.

Dad the Babysitter

2008-04-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

We had a big time at The O'Donnell Clan last night. Mom when out! Ahhhh! Whatever shall we do? I know! Movie time!

One of the kids favorite movies is Alvin and the Chipmunks. So I (Jim) when out and bought a copy. The kids were elated! After a nice dinner (that mom fixed, I am hopeless after all), we set off on our evening of fun:

Mia and dad get ready to start making some popcorn.

Waiting for the first pop!

Mia suffers her first injury of the night. See was a little too close for that first pop. (Fortunately, this was her only injury.)

We got the movie ready...

... and Aidan spent the rest of the night laughing his guts out!

When the movie finished, the credits started up and so did the music. So that meant it was time for Mia to dance...

... while Ian and Aidan played some guitar with the music.

It was a fun night!

Ol' Yeller

2008-03-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

I remember this movie from when I was a child. I balled my eyes out when the dog had to be shot at the end, so when I saw that Grand Pa Eddie and Grandma Mickey rented it for the kids to watch while they baby-sat, I was a little worried. Mia took care of that though. Know what she said as she watched the young man struggle with having to shoot Ol' Yeller?

Oh... Come on! Hurry up and shoot him already!

So much for being worried!

Image: disney.go.com

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter from the O'Donnell Clan!

The Easter Bunny Came!

Mia and Aidan

Mia the Ham!

Three Happy Kids

Aidan on the Hunt

Two Happy Grand Parents

Pinewood Derby Musings

2008-03-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ian didn't do as well in this years race. His car looked great and it performed well; just not well enough.

Ian car is the silver one with the Eagle Head and American Flag.

He eagerly awaited each race. Each car raced four times.

But in the end, his results proved disappointing. He placed third in each of his heats, but his times weren't fast enough overall.

In the end though, he shrugged off his loses and spent the rest of the time cheering for his friends and den mates.

Ian's Pinewood Derby Car

2008-03-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of finishing up Ian's car for the big race this Friday. Ian painted it a metalic silver today. Tomorrow we'll paint the eagle head on the front and add some accessories. We'll show you a picture of the final product when it's done.

Governor Schwarzenegger's Stand

2008-03-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

I received this e-mail today:

Today Governor Schwarzenegger issued a statement in opposition to recent Second District Court of Appeals ruling on home schooling. He vowed to take action to protect the rights of parents if the courts do not overturn the decision.

Here is what the Governor had to say:

"Every California child deserves a quality education and parents should have the right to decide what's best for their children. Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will."

To learn more about the Governor's priorities and vision for California visit his web site at http://cimbaru.com/fs/d:l/jm603fzf58wz1e/wyf6cyv8d00yfo/2.

I'm glad to see Governor Schwarzenegger standing behind the rights of parents. Well done Governor!

Image: dmv.ca.gov

Time to be Heard!!

2008-03-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice note:

California parents who don't have teaching credentials no longer can home school their children, according to a recent state appellate court ruling.

"Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children," Justice H. Walter Croskey wrote in a Feb. 28 opinion for the 2nd District Court of Appeals. (link)

Here is a link to an HSLDA Petition everyone should sign. Click here to read a letter by the President of HSLDA about this.

I want everyone to realize something, this is not JUST about Home Schooling, it's about Parental Rights! Something that may become a thing of the past in this country if we're not careful! The HSLDA will be fighting this tooth and nail to be sure. Keep an eye on this one!

Ian's Big Day

2008-03-07T03:14:00.000-08:00

He finally did it! Ian has cut his hair to give to Pantene for the American Cancer Society. It was scary for him, he thought about backing out, but he went through with it. We are all sooooo proud of him! He worked so hard for this day.

He started growing his hair a year and a half ago with a number of kids on his soccer team. They all quit, except Ian. He struggled through to the end. Here are some pictures.

Here is the start!

Dianna straightening his hair for the cut.

Look at how long it is!

The cut.

Ian showing off his hard work.

Dianna working her magic.

How Ian looks now.

My favorite picture of the day.

If you'd like to read more, see the write up about Ian in our local newspaper.

Great job Ian! You are just too cool!

Pinewood Derby Time!

2008-03-03T08:15:00.003-08:00

It is time, once again, for Pack 79's Pinewood Derby. Here is a picture of Ian's Dragon Car he made last year. It won him most creative. This year he plans to make a Dragster like our friend Toby Chapman used to race.

It will be a cool design when he's done. We'll be sharing some pictures along the way. Stay tuned!

Image: competitionplus.com

Reach for the Stars

2008-02-28T10:56:00.000-08:00

We've always told our kids to reach for the stars. We teach them not to be afraid of trying new things, being creative or failure. Well soon we'll not just be able to tell them to reach for the stars, but because of the creative genius at MicroSoft, we'll soon be able to show them the stars as well.

Ian Pushes Aidan and Mia Over the Edge

2008-02-22T17:53:00.001-08:00

Well okay, maybe not really! But this IS one of Aidan and Mia's favorite videos Ian has made. Take a look and you can see why. I like how Ian makes the screen go to static. It really adds to the effect!

One of the Reasons We Home School

2008-02-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Attention Deficit Disorder is a very real condition that has been around for a long time, but only recently has been labeled. One of our children has been diagnosed with ADD and the others are pretty rambunctious too. The problem with the education system is they tend to medicate children like this to "calm them down". This TED video explains why that may not be the best thing to have done in the past, to do now or to do in the future. This video is right at 19 minutes long, so be sure to set aside some time to view it. Be sure to take a peek though! It's well worth the look!

Aidan's Favorite Videos!

2008-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Aidan's 5th Birthday Party!

2008-02-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

For a great collage of pictures, visit Aidan's Grandmother's Blog!

Here are a few by Ian!

Great Job on the Cake Mom!!!

2008-02-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

Putting the Cake Together

2008-02-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

The ingredients.

Mom's favorite toy!

The cake in rough form.

Starting the frosting.

We'll show the finished product tomorrow!

Fire Truck Accessories

2008-02-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

The first step Tisha and the kids had to do was buy some candy for the Fire Truck Cake. The candy will be used to make the lights, hoses and other buttons and accessories on the truck.

It also looks like the attendees have some Fire Truck Tattoos in their future! Fun for all!!

Please excuse the blurry candy picture. Ian had a cold when he took it. :)

Next in line is a good board Tisha can use to build the cake on so she can add the wheels.

Aidan's Big Day!

2008-02-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

Aidan will soon be turning five! That means he gets to have his first big birthday party with all his friends. This party will take place at the Camp Croft Fire Department. He is SSOOOOO excited!!!!

Tisha has some pretty big plans for his cake. She will be making it in the shape of a fire truck. Here is a picture of what it will look like when she's done, except Aidan's cake will be yellow to match the trucks at Camp Croft.

As an assignment, Ian will be chronicling the making of the cake. We'll share this with you throughout the week.

Tisha is one of THE BEST birthday cake crafters I've ever seen. My latest favorite was Ian's "Camp Fire Cake".

Ian and Lola

2008-02-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

Two peas in a pod! We unfortunately lost one of our peas this month. Lola has gone on to be with the Lord, but her life was a life of hard work, giving, warmth and kindness. She was 98 and persevered in both mind and spirit to the end. May we all live lives as full as Lola's! (See Grandma Mickey's Blog for another perspective of Lola)

The other pea, has a good running start in the same race that Lola ran. He made me think of this today. I am so very proud of him! Let me explain why.

Ian struggles with Dyslexia. I've been working with him on his reading by training him to focus as he reads. One of his biggest struggles is his lack of focus on filler words and site words. He tends to look over them, add them or assume them. While reading last night, he would read the word "a" and "he" in place of the word "the". He got into habits like this a few years ago, because before we realized he had Dyslexia, he would read two or three words in a sentence and assume the rest. He was pretty good at this by the way! Even the Doctor that tested Ian for Dyslexia was impressed with how he could pull the content of a sentence out with so few words!

This is getting long, so I'm going to cut to the point. I gave Ian a writing assignment for the next day. I wanted him to write "I will not read "the" as "a" or "a" as "the", and the same with "he" as a focus exercise. He knew this would take some extra time to do, and that it might interfere with the rest of his school day. So he took it upon himself to set his alarm clock a half hour early so he could get the assignment done before he started school!

He may have trouble reading, but his work ethic is spot on! (I can thank his mom for that). Ian shows many of the traits that Lola had, including hard work. We do our best to teach him, but he also has a lot to teach us, and he a good teacher. Well done son!!

Sorry for the Silence!

2008-02-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

We've been a little behind lately because Mia gave us a good scare this past week. It turns out that she was not sick with a bug, but that she developed a kidney infection that manifested itself in a strange way. The doctors found it quickly and after a quick round of antibiotics she is up and running again (to both Ian and Aidan's joy and dismay).

Just as a quick note. If you have any of those over the counter Urinary Tract Infection Tests, we tested Mia twice with one of these. Both times the UTI test showed no abnormalities! This caused us to misdiagnose Mia's condition, which if we had ignored our gut, could have put her in a dangerous position. Be very careful if you use this test in the future!

Mia's Motocross Comment

2008-02-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

Since Mia has been sick, she's been watching an unusual amount of TV. One of the new programs she's come across is Motocross. When Tisha saw her watching it she came in and asked, "So what do you think of this?" Mia said, "It's pretty cool. They keep going around and around in a circle and every time they turn a corner they crash." Tisha said, "That's right, it's called motocross." Mai said...

"Motocross? They should just call it crash."

Two Forms of Sickness

2008-02-02T15:24:00.001-08:00

We've had two forms of sickness in the O'Donnell Clan today. The first would be Mia. This kind of sickness would be defined as viral. She's had some kind of stomach bug that has put her down for the count. We're not 100% certain what she's fighting off because one thing we can say about Mia is she's tough. She rarely gets sick, and when she does, her little body fights the sickness in strange ways. We sometimes need to wait for one of the boys to get sick to finally figure out what she had.

The second form of sickness we have seen at the O'Donnell Clan today would be classified as mental. You'll understand this diagnosis once you realize that's a pair of underwear on Aidan's head. He decided to be a Chef tonight. I told Aidan that a more realistic (and perhaps more sanitary) option would be two pieces of paper and some tape. The result looked a little better and made me fell a little better about his future in food service.

Ian's Face

2008-01-28T05:07:00.000-08:00

Ian takes an art class as part of his Home School regiment each week. It is taught by another Home School mom at the Cultural Center in the downtown area. As most people know, the Democratic Primary was this past weekend in South Carolina. What we didn't know was that there was a function scheduled at the Cultural Center in anticipation of this.

When Tisha and the kids arrived at the center there were police everywhere getting ready for the event. What stood out most to Ian were the Bomb Sniffing Dogs. Ian's assignment for that day was to bring in a picture of himself and his favorite pet. They would be drawing self portraits. So what was Ian's response to seeing the Bomb Sniffing Dogs?

"Great! I came here to draw my face and now I'm going to get it blown off!"

Mores Votes in SC

2008-01-25T12:26:00.000-08:00

The Republican Primary is over and now the Democratic Primary is this weekend. In the shadow of all this I came across this post. If you remember some of my concerns about Huckabee and the IBO, you remember that I'm not a fan of the one world government idea. This post I found smacks of the reasons why international government frightens me. Read it and let me know what you think.

Image: rst.gsfc.nasa.gov

I Got a Kick Out of this Video

2008-01-22T11:01:00.000-08:00

Gorilla

2008-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

"Dad. Can I have some gorilla on my cereal?"

"Excuse me?"

"Daaad! Some gorilla!"

"Aidan. What are you talking about?"

"DAD!! You know GORILLA!"

"Oh! You mean GRANOLA!"

And everyone wonders why I always look so confused.

A Letter from HSLDA

2008-01-18T06:22:00.000-08:00

To my family: Forgive the long post again. I'm trying to get some feedback for tomorrow!

My post:

In my continued turmoil over who to vote for tomorrow, I've found this letter helpful; so I'm passing it along. This is to contrast to what Spunky Home School has been writing about Huckabee. Both make good points! What I'm struggling with is whether I should follow the advice of Mike Farris, a man that teaches constitutional law and is involved daily with Washington concerning Home School Issues, or a mom in Michigan that can dig through the news and separate the meat from the bones. Both share my convictions, and both have proven valuable resources over time. Either way, Mike's letter makes some good points. Read it and let me know what you think. I have to decide by tomorrow!

A Letter from Mike Farris:

I write in the hope that you will consider my analysis on two critical issues:

Why you should vote for Governor Huckabe on the 19^th.
Why I have decided personally to support Governor Mike Huckabee for President in 2008.

Let's start with the second issue and then return to the Primary.

In fairness, let me reveal the factors I used for deciding who to support for President. Many of you will recognize scriptural themes in my analysis. Let me emphasize, this is how I made my decision. I believe that every American has the total freedom and right to use their own value system to reach their own conclusions.

Our president should be a man of a consistent philosophy proven over time. In Deuteronomy 17, kings of Israel were to be those who did not deviate from the right way either to the right or the left. I simply do not trust those who have not been consistent over time--especially those who finally "discover" that they are social conservatives at the very time they are running for president.
Our president must be a man of consistent character.
Our president should have that rare combination of leadership, tenacity, and humility that is commended in that same passage. Leaders of Israel were to be strong to be sure, but they were, ". . .not to consider themselves better than their brothers."
Our president should not be a neophyte in serious leadership positions. The New Testaments tells us that church leaders should be "tested" and that we are to avoid "laying hands" suddenly on someone. Although this does not apply directly to political leaders, I believe that there is wisdom in this standard that is broadly applicable.
Our president must be an unwavering supporter of the right to life--period.
Our president must understand the original intent of our Constitution and insist that both his administration and his judicial appointments faithfully follow its provisions.
Our president must believe in American self-government. I will never support someone who believes that it is proper for any branch of government--other than an elected legislature--to make our laws. The UN should not be allowed to make laws for America. The Supreme Court should not be allowed to make law. No agency of government should be allowed to use international law to override the law of this country.
Our president must believe in liberty--religious liberty for all is a first principle--but all principles of the First Amendment--and the Second (and the rest of the Bill of Rights) are essential. But, our president must understand that liberty under law allows for moral standards, not the amorality and decadence that is the byproduct of libertarianism.

After a thorough review of all candidates, I believe that Mike Huckabee fully embraces all of these principles, qualities and possesses all of the relevant experience so that he is fully qualified to be our President.

Importantly, I believe that he has the best ability I have ever witnessed to communicate these values in a winsome and articulate fashion. His ability to communicate with such ease and quickness is not just a speaking gift, but it arises from a heart of deep conviction so that he never has to first stop and ask himself, "What am I supposed to say about this issue?"

On a pragmatic note, Americans elect Governors, not Senators, not members of the House and certainly not mayors. And Americans DO NOT elect moderate Republicans.

In 1976--Ford (a moderate) lost.
In 1980--Reagan ("too conservative for America") won a landslide.
In 1984--Reagan won another landslide.
In 1988--Bush (41) won because America thought he was Reagan, Jr.
In 1992--Bush lost after he violated his pledge on taxes and America knew he was a moderate.
In 1996--Dole (a moderate) lost.
In 2000--Bush (43) ran as a pro-life conservative and won.
In 2004--Bush won again.

The lessons to be learned are that when the GOP nominates a Senator we lose, and when we nominate a moderate we lose. We need a conservative Governor who is pro-life, pro-family and pro-Constitution. That is the pragmatic formula for victory.

Many of you know that my wife and I have homeschooled our children for 25 years. I have nine grandchildren being homeschooled. I am absolutely committed to the protection of the freedom for home education.

I believe that the biggest threat on the horizon to home education specifically and to parental rights in general is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Hillary Clinton will make this one of her highest priorities if she is elected president.

We need a president who is absolutely committed to the sovereignty of America and the sanctity of the family and is ready, willing and able to stop the UN from usurping the role of moms and dads who want to raise their children in a decent and honorable fashion.

Hillary makes her "pro-child" message sound so deceptively appealing. If we are going to win the presidency, the GOP candidate must stand for what is right, but also have the communication ability to make every one in America understand what a danger the UN Convention on children's rights poses to the American way of life for all of us.

Mike Huckabee has the convictions, the ability to communicate, and the ability to beat Hillary in debate after debate on this and any other issue she raises. I do not want to trust the future of my family to any person lacking the ability to truly best her in debate.

I have coached legal debate teams to repeated college national championships. I think I can spot a good debater. Mike Huckabee stands head and shoulders above all others in his ability to best any Democrat--Hillary, Obama, or Edwards.

In short,

Mike Huckabee has proven his convictions over time.
Mike Huckabee has the highest level of preparation and experience.
Mike Huckabee has the right character.
Mike Huckabee has the best ability of any candidate in either party to communicate a winsome and articulate message.
Mike Huckabee is probably the only Republican who can win.

Here is the rub:

The media has decided for us who the frontrunners are, and big money Republicans have decided that they will only bet on frontrunners.

January 19^th is a critical moment in this campaign. It is an opportunity that the American public--not the media--gets to select the frontrunner.

I have had hundreds of people say to me, “Yes, Mike Huckabee is probably the best candidate--but how is he going to break out of the pack?”

The answer is, January 19^th! If he can gain a very strong showing on the 19^th, he will be a frontrunner. And then, the money will flow, and his ability to communicate will be noticed, and I believe he will fly to the top and win the nomination.

I have no doubt that if he wins the nomination, he will win the presidency. I cannot say that about any other Republican because winning requires that special combination of life experience (Governors), conservatism, and communication skill.

I know that this has been a little long. But choosing a president is a big deal. If my analysis seems sound to you, then I ask you to for Governor Huckabee on the 19^th.
It is no exaggeration to say that the future of our country may well be riding on this event.

Let's show the media that we know how to pick a frontrunner that truly shares our values and can defend them against all comers with a humble spirit, unshakeable convictions and courageous leadership.

Come support Mike!

Blessings,

Michael Farris

The Snowman

2008-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

Aidan always gets left behind. He is after all the smallest and can't go where his sister and brother are allowed to go all the time. He's a trooper though! Most kids would mope. Not him! He made himself a friend.

Meet Tacky-Whacky! I LOVE THE NOSE! I asked Aidian, "Why Tacky-Whacky?" Aidan said, "Dad, look at him. Doesn't he look like a Tacky-Whacky?"

SNOW! Hey, This is the South!

2008-01-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to a winter wonder land! The kids have been having a blast! Hot chocolate for everyone! Yeee-Haaaa!

I've Found My Candidate!!!!!

2008-01-17T08:02:00.001-08:00

OK! Here's the thing. I have been back and forth so many times trying to decide who to vote for on Saturday that my eyes are starting to cross. I put a post up that I was going to vote for Huckabee after talking to some of his staff and watching a few videos, but then deleted it after more research. I've been going back and forth with the other candidates, and I still can't decide!

Well, after much debate I've thrown up my hands and decided to write in my Standard Poodle Pippin. Just take a look. He's stylish! (Nice hair doo huh!) He listens more than he talks. He can leap over just about any obstacle! What more could we ask for in a President? How 'bout it? Pippin 2008?

PS - This is not real. I still have to make a decision and it's driving me nuts!
PPS - I would never REALLY vote for Pippin, he's from France! :)

How DO I Feel?

2008-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

How am I feeling right now about making a decision on Saturdays election. Wweeellllll! Pretty much like this... Click here!!

Are You Researching the Candidates?

2008-01-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

This is rather long, but please read it because there IS a point! For those of you that may not know this, my wife Tisha and I Home School, so education is a big issue for us (just like small business is too). As part of my job, I spend a lot of time researching blogs to keep my readers on my business blogs, Jim Sharp and Learning 2 Network, up to date on new ideas about growing their businesses and increasing their sales. But I also read a number of Home School blogs as well. One of my favorites is Spunky Home School! I've found her to be one of the most veracious diggers I've ever seen when it comes to researching information; so when she wrote a few posts about Huckabee, she got my attention.

If you take the time to read over some of her blog, you'll find that she has some concerns about Huckabee's support for Home Schoolers in Arkansas. Here is a quick excerpt:

"Mike Huckabee was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1996. In 1997, he helped ease restrictive homeschool laws in Arkansas. While governor, Huckabee also appointed the first homeschooler to the Arkansas state school board. As a homeschooler, I give Mike Huckabee credit for these achievement. It looked like he was off to a great start in Arkansas. That success, however, was short lived. Just two years later, in 1999, Mike Huckabee signed into law House Bill 1724 that undid many of those initial gains." Click here to read all of this post.

Well, as a Home Schooler I wanted to know more! So I asked around to see who I might be able to meet with to ask some questions. I live in South Carolina and Huckabee has been around town. This lead to the discovery that JoNell Caldwell (the Home Schooler appointed to the Arkansas state school board Spunky mentioned above) would be speaking to Home Schoolers at a restaurant down the street from my home. So off I went!

While at the meeting I asked Mrs. Caldwell about House Bill 1724. She explained that while this Bill WAS a compromise, Huckabee signed the law because the alternative was the greater of two evils. My understanding is that the legislature was trying to push for stricter testing, and if a Home Schooler could pass the test, they'd be forced back into Public School. Huckabee was very much against this testing and had beaten it back, but if he hadn't signed this Bill, he would be back to square one and would have had to fight the same battle again. There was some concern that he may not be able to defeat the stricter testing again. Understand also that even though he was elected as Governor at this time, he was still viewed by the legislature as the accidental Governor because of his assent to office after the resignation of Jim Guy Tucker. He was also on the wrong side of the party line.

I also asked about the IBO. See what Spunky had to say about this:

"With the approval of SB 1024 now Public Act 2152, Mike Huckabee officially brought the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to Arkansas high schools and gave control of the education of many Arkansas school children to an international entity based in Geneva, Switzerland." Click here to read all of this post.

Mrs. Caldwell didn't have an answer for this one, but asked for my e-mail and told me she'd look into it. I gave her my card, we spoke for a little while and said our good byes. A couple of days later she sent me an e-mail. This is what it said:

"I spoke with Dr. Terri Hardy, Governor Mike Huckabee's liaison to education concerning some of your concerns.

In Arkansas the local school districts choose the curriculum, not the state. Gov. Huckabee is a proponent of local control. A very large district, North Little Rock had chosen the IBO route instead of the AP route for high school. There was a law suit Gov. Huckabee inherited from the Clinton years that said the schools in AR were not equal in their course offering and the courts demanded equity and adequacy that brought about much change in our state. One of the outcomes of the lawsuit was that all schools had to offer AP courses. North Little Rock was already using the IBO, which was not approved at the time and the legislature passed the bill allowing IBO to be used in place of AP if a district so chose in order to accommodate North Little Rock."

She went on to suggest that if I comment on Spunky's Blog to encourage her and others to call Jerry Cox with the Arkansas Family Council in Little Rock, AR. He is not affiliated with the campaign and is the leading advocate for home schoolers in Arkansas.

I've learned two things from all of this. The first is that you have to read all blogs with your eyes open. Just like Spunky said in one of her posts about Mike Farris of the Home School Legal Defense Association:

"I didn't just accept what they [HSLDA] said as the truth [about Huckabee]. That's tempting, but it's too easy."

I couldn't just accept what she said either, I needed to learn more and I did. I don't like that there was a compromise on House Bill 1724, but life is full compromises. I understand why he did it. I also don't like the IBO being used in place of the AP in North Little Rock, but that was a local issue. Each decision had a reason good or bad. It's our job to find out the reason and then judge whether it was appropriate.

The other thing I learned is just how little interest we have in what we say we are passionate about! I was one of only five Home Schoolers at this meeting. FIVE!!!! Spunky, if you're reading this, doesn't that just boil your blood?!! If we want to make a difference, we need to be involved! If you're passionate about something and you have questions, go find some answers! Whether you're a business person like me, or a Home Schooler like Spunky, we have a responsibility to be as informed as we can!

So what should we do? Read blogs! Read mine and Spunky's! Read a lot of them! Read the news! Watch the news! Go hear the candidates! Talk with the candidates if you can! Don't be afraid to ask questions! Vote! I don't care if your Republican or Democrat. VOTE!! Regardless of what you hear some people saying, your voice still counts!

If you'd like to receive e-mail updates for Jim Sharp or Learning 2 Network, just drop me a note at Jim@wolffind.com and I'll put you on my list. Thanks for letting me rant! I'll go back to blogging about my family now. :)

Image: Wikipedia.com

A Busy but Fun Weekend

2008-01-14T04:58:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were privileged to host Andrew and Jennifer Gretzinger and their lovely daughter Kathleen. They were here for a 3 day interview for the Assistant Pastor position at Trinity.

We started on Friday night with a casual dinner and a time to get to know the Gretzingers. The shared they're testimonies and we asked a few questions about how they would minister to Trinity's youth if they came.

On Saturday morning, a number of the ladies cooked breakfast for them and the session (which was outstanding by the way) and then they interviewed with the session. The session spent some time explaining the mission of Trinity and asked a number of theological and scenario questions of the couple.

Saturday evening, Bill put together a jam up meal and game time for the youth. This was designed to allow the kids to get to know Andrew and Jennifer and it gave the Gretzingers a chance to share they testimony with them. Bill should be commended for this event, he made it a stellar success!

On Sunday morning Andrew taught Sunday School to the youth. I haven't heard all of the particulars of how that went, but I did here the content was great and a number of the kids liked both Andrew and Jennifer personally. Sunday afternoon we took them out for lunch with the Chapman's and then sadly said good by.

I can't speak for the rest of the people at Trinity, but Tisha and I can honestly said the Gretzingers were a joy to have in our home and that they took a genuine interest in our kids. Even if it turns out that they are not a good fit for Trinity, they will be a blessing where ever they land. Here's to hoping the response will be favorable.

Ian the Artist!

2008-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Ian is a Webelo and right now he is working on getting his Webelo Badge. As part of his Webelos badge work, he needs to earn three activity badges, each one from a different activity badge group. One of the badges must be Fitness, from the Physical Skills Group. The other two badges may be from the Mental Skills, Community, Technology, or Outdoor Group. In this second group Ian has chosen Citizenship and Art. He's just about done with both!

One of my favorite pieces he's done is the picture included in this post. He merged a picture of his brother into a picture of a forest. This was to make a Link scene. The neatest part was the work he did on Aidan's ears. He stretched them into elf ears. Brilliant!! He did all this in PhotoShop. I am soooo proud of him! Click on the picture to get a better view!

The Last Few Days

2008-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

It's been quiet around the O'Donnell Clan this week. A nice change I must say!

We ate our Collards (dollars) and Black-Eyed-Peas (cents) for New Years! We expect it will be a prosperous year because of it. :) Charles (one of Ian's best friends) had the chance to join the West's and the O'Donnell Clan in this southern tradition.

Another exciting thing is Aidan has "unofficially" started Kindergarten this week. (His official start is this next year) He is thrilled!! He's been working on learning his letter sounds. We've been using some of the Sing, Spell, Read and Write Program.

The O'Donnell Clan went out for a date to Thai Taste again tonight. They were busier than usual! When they finally brought our food to us, Aidan said, "I've been waiting soooo long for my rice!" Problem Bear (Remind me to tell you the Problem Bear story sometime) answered, "I'm sorry it took so long." Aidan's response:

"Well..... next time could you pleeeease bring it a little bit faster!"

Don't you just love kids!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

2008-01-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

WELCOME 2008!!!!!

The O'Donnell Clan had a big time on New Years Eve! Ian invited his friend Charles over for the night and all the kids played as they awaited the mid-night hour!

Tisha served us a great spaghetti dinner and afterwards we snacked on cheese and crackers!

When the ball came down, we all congregated in the living room to shout our Happy New Years to each other!

After this, everyone took off like a shot!

Tisha celebrated with one of her best buddies!

And the kids started to party!

Mom and Dad wished each other a Happy New Year!

And we eventually all crashed!

It's going to be a GREAT NEW YEAR!!!!!

A Date With Alyssa

2007-12-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

Alyssa, the goddess of fun and entertainment, gave us a ring tonight and asked it she could take our kids to the movies. What do you think we said?! COME ON!!

Alyssa is one of our families best friends! Not only is she one of our most trusted baby sitters, she used to be one of the members of our youth group when Tisha and I were the youth leaders at Trinity, and over the years has grown to be one of Tisha's most personal friends!

Once Alyssa showed up in her Mom's SUV, we loaded the kids car seats up and off they went!! The movie they went to see was Alvin and The Chipmunks. The kids had a blast!! Alyssa said that Aidan nearly laughed his head off!!!

Tisha and I went over to Hunan K for some Chinese Food and we talked about her upcoming appointment as the Grand Pubah of the WIC. We then came home and played around on the internet with wikis of all things! We've obviously been parents for too long!!!

One of the funniest things of the night! Tisha had a talk with the kids before they left. She told them that if they had to go to the bathroom, they had better do it before they went to the theater. Aidan apparently took this to heart, because the first thing he said as he flew in the door when they got back was, "I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" Then all we heard was the bathroom door slam and him doing his business! Talk about obeying his mother!

In the future, we'll write a post about one of the adventures Alyssa had while baby sitting our kids!

Link's First Adventure!!!

2007-12-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

The Warriors

2007-12-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

Josh and Brianna, two of our neighbors, are spending the night tonight! Their stay started out with a BANG (pun intended), when Josh and Ian combined their inventory of Nerf Guns and staged a valiant battle!!! Well... actually it was boys against girls, but that's fun too! :)

The rest of the night promises to be fun as well!! Josh brought The Santa Clause 3 with him, and Tisha just finished making cookies!

Over the next few days, we'll share some pictures of Tyler O'Donnell's Birthday Party and a few short videos Ian has been working on with his new digital camera! Stay tuned!!!

Aidan's Best Christmas Reaction!

2007-12-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

There were other fun clips of both Ian and Mia, but that was on Christmas morning and it was dark; so the video quality was poor. Anyway, you'll all enjoy this!

Heeee's Baaacckkk!!!!!!

2007-12-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Courtland!!!!!!

A Great Lord's Day

2007-12-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Today was a wonderful day!!!!

Our Sunday School Class ate breakfast together and had a fellowship time to celebrate Christmas. Todd Pearson and his family were back for a visit from North Carolina, so we had the chance to see their newest addition. And Pastor Ray had a great message for us this morning from Isaiah 9.

After church, the O'Donnell Clan met up with the West's and we all went to visit Tisha's Aunt Lola. She is 98 years old!! She's pretty sick, but you've never met a woman with a better attitude, or more vim and vigger, than she!!!! There was a large group over a Darren's house to usher in what MAY be Lola's last Christmas on this side of eternity! She enjoyed the children, and Mickey sang her solo for her from this years cantata at Roebuck.

We finished off the night over at Roebuck for their annual cantata. The Roebuck Choir did a terrific job, and Mickey sang a beautiful solo. Without a doubt though, Ray Bobo's narration added a great punch to the performance! I could tell that he worked many an hour on it to get it just right!!! He was soooo much fun to listen to and watch! I've never seen anyone get "into" things like he does! It's all or nothing for him!!! We also got to visit with Eric and Brandy Lindsey and finally had the chance to buy a couple of their CD's. We listened to their newest one on the way home, it was great!!!

Today was the real start of Christmas for me! It's been a little hard to get into the spirit of Christmas this year, but after today, I'm rearing to go!!!!

PS - I "DID" have a video of Mickey singing her solo, but like a dummy, I accidentally uploaded it to my Jim Sharp blog and then lost it when I tried to transfer it. By that time I had already deleted it off my camcorder. Yet another lesson learned!! Don't delete things until you're sure you're done with them!!!!!! Sorry everyone!!!!! Of course Mickey is breathing a sigh of relief right now! ;)

A Quick Test

2007-12-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

Just trying out a video! I finally got my camcorder to import to my laptop, but I still can't get Movie Maker to recognize the avi files.

The Ginger Bread House

2007-12-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last night the kids spent the night with Grandma Mickey and Grandpa Eddie. Tisha bought a Ginger Bread House Kit for the kids to build and decorate while over there. They did a great job!!

After they were done, Ian and Grandma Mickey decided to work a little picture magic! The result is the picture with this post! I thought it was great!!

This will most likely be our last post until after Christmas! So Merry Christmas to all of you from the O'Donnell Clan!!!!

Getting Close to Christmas!

2007-12-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

We always know that Christmas is upon us when Tisha breaks out all the ingredients to make her famous cream cheese pound cakes! This tradition started a few years ago when we wanted to give a gift to all my coworkers at Wolff. It has since become something they all look forward to! In fact, I start getting the question, "Tisha IS going to make us pound cakes again this year, isn't she?" What can I say, SHE'S GREAT!!!

Last night we all watched the Christmas Story movie; one of our annual events. Tonight we watch the Grinch!

As for the latest Aidan costume, how do you like this one? The boy has quite the imagination! Of course his brother had a hand in this one as well!

The Boys Crash Together

2007-12-18T14:45:00.001-08:00

Last night, the boys and I crashed downstairs. Every once and a while we do this for some together time. It was fun!!!

I took the couch though! I am getting old after all!