I'm going to miss her too!

Well Brooklyn started kindergarten this week. I was in denial before it happened and so it felt surreal when she actually went. It was a weird feeling to leave her with total strangers. I was feeling a little grumpy the day before because part of me didn't want her to start school. Then the day of I was feeling pretty emotional, but when I dropped her off I didn't cry and she was great. She is so ready to be in school. Then as soon as she walked into the classroom-we said goodbye at the door--Nathan said, "I'm going to miss her" and I lost it. "I'm going to miss her too!" And I cried on the drive home.

The backpack is Barbie, but everything else is Hannah Montana
She loves her class and her teacher and already made some friends!

~

The other thing I wanted to post about was

Proposition 8

On Saturday we went out and walked the surrounding neighborhoods taking polls of how people are going to vote, handing out a little info, and explaining a little about it to people who were unsure about what it is. I hadn't ever thought about it before, but I've never gone door to door in my life. So it was a little scary, Kevin did all the talking in the beginning. But by the end, I did knock on a few doors and did the talking. We just brought all the kids with us, and they did so great. It was hot, and by the end of 3 hours, we were done, but I was pleasantly surprised with the responses we got. I think we had one negative response, a couple of undecided, but mostly people that are for the proposition. It also felt good to actively do something in order to follow the admonition from our prophet, "to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman."

Here's a great article talking about why protecting the definition of marriage is so important to our religious freedom.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage

There are other great links/articles there.

Here are some quotes from the article:

Legalizing same-sex marriage will affect a wide spectrum of government activities and policies. Once a state government declares that same-sex unions are a civil right, those governments almost certainly will enforce a wide variety of other policies intended to ensure that there is no discrimination against same-sex couples. This may well place “church and state on a collision course.”

The prospect of same-sex marriage has already spawned legal collisions with the rights of free speech and of action based on religious beliefs. For example, advocates and government officials in certain states already are challenging the long-held right of religious adoption agencies to follow their religious beliefs and only place children in homes with both a mother and a father. As a result, Catholic Charities in Boston has stopped offering adoption services.

Other advocates of same-sex marriage are suggesting that tax exemptions and benefits be withdrawn from any religious organization that does not embrace same-sex unions. Public accommodation laws are already being used as leverage in an attempt to force religious organizations to allow marriage celebrations or receptions in religious facilities that are otherwise open to the public. Accrediting organizations in some instances are asserting pressure on religious schools and universities to provide married housing for same-sex couples. Student religious organizations are being told by some universities that they may lose their campus recognition and benefits if they exclude same-sex couples from club membership.

Many of these examples have already become the legal reality in several nations of the European Union, and the European Parliament has recommended that laws guaranteeing and protecting the rights of same-sex couples be made uniform across the EU. Thus, if same-sex marriage becomes a recognized civil right, there will be substantial conflicts with religious freedom. And in some important areas, religious freedom may be diminished.

(Hunter was being so cute when I was trying to take a picture of his back. )

Here is another article with non-religious arguments for protecting traditional marriage, which is also very good:

http://byfaithonline.com/page/in-the-world/the-cultural-argument-against-gay-marriage

Here is the website for more facts and donation information: http://www.protectmarriage.com/

Yes! on Prop 8!