New Calendar

I still don't have a new video but I plan to very soon. Right now, we just finished our 2009 calendar. This year, Rachelle actually took and edited most of the pictures herself and they are really pretty impressive. We also reduced the price a lot from last year because we wanted to make it easier for more people to get them. They will be about 12 dollars before December 1 and about 14 dollars after December 1. However, if you get 3 or more, then they are only about 10 dollars. Rachelle will have some pictures of it on her blog I think but I thought I would go ahead and mention it here.

Fireproof Movie

Tonight Rachelle and I had a great opportunity to get a night out (thanks to my mother-in-law and a few friends) so we went to go see a movie called "Fireproof". I really thought it was a great movie with a really good message. It was about a firefighter named Caleb (played by Kirk Cameron) and his wife who have issues in their marriage. Caleb is about to give up when his dad gives him a book called "The Love Dare" and challenges him to follow the instructions in the book every day for 40 days. Anyway, it was a good, clean movie with a good religious message that nearly every married couple could use. It was low budget but when you have a good story, that can usually carry the movie even when the acting isn't perfect.

Anyway, I just thought I would put a plug in for that because we need more movies like that. I have read statistics (can't remember where I read it so I might just be making it up) that claim that couples who have multiples are much more likely to get divorced. I really can't imagine that happening but I know that to avoid that kind of thing I need to work at it. We need the help of God in our marriages and we need to recognize our own weaknesses. Anyway, it was a good movie. Also, if you have seen that movie and liked it, then you might also like a recent book I read called "The Peacegiver" which pretty much has a very similar plot and message at the end. I recommend both of them because I think both have helped me be a better husband and father which would really come in handy right now.

Some things that put our stuff in perspective

As you know, if you are reading this, I haven’t had many posts lately. There has been a lot that has gone on but I haven’t really wanted to write about it. There are so many things that are just crazy lately. The babies are all doing really well and they are growing. They all walk and so I have no excuse for not doing a Quint Olympics walking race with them except that I am tired. I am actually thinking that things are going to get harder in some respects because they are all getting smarter. However, the little things that we have been dealing with are truly minor in comparison with the stuff going on with some others that I know. We found out a few weeks ago that my uncle Kirk has cancer. My uncle Kirk is one of the uncles that I know the best. We all have a lot of hope for him and he is one more person that we are adding in to our prayers. He has always been one that is quick to laugh so I am hoping that he can use that sense of humor to make it through this.

Something that happened a few weeks ago was that I attended a funeral for the baby of one of my coworkers. I have never been to a funeral for a baby before but it was hard. It really made me feel extremely grateful for the health of my own little ones. It was the first time I had ever attended a Catholic funeral as well and I was glad I went. Overall, I felt a spirit of optimism during the funeral. I had a strong feeling the whole time that the parents would get a chance to see their daughter again and that she was not gone but merely waiting for them. This was comforting to me and I really wish I could have transferred my assurance to them as I watched them grieve but I knew I couldn’t. I also think that even knowing that you will see the baby again doesn’t fully relieve the pain and I hear that it is something that never really leaves you. However, it is very comforting to know that there is a God and that in the end, we can put our trust in him and know that things will turn out well.