Independence Day

Poor Alyssia is off of her schedule and she just can't settle down to sleep tonight. I guess I made a mistake during the morning nap. She went down like usual around 9:15. She fussed for 10 seconds and then just started talking in her crib--for almost 2 hours. I probably should have gotten her out of bed at 11:15, even though she had just fallen asleep, but I didn't. Instead, I let her sleep until 12:50. Then, of course, there was no afternoon nap, just a little catnap around 6. We started the bedtime routine at 7:30. It's now 9:00 and dad is taking the second shift trying to get her down. YIPES. We're well in to week 2 and we've regressed. Here's hoping she'll sleep all night once she finally goes down. I want her to sleep like she is in this picture!

Happy 4th of July to everyone. I've been thinking about the terror attacks in England and the recent headlines about the U.S. government expecting a significant terror attack on our own soil this summer and I have to say, it scares me. I think we better get serious about security in America or we could end up with what happened to the people of London two years ago, or, God forbid, another 9/11. I'm not sure why we don't seem to get that Islamic jihadists want to kill us or see us converted. It's not politically correct to say "Islamic," but come on!! They are!! I know not all Muslims want to kill us or convert us, but the people committing these acts of terror do all have something in common . . . . they're all Muslims. Helloooooo. There aren't a bunch of angry Budhists or Christians or Jews running around blowing up cars and buildings. Consequently, it would seem to make sense for us to focus our security efforts on the population of people perpetrating the acts of terror. Not rocket science.

I saw a youtube video of Iranian mothers talking about their lofty place in society as mothers of sons who had killed themselves while killing scores of Israeli civilians, including children. One paragon of goodness, virtue, and motherly affection proclaimed that she wished she could lose two sons instead of one in the war against the Jews and the West because then she would have even more honor. As a mother who has lost a precious child, I can't get my head around that kind of statement, except to say there must be a sect of the religion known as Islam, that is full of mentally ill or just pure evil people. Since you don't usually find whole populations of people who are mentally ill, I'm going to have to go with pure evil. The same video included footage of little Iranian children spewing out hatred for the Jews and America and footage of cartoons shown in Iran that include young Iranian boys being kissed by their doting mothers as they strap on their suicide bombs and head to Israel to blow up more Jews. WHAT?! You heard me. Who shows that kind of stuff to their children?! I don't know what it's going to take to defeat that kind of enemy, but I would venture to say we better figure out something soon because these people are not going to just go away and leave us alone to lead our free western lives. They are already in this country and they want us to be like them, or else. It's depressing to think about that reality.

Anyway, enough about that. Happy 4th of July. I'm thankful we live in a nation that values freedom. I hope we're willing to do what it takes to keep it that way. I can't handle having to go to the store in a burka.