Computer personalities

It has been really interesting this year to see how people act differently when they are hidden behind a computer screen and a pretend character. Andy and I play a game called Warcraft together with people from all over the world. In this game we can join a group of people we call a guild to do different things. We can chat with each other through both an IM chat and a voice service and it's a lot of fun to meet different people and get to know them.

What I find fascinating is how a lot of these people either claim or would claim to be good people, but how when they get behind a computer screen things don't matter since we are in a "different" world. They become very crude and call people things they would never say to their face. These "good people" call girls ho's and talk about sexual things they would be embarrassed by at any other time. Young men talk about raping other characters in game and some of them have never thought about what that really means and how horrible and degrading it is until I've pointed it out. Why do people react like this? We recently left one guild because we could no longer handle the disrespect that people were exhibiting regularly and have joined a guild where people really do seem to follow the rules of normal life. There I am treated like the lady I am and the language is kept to a minimum. In our new guild this game is treated like the game it is and all the normal societal rules are upheld instead of real life taking a back seat to a computer game.

I know this is random, but I have been trying to figure out why people think that all societal norms can be thrown out the window when they are hiding behind an assumed character.

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures of my sweet boys. I had to control myself and not post more. :)

They love to sit in the box and laugh, I'm not sure why...

He feels like part of the family at dinner and is so happy to be on the same level we are

Caleb was watching for Andy to get home from class. :)

He loves his swing and was making a funny face. lol He's teething so he chews on his lip.

Caleb tah-turing (coloring)

Caleb will not let Stephen play in the floor gym without shoving his way in and playing with him.

Prayer Request

Hey guys, could y'all please be praying for my cousin Richard? He is 20 years old and had a massive heart attack on Friday. The doctors say that he is going to be fine and his heart was not damaged, but they can't figure out why he had the attack. Hospitals have a test they can administer to determine if someone has a heart attack and a normal person who hasn't will score a 0 or 1, Richards came back as a 28. My aunt was told that normally only young people on cocaine have heart attacks like this, but Richard doesn't do drugs and when the doctors tested him he was completely clean and there was absolutely no evidence he had ever done drugs at all. His cholesterol and blood pressure were really good too. There doesn't appear to be any reason what so ever that he should have had this massive attack. I don't think he's a Christian, so please pray for him. Thanks!!

More Obsession :)

I found this video while looking at more information about babywrapping. It's a young father putting on a Moby and he has a tiny newborn. It's too cute!!! :) On another note, if you google babywrapping my blog pops up. lol

Babywrapping

Other than cloth diapering, which I love, and smocking clothes for my boys especially Caleb so he looks his age, I'm not really obsessive about baby things. Well that has all changed now. I have been getting tired of trying to hang on to Stephen, deal with Caleb and do housework etc. and Stephen was getting too heavy for my Snugli and too wiggly for my sling. I have found my dream baby item and it's called a Moby Wrap. It uses your entire back, shoulders and hips to carry the baby and there are so many different ways to wrap it. Baby can ride as shown in the picture, or facing out, as well as on your hip or back. It is also really easy to nurse in apparently. I am currently looking for one on ebay, but considering how much material must be in it, it only costs $35. One website also carries a nice selection of cloth diapers though I prefer my ebay store or Green Mountain. The Moby wrap site itself also has step-by-step picture directions for 12 different wrap positions as well as instructions on how to breastfeed in it. This is the first item I have not been firmly set on since before I got married and now I have to find a way to get it. :) Babywrapping just falls right in line with all of the naturalist tendencies I already have and I think it is so healthy for newborns especially. This is the way a lot of women in 3rd world countries carry their babies and still get all of the physical labor they need to do done. Hopefully this will enable me to get more things done because I won't have to constantly rescue Stephen from Caleb's love. :D

Friends

I got to see a friend today that I haven't really seen in several months. She had some tragedy in her life and needed some time to grieve without seeing me and my newborn. I'm really glad that she called and came over today because we are so much alike and have very similar opinions on just about any subject from pregnancy and child rearing to politics. :) I have missed her greatly. Her little girl played in our sandbox and we got to talk while Caleb and Stephen slept. Like everyone else she agrees Stephen looks like me. lol All in all it was a wonderful day and I'm glad to have her friendship and support back in my life.

To die for recipe

I tried this dessert recipe recently and it was so good and really quick. It says to use fresh fruit you freeze yourself, but I cheated and bought mine pre-frozen. Andy loves it!

Frozen Berries With Hot White Chocolate Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 ounces/170 g fresh blackberries
6 ounces/170 g fresh blueberries
6 ounces/170 g fresh raspberries
4 fresh strawberries, halved lengthwise
8 ounces/230 ml heavy whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 ounces/230 g good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped

Method: Arrange all the berries in a single layer on a baking sheet, making sure they are well spaced apart. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours or until the berries are frozen.

Meanwhile, place the cream in a heavy medium saucepan. Using a small sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the cream. Add the bean to the cream. Bring the cream to just below simmering over medium heat.
Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Discard the vanilla bean.Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt slightly, then stir the cream mixture until the chocolate has melted completely and the sauce is smooth.
Arrange the berries on a serving platter or in individual bowls and pour the hot sauce over the frozen berries. Serve at once.