Here's Lookin' at You, Kid

The night Anne Marie died, a photographer from Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep came to the hospital to take pictures of Anne Marie. This wasn't something we had planned beforehand, but providentially a new friend of ours asked if we wanted to have pictures taken, and it worked out that a photographer was able to come that night. I love these pictures. They are the only ones I have had of Anne Marie that don't have tape or tubes covering her face. They are the only pictures I have of Mary Margaret cradling her baby sister. And they are a reminder of that last night with her. I look at these pictures and I remember giving Anne Marie her first and only real bath, dressing her for the first time in her little pink dress, and sitting with Brandon in Anne Marie's room holding her and never wanting to let go. I was able to touch her tiny body all over and kiss her lips that had before had been covered.

These pictures are priceless, and yet because she was so swollen that last day, they don't look exactly like she really looked before she became so puffy. When I think about Anne Marie, I think about her the way she looked when she would open her eyes and gaze at me. I picture her when she wasn't swollen and puffy and when she would wiggle her fingers and move her arms back and forth. On her last day she was so puffy that her eyes were almost swollen shut. I remember late on that Saturday afternoon standing at Anne Marie's bed talking to her and stroking her and hoping and praying that she would open her eyes one more time. I didn't think she would be able to, but I so wanted one more look. And she did. She cracked open one of her little eyes and looked at me. It seemed to take so much effort, but she did it. I won't forget her peeking out at me through her little swollen eyelid, nor will I forget the photographer who came up to the hospital late on a Saturday night to capture memories of that last night with Anne Marie.

I also didn't think I would have any more pictures of Anne Marie without tubes and tape -- until yesterday, when Brandon brought me this:

 

A picture of our girl -- soft, peaceful, looking right at me.

Brandon's friend Chris worked on Anne Marie's picture for several hours and was able to photoshop the tubes and tape out of it. I have been gazing at this picture off and on all last night and this morning. Every time I come back to look at it, it takes my breath away just like it did the first time I saw it. She is so, so beautiful and looks so peaceful.

I continue to be so grateful for all the people who have blessed us, and this picture I will treasure all my life.

Feeling a Bit of a Draft in Here

In last week's NFL draft, three of the top four players chosen were Sooners. Sam Bradford (pictured below with Lincoln) was the first overall pick.

Gerald McCoy (pictured below with Susie) was the third player selected.

You may recall that Blake Griffin (pictured below with Lincoln) was the first overall pick in the most recent NBA draft -- which is to say Oklahoma had the first player taken in the NBA draft followed by the first player taken in the subsequent NFL draft. (Notre Dame is the only other school to have done this.)

And just for good measure, even though he was drafted in 2009, I can't resist including this photo of Phil Loadholt, simply because he so ridiculously massive.

Moral-Confusion Watch

A bill pending in the state Legislature would allow Oklahoma school districts to sell ads on the exterior of school buses, though certain kinds of ads (gambling, for instance) would not be permitted. Does this mean that ads for Oklahoma's education lottery would be prohibited?

Umm, let's raise money for education, but not by promoting gambling -- even though we already use gambling to raise money for education.

Miami Nice

Over the past year one of the things I have been thankful for is Brandon's job and the great people he works with, both in Oklahoma and throughout the country. Every once in while I get to go with him when he has a conference out of town. He works and networks, while I sit by the pool and read. This week one of those trips came up and right now I’m sitting by the pool in the gorgeous Miami weather.

I like these trips not only because it's a break for me, but it also gives me a chance to see a little more of what Brandon does, and how important it is. This trip I've met several people who have asked with genuine concern how we are doing and saying they prayed for us and for Anne Marie. And I remember all of those e-mails and Facebook messages that Brandon would show me from people in various conservative think tanks all over the country expressing love and prayers for us. It’s nice to be able to put faces with names. Such nice, nice people, and also super-smart. (As a side note, we also received several kind and heartfelt letters and e-mails from people on “the other side” who were also praying for us.)

This has been a nice break. God is gracious and I am grateful for His gifts to me.

Here's the view from the balcony of our hotel room:

 

Here's one of the hotel pools:

 

Here's the view from our beach chairs:

 

Here's Brandon working:

Is It Too Late?

Given the recent passage of a modern-day Intolerable Act, many Americans are wondering if it's too late to reclaim the Founders' legacy of freedom. I recently posed the question to the widely acclaimed historian of liberty J. Rufus Fears. Hopefully this clip will whet your appetite for his five-part lecture series next month in Edmond.

Spring Photos

We've been busy this past month -- birthdays, ballet, and baseball, as well as Easter, the spring formal, and school. It's been a hard spring. Everything has seemed to be a reminder of Anne Marie and how much I miss her. Our family times have been fun, and yet someone is always missing. Here are some pics.

Easter morning:

Birthday celebrations:

Jack Henry playing ball and Lincoln umpiring:

Field trip to Woolaroc (where we saw an Oklahoma Longhorn):

Friday homeschool P.E. classes:

Meeting cousin Will for the first time:

Spring formal:

Not That It's Free Babysitting or Anything

For at least the second year in a row, parents in Moore are camping out over the weekend in order to secure taxpayer-funded childcare for their children. The Oklahoman reports today that one family said "they expect to save up to $6,000 in daycare costs by getting a spot for their son in the [kindergarten] class."

'Fiscal Conservatism Is Not Enough'

I spend 40+ hours a week promoting things like free enterprise, fiscal discipline, and limited government, but I have to say I agree wholeheartedly with Robert W. Patterson that fiscal conservatism is not enough. Writing in the current issue of The Family in America ("Fiscal Conservatism Is Not Enough: What Social Conservatives Offer the Party of Lincoln"), Patterson says the GOP needs to listen, "like never before, to its most loyal constituency and project a principled moral vision that transcends tax cuts, a vision that will resonate with the aspirations of middle America, not elites. If it does that, the Grand Old Party will not only save itself, but also might save America."

Woolaroc Pics

Susie and the kids went to Woolaroc yesterday. Here are three Cherokees sitting in front of a teepee.

"Yes, yes, my mama is a llama. Good one. Never heard that one before. Now do you mind if I get in your picture?"

More good Woolaroc memories here.

Sign of the Day

From the Tea Party today at the state capitol:

Happy Birthday, Dutcher Girls

Today is Susie's 42nd birthday, and would have been Anne Marie's 6-month birthday.

Can We Reclaim the Founders' Legacy of Freedom?

(Click to enlarge.)

Happy 8th Birthday, Jack Henry!

Asking the Right Questions

I try to listen every week to the White Horse Inn, a radio program/podcast wherein a Lutheran, a Baptist, and two Reformed guys attempt to the put the Christ back into Christianity. Their conversations are always interesting, but I found this week's show ("The Cross and Resurrection," April 4) to be particularly good.

While many folks in the evangelical world seem to think Christianity is some sort of self-help program (How can I relieve stress? How can I get my family budget in order? How can I have my best life now?), Mike Horton suggests that we should be asking some deeper questions. Like, umm, How can I escape the wrath of God?

The Bible, all along -- its whole plot line from Genesis to Revelation -- tells us, "Hey, come over here for a minute. Sit down." It's a doctor giving us the diagnosis: "You have cancer." Once you hear "you have cancer," your whole outlook on what you need changes. And once God tells us, "Look, this is the problem: I am your enemy. I can't be anything but your enemy, apart from you being in the right with respect to my justice and my law, my righteousness. Now, shut up, I don't want to hear a word from you, I'm going to tell you what I did about that." 

And what He did about it is very good news indeed. In fact, it's called the good news. It's even better than having your best life now.

'No One Was Saved'

Forty years ago today, the Beatles' "utopia" fell apart.

Reason for Optimism?

Paul Ryan's OCPA speech continues to attract national attention, this time from historian Paul Rahe (himself a former OCPA adjunct scholar, now a history professor at Hillsdale College in Michigan). Witnessing the damage our radical president is inflicting upon the country, Dr. Rahe sees not catastrophe but rather opportunity. Now Rush Limbaugh is asking: Is Paul Rahe right?

Happy Tax Freedom Day

Despite the guarantee in our state constitution that all Oklahomans have the "inherent right" to "the enjoyment of the gains of their own industry," the average Oklahoman had to work 96 days this year before being able to enjoy those gains. Finally, today, the average Oklahoman has earned enough money to be able to pay the federal, state, and local tax collectors.

As historian J. Rufus Fears has observed, "The American public pays an amount of taxes that no despotic pharaoh in antiquity would have ever dreamt of imposing upon his people."

Tea Partiers More Popular Than, Umm ...

... President Obama.

Trailblazing Tax Break Can Help Homeschoolers

A recent back-of-the-envelope calculation revealed that Susie and I have saved our fellow taxpayers more than $200,000 (so far) by educating our four children at home rather than asking other people to foot the bill. And since some of our kids are still young, this figure will continue to mount.

As I never tire of pointing out to my friends in the state legislature, Oklahoma policymakers should be thankful for homeschooling parents. Imagine the strain it would put on the state budget if thousands of homeschooled children showed up at their local public school tomorrow ("Hi there, I'm here for my free education!").

Thanks to the selfless efforts of thousands of homeschooling parents, Oklahoma's cash-strapped state legislators have extra money available to appropriate for roads and bridges, prisons, Medicaid, and more.

Most of the homeschoolers I know don't ask for much in return. All we ask is that our elected officials secure our educational freedom. However, there is one thing you might want to be aware of as you're doing your taxes this year.

Back in 2007 the Associated Press reported on "what could be a trendsetting state tax break for families," namely, giving Oklahoma's stay-at-home moms a credit on the family income-tax bill. "At this point, we're not aware of other states with laws like this one," said a spokesman for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

I'm looking here at my 2008 Oklahoma income tax return (specifically, line 15 of Form 511) and — thanks be to God — I'm seeing $200 ($50 per child) that I got to keep for myself rather than send to the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

This tax credit [click here, go to page 8, and see the instructions for line 15] wasn't designed for homeschoolers per se, but clearly there are many of us who can take advantage of it. And though $200 may not seem like much, it will buy some books and other curricular materials.

Bryce Christensen, author of Divided We Fall: Family Discord and the Fracturing of America, says Oklahoma policymakers "deserve high praise" for this trailblazing tax break. "Researchers have now amassed a mountain of evidence showing that young children are far better off if cared for by an at-home parent rather than the employees of a daycare center," Christensen said. "So wise policymakers will help — not penalize — families who make sacrifices to keep one parent at home."

I agree, and suggest that we should encourage Oklahoma policymakers to help these families even more.

A few years back, Gov. Brad Henry made a rather startling admission. Before saying that daycare is a necessity for many parents in today’s society, he paid the perfunctory lip service to at-home parents, but he laid it on surprisingly thick: "Obviously," he said, "it’s always best when children can stay home with a parent ..."

Obviously? Always? Well, if he really means that, here’s a way public policy can help make it happen: Enlarge the tax credit. Instead of $50 per child, how about $500 per child?

Many of us in the public policy arena will continue to work toward that end. But for now, you can bet I will be taking advantage of Oklahoma’s child tax credit as I’m doing my 2009 taxes.

[This article appears in the current issue of The Informer, a quarterly magazine published by the Oklahoma Christian Home Educators Consociation.]

Paul Ryan's OCPA Speech ...

... is starting to receive national attention (here and here).

Happy 15th Birthday, Lillie!