This Is Our Journey

Firsts!

2010-09-04T07:27:00.001-07:00

Seriously, we have experienced a lot of firsts lately. I'm not quite sure if this is usual life stuff or just because there are many new things in our world lately. However it may be, i'm just aware of how we are venturing into new territory many times over. I like it! As I've grown older, I've discovered how I have an adventurous spirit. I like to try new foods and recipes, take on new challenges, and explore new paths. On the flip side, I've also discovered the battle that wages in me when I encounter new opportunities. Maybe you can relate. For example, I when I want to try a new thing, I have this tendency to only want to try it if I can do it right. It's like the all-or-none principle. If I can't be perfect, it is too easy to avoid doing it at all. Yes, I confess, I fight the fear of failure constantly.

But I was writing about firsts, first. The last 6 months...yeah, lots of those. First move as a family. Abby's first birthday. First time owning chickens. First time living in the country with more than just a town lot of property to maintain. First time being a stay-at-home-mom-with-no-expectation-to-go-back-to-work-in-the-foreseeable-future. And the list goes on.

The most recent and significant first was Allana's first day of Kindergarten yesterday. I've worked with her at home for preschool, and so this was a first for Mommy, too...dropping her off with someone else to guide her education. This was a process to get here. Throughout the course of the last year, I had decided at least not to send her to the public elementary schools in town. But I wasn't sure where to go from there. Homeschooling? I was prepared to take that on (but, once again, encountered the above mentioned fear.) So, when we moved out of town, (to make a long story short), we decided to send her to a small, community-supported charter school, just a few miles down the road. A nice compromise.

Believe me, Allana was so excited. All in all, I was so impressed and PROUD of her. She was nonplussed and confident. Both when I dropped her off and picked her up. She is so ready to participate in a class...and I guess I'm ready to let her fly...

Here, Allana is unloading her school supplies into her cubby at her classroom (with Alex watching).

I had to get a pic of the first moments with her sweet new teacher. A first for both of them!

Hope you are enjoying encounters with firsts in your world...they will surely keep coming! I'll keep you posted on our firsts, too.

New Seasons

2010-09-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm writing again! You may notice the time lapse between this note and the last...I suppose this may be symbolizing my coming full circle to the blogging season in life. I enjoy writing. I enjoy sharing my thoughts. And I'm becoming more disillusioned with Facebook. So, here I am again.

Can I just mention here that I love my life? I have been so incredibly blessed. We are in the midst of a season of abundance, richness and blessing. And I am aware that seasons change--can change instantly--so, for now, I am going to rejoice in this blessed season. There are challenges, yes. And there will be challenges, yes. But I don't want to lose perspective on recognizing that it is only through God's provision that we are where we are.

The breeze is blowing through the window on me. It's a good reminder that things do not stay the same. The winds of change are a-blowin'. But God does not change. Even in suffering. Even in blessing.

Mater

2008-08-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

I love how little girls play with babies and dollies. It is fascinating to watch how they interact and just become little mommies without any instruction. (Not to say it hasn't been modeled, however.)
Allana got a new baby given to her for her birthday by her best friend, Madi. Of course, it became her favorite. The best part of all was that this one came with a PACI. And her eyes opened and closed. And it came with a stroller and hat and extra clothes. OK, this was the baby of all babies.
She carried the baby around, and over the last couple of months, her baby has become her constant companion. Whether in the store or visiting Mommy's work, people would inevitably ask her, "What's your baby's name?" Allana didn't always know what to say and act a little shy about the question. Finally, one day in answer to the recurring question, she popped out with "Mater." This took the woman who asked her a little by surprise, and then said, "Oh, like in the movie Cars?" And to that Allana replies "yeah!"
OK, I must interject here. Allana has seen "Cars" maybe 2 times, was not interested all that much, and it has been quite awhile. However, the kids do have a Mater the Tow Truck toy from Alex's birthday last year. I had no idea it had made this much of an impression!
So, now Allana has a [girl] baby named Mater. And Mater goes with Allana everywhere. I still giggle sometimes when she says things like "Oh no! Mater is crying! She wants you to nurse her." Or "Where's Mater?" I don't know...it can't get any better than that. Trying to imagine this sweet little baby with a character like Mater as her namesake.
The icing on the cake was when I was joking with Allana and quoted "Mater...as in tow-mater without the tow???" And her astonished reply was, "No, don't take her toes off!!"

Active day

2008-06-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a fun, yet busy day for the kids and myself. We had planned on going with our MOPS group to visit the Gilbert House in Salem, and so I started early with packing lunches, getting everyone up and ready (including making coffee and lunch for my sweet husband before he was off to work), and then finally getting myself a shower. That's how mommy business goes, I suppose...everyone else gets taken care of before yourself. But that works the best for me...(several kids/parents together to Left:)
We knew there would be a few groups there along with us, but somehow the staff neglected to tell us that FIVE schools would be bringing buses of kids to this one location. It was over 300 kids!! And school-age...bigger kids than our little pre-school aged ones. There were fun things for the kids to see and interact with, but by lunch time, the place was packed, the kids were tired, and it was not worth staying any longer to "get our money's worth." (Me & Alex in the "bubble room" to right:)
So my friend and I, with our total of 5 kids, left and took another couple of excursions to visit our Daddies. First, we stopped by Dan's work, where we got to take our friends on a tour to the top of the building and see the "golden man" up close. Then we all went and visited Allana and Alex's friends' daddy at the fire station. They got to sit in the fire truck and even wear the firemen's headsets! Great fun...got to take home a complimentary fireman hat, too. Allana was also very interested in the ambulance. She asked what the stretcher was for inside, and we explained that it was where the sick people lay while they get taken care of. (Inside the ambulance:)
Later on at home that evening, Allana had her pen a paper...she was "making a list". Of what, I asked. "A list of sick people, so I can take care of them." Wow. She is so nurturing, and bright. This isn't the first instance that has made me think she may follow in my footsteps one day and become a nurse! I would be so proud! I promise, I haven't even pushed it on her at all...it is all on her own! :-)
For all the busy activities in the day, despite good naps later, they were still pretty tired and a bit grumpy, actually. I had a meeting later in the evening, and Dan stayed home with the kids. I must confess, I did a very poor job in discussing my plans with him ahead of time, and it was one of those times where just about the worst case scenario for bad plans happened. I left with a friend, and walked to another friend's house (a block and a half away), and forgot my cell phone. Then I didn't call to check in with him. And he didn't know where I was at. And then my meeting went much later than I hoped it would (wasn't watching the clock). I was hoping for the best case scenario (=kids going to bed quietly and easily since they're tired) and discovered to my shame (for not providing more support) that he had a very tough evening. Alex screamed for hours...and got his hand slammed in the door...all while I was chatting with ladies and eating crumpets .(or at least truffle dessert things). Poor guy...poor kids. I felt really bad.
So, now I"m tired today...and I think I will go find a book to read, and pray that the kids sleep awhile longer and catch up from yesterday.

Time flies

2008-05-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Time really does fly. I cannot believe that Allana has turned 3 just over a week ago! And in that week, I could swear that she has become a little girl! Her phrases, her body language, her sweetness...are much more grown up girl like! I'm just loving it! Just the other day, while we were in the car, I had made a comment about my cell phone not working, when I heard her in the back seat saying, "God...(pronounced "dod")...God, please help us. Help Mommy and Daddy and Alex." Isn't that just precious? I don't think it had anything to do with the cell phone, but whatever prompted her to pray, I'll take it! I'll take any and all of it! I was just blessed with her little prayer. The latest is that she comes to me and asks, "Mommy, how you doing? Good?" (once again, pronounced "dood") Ha! I'm glad she assumes good!!

Our stylish girl

2008-02-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

Lately, Allana has decided that she likes to dress herself. She is often quite obedient to put on the clothes I get out for her in the morning, but come the afternoon, who knows how that will change! Yesterday, since we were going to a place where I didn't know the people I would be interacting with, I was just relieved that she at least picked out clothes that sorta matched. That is, at least the sweatshirt and pants were both pink. And the blue polka dotted shirt underneath did have some pink dots on it.

Today, however, I must confess that I am not as confident in her fashionable talent.
She pulls these clothes out of the "grown out of" box, and peruses through hats (doesn't matter if they are hers or her brother's).

Last week, she really wanted to keep her pretty dress on...and insisted that she go with Daniel and I on our date...I don't know...............

The socks really make the outfit.
:-)

February day

2008-02-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

So, here I am again, just trying to keep caught up!

The kids had a great time making Valentines cookies last week...Allana loves cooking and being Mommy's little helper in the kitchen, so this was the day for her to shine!

She cut.......................................she sprinkled....

she ate the sprinkles...

and Alex just wanted to help....!!

New year...OK, a little late

2008-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

I honestly love starting a new year. I am not a big fan of new year's resolutions, but totally believe in evaluating last year and setting some goals and vision for this year to come. Dan and I just celebrated an anniversary, so it comes at a great time to put our heads together (hee hee) and plan our year out together.

So, that's the philosophical part.

Other than that, I just have to say that I would like to keep things up a little better! The kids just grow up so quickly!

Alex started walking in the last couple of weeks. It really felt like he had been taking steps for an eternity, but he was so efficient with crawling, that he didn't have a huge need to get the walking thing perfected.

Allana is becoming the little girl, well on her way to turning 3 so soon!She talks big girl, acts big girl, and comes up with the funniest things to say!

As for me...today is a significant day...After not working for over a year now, I am interviewing for a job. I am excited at the opportunity...and completely nauseous at the thought of leaving my children while I may have a rather extensive orientation (I only plan on working once a week or so after that.) So, we'll see how God is using this opportunity! We really want to be sensing His direction first and foremost.
(yeah, that's kind of what it feels like sometimes, Alex!)

Festive October!!

2007-11-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

So much has happened this last month, or rather, these last couple of weeks. Even though we try to keep things to a minimum with our "extra-curricular" activities, we are still very involved and always "feel" busy. Of course, October brings its autumn colors and festivities, so we did not want to miss out on the fun. Although our plans to visit a local pumpkin patch were foiled a couple of times (due to foul conditions--one of which was the blustery weather and another a wave of our "sweet" girl's ugly behavior en route to our destination), we did not miss the opportunity to carve jack-o-lanterns with our friends.

Eating the seeds was one of the best parts!

Unfortunately, we still do not have the pictures of our final project...they were rather cute little pumpkins!!

The most significant of events was our little cub celebrating his first birthday on the 29th! Wow...a whole year has gone by already. Seriously, when you have children, the time starts going by at warp speed!!
We celebrated his big milestone birthday with a Yeehaw cowboy round 'em up party...lots of little people were there with their families. It was too cute seeing all of them dressed in their cowboy western attire!

The cowboy birthday theme worked well for our Halloween dress-up...we ended up with the best-in-the-west cow-poke pair! We first took her to trick-or-treat to 3 neighbor houses, and then stopped by our dear friends' house across town--where we ended up staying for the next 2 hours! It was so much fun! Aunt Jani and Uncle Den were way more fun than any carnival in
town!!

My 30th Birthday

2007-09-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

OK, I've come to the conclusion that I like making something of my birthday. Many, many times I've wished that I could let my birthday just go by and not hope that someone remembers to wish me happy birthday and celebrate with me...wished that I wouldn't care. But, I do care. And I've come to terms with that.
In the meantime, Daniel has be very aware in the past year that it was my 30th birthday coming up. And he knows me well enough that he wanted to make a big deal out of it. He also loves me so much that he wanted me to know how special I am by giving me a big party. He also knows I love surprises. However, since planning big bashes incognito is not an easy thing to do (when all the spare time he has comes on unpredictable lunch breaks and late at night), and since his wife knew he was up to something, he had to get creative. It was fun to watch...I really didn't want to know what he was planning, although I did know he was planning something. He made comments last week like, "Ummm....I need to go to a mystery store and pick up some mystery things..." or just randomly starting cutting up potatoes 8:00 at night and seasoning them in foil...or suddenly need to make some phone calls...outside. It made me feel good to know he was trying to do his best to get a party together for me without me knowing what he was up to.
Finally on the day of the party, I had it figured out that it was a BBQ, we were having shishkabobs, and that my parents were most likely coming. (Although Mom did a nice job of covering it up---I just knew that Dan wouldn't put a party together and not have my parents know anything about it!)
It ended up being at a local park just outside of town on the most gorgeous day! Lots of people were there, representing many of the circles I've tread upon...my Creswell family, my MOPS friends, church friends, and then just some of our good friends we hang out with. He had people bring notes sharing a special memory or words about what I've meant to them. That was so sweet. And even though a couple of my closest friends were unable to attend (it was a busy weekend, I've been told), one of them gave me the sweetest note about our friendship. I felt so loved by so many...and most of all by my wonderful husband. He worked so hard and really did a great job (despite several frustrations he encountered in trying to get it planned.) God bless that man!
This all took place after he had taken half his day off work for my actual birthday, and arranged for a friend to take our 11 month old cub (already that old!) while we had a couple of hours together...I got to get my nose repierced--yea!!!--and we had a lunch date together. It was actually a lot of fun, and a wonderful way to spend my birthday.
All in all, I shall remember this birthday with great joy. I do not mind being 30 now...I feel like it is a milestone. As I reflect on this past decade of life, I have 2 thoughts: 1) I've accomplished a lot! Wow!! and 2) where did my 20s go? I can't go back? :-) Oh, well, life is worth living, and I'm trying to do just that.

more summer

2007-09-09T19:48:00.001-07:00

We got to go camping with some friends of ours a couple of weeks ago. It was lots of work, but definitely worthwhile.

Here are the 3 girls--ours on the left--ages 2, 3, and 5. They (mostly) had fun all weekend together...playing games, swimming in the river, going for hikes, eating s'mores...

A stick...the best thing he found to play with all weekend!! He is boy, thru and thru...

His 2nd favorite camping pastime...tasting the rocks.

This guy--like his sister--loves the water.

camping...where playing in the dirt is an expectation.

Catch Up on Summer

2007-08-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a good summer thus far for our family! Just as usual, once July 4th passes, the summer seems to fly by. I can hardly believe it is well into August already.

Here are some pictures from our busy Fourth of July. I was so excited to put the kids into the Children's Parade for the first time. She rode in the wagon with a friend, while the men carried the boys in backpacks. We mommies waited on the sidelines to cheer them on as they passed by. Since it was such a warm day, I was glad to be watching instead of walking!!

He was enjoying playing in the wagon while we watched the big parade...and it was the only shade near us on our side of the street! Next year we will either reserve spots on the opposite side or bring a canopy and make it a fun BBQ with drinks for everyone.

She was great at interacting with the parade. She became quite adept at clapping and waving at the parade participants. It was so cute to watch!

This was taken during the annual Church in the Park on the Sunday before July 4th. It was, once again, a beautiful, warm Sunday for sitting outside! However, I must confess that I had to take her to the playground to play about halfway through the service!

Here she got to play in the fountains across the street from Daddy's work! We've done that a couple of times now...

This is our 9 month old little charmer! He now has two teeth, which have contributed to a slightly more cranky disposition than his usually very happy self!!

June!

2007-06-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

She really is happy here...playing in the sprinkler.

A Father's Day treat...reading first thing in the morning. What fun!

He is getting so mobile now!! He's figured out crawling, and here is his latest venture: standing up on his own. He is now getting into everything...but at least he is happy!!

Puppies For Sale

2007-06-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

Aren't they CUTE??????

We want to sell them!! Five are remaining to get to new homes. One yellow female, one chocolate male, and 3 black males. They are all so fun, and have great temperaments. They have had their first shots, dewclaws removed, initial vet visit, and come from great parent dogs. AKC registered labrador retrievers. Let us know if we can make your day with a puppy!

On the verge...

2007-06-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

He is just about to be crawling!

However, in the meantime, he gets very frustrated.

He scoots around with this one-armed army crawl that is rather fun to watch. In comparison to his sister, he seems to be moving along a little ahead of her. She was in the 8 month range when she began to crawl. But this is no amazing wonder, since he has ALWAYS been a moving around wiggly boy. He will only get busier I'm sure!

A Birthday Week for a 2 year old!

2007-05-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

It started out almost a week before her actual birthday....Papa and Grammy visited on Mother's Day, and we celebrated by having a little early birthday party for her.

Here she is eating her birthday cake that she and Grammy made together, wearing her new dress from Grammy (and new pink croc shoes, even though you can't see them). That day we (Dan and I) picked up the perfect little wooden table and chairs for her birthday present...we had just found it on Craigslist for very little $$!! She was trying out for the first time.

Great-Grandpa (-Papa) and Great-Grandma came for a visit on Thursday, and dropped off her card and present--wow! 2 dollars! Great-Grandpa is reading her birthday card to her, telling her how great-great-great-great she is.

Of course, we all agree!!

These were her fun little cupcakes we made for her official birthday party on Saturday. A bunch of fun critters! The inspiration is in their "cups". If you look closely, you can see they are on feet! A great invention--silicone cupcake cups with legs. So, invariably, you have to make the cake into critters! It was a fun little task for me that day. :-)

Her brother, in all his festive birthday spirits!! He is creeping up on 7 months old very soon!

She and a couple of friends at her birthday party in the park.

She had been sick for the past day or two, and was obviously fighting the nasty bug that had plagued her brother and I all week. Her eyelids were droopy and her energy level was significantly diminished. However, she still appeared to have fun, and despite her illness, played on the playground and seemed to enjoy her party!

Since a couple of her best friends missed her Saturday party, we held a special one on Sunday with them. So, a week later, she was still blowing out birthday candles and listening to us sing "Happy Birthday" to her.

Here are the three of them, eating the critter cupcakes (these ones didn't have legs). By evidence of what remained when they were finished, it could be presumed that they thought the frosting was the best part. :-) It was lots of fun, and their giggling could be heard by all the neighbors, I'm sure! :-)

Spring activities

2007-05-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

This was after a long day of playing with friends in the sunshine...water, sprinklers, picinics, trampoline, barbeque......what a fun day!!

Here she is chasing after baby emus at our annual MOPS trip to Gramma Lou's emu farm. She just wanted to pet one!

He got himself all rolled up into a baby burrito--all by himself! Needless to say, he wasn't all that happy about his little situation.

From Papa and Grammy's visit last week...she adores her Papa, and it took no effort to get her napping on his lap. How sweet!!

Sitting big

2007-04-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

He turned six months old yesterday...so today we made it his first day to sit up in a chair and give his first college-try at eating some yummy carrots.

I don't know if any of it made it into his stomach! He had more fun chewing on the spoon! He was definitely very interested in the spoon as it moved towards his mouth; it was all I could do to get the carrots in before his hands grabbed the spoon! Very different from his sister! :-) I'm glad for that. I think he rather enjoyed this experience...and his sister enjoyed the entertainment from the sidelines!

Family update (incl. puppies)

2007-04-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Wow...the puppies are almost 1 week old now. It has been a busy week for all of us. I guess that is how time passes by so quickly. Puppies...middle-of-the-night vomiting episodes...visitors (many to see the puppies, of course)...MOPS consignment sale...Irish cream and Fat Tire with friends late on a Friday night...vet visits...all the other regular weekly activities...and here we are, another week gone by. Whew! Thank you, Lord, for your gracious hand upon us!!

Here are the group of puppies yesterday. Compare this photo with the one almost a week ago. Haven't they grown SO MUCH?????

This is our cute little chocolate female...I was trying to take a picture while holding her at the same time, and so the photograph is a little awkward, but hopefully you can get the idea. She is getting so big and is so cute! (P.S.--This is the only puppy so far that is absolutely spoken for and has a downpayment on her. Marc is so excited to finally get his puppy from Lucy!) Oh, and by the way, I discovered a few days ago that we do have a second female! I was rechecking the puppies "parts" and realized that we had double-counted the males, and we actually have a yellow female. Wahoo! :-) So the final count (believe me, I've checked them over several times now) is 6 males, and 2 females.

As for my little munchkins, I have to include a picture of them, too. Lulu was asleep, snuggling in next to her brother--how cute is that???

PUPPIES!!!!

2007-04-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

Our laboring dog...
1/3 way through...
Here's all eight of them!
She's getting her turn to gently pet them...

We were up all night--mostly. I slept from 9:30 until 11:30, and then 5:00 am until 7 am. He didn't sleep at all until this morning (and is now at work!) We were anticipating that this would be the day for puppies since Lucy's temperature dropped below 99 (the sign that she will be in labor in 12-24 hours) yesterday. Sure enough, by afternoon, she was panting, and late last night she was showing obvious contractions. She kept trying to go outside (the urge to push!) Right between 1-1:15 am, puppy #1 arrived. A black first, a yellow second, and a chocolate third! We were thrilled that all three colors emerged within the first 3 puppy deliveries. By the end of it all, eight healthy puppies later, it was 4:30 am. There are 3 blacks, 3 yellows and 2 chocolates. It appears that 7 are males with one chocolate female. We are so proud of Lucy! They are all doing well, and I think the hardest work for us lies yet ahead. However, we made sure to remind Lucy that we really did love her since we stayed up all night with her. :-)

They're all growing!

2007-04-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

This little munchkin is showing off his new ability to hold himself up...after rolling all over and almost off his blanket (which is large, I may add.) Doesn't he look proud of himself?

This one to the right, however, isn't looking so cute...she just feels BIG. Lucy is at day 52 today, and will be delivering her puppies in the next week or two! Yikes! (I don't think she knows what she's in for.)

And isn't this little princess just adorable?
I had to add another Easter picture...she is so cute! This would be her smile when she's told to smile. :-)

Easter

2007-04-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, but since I've been sick all week, I am just now posting Easter pictures from last weekend.
We tried out the local Easter egg hunt on Saturday...and after that, we agreed on one thing (although I know we can provide lots more commentary on that): we won't do that again. It was like we were being corralled like animals and given a countdown to be released into the park for a 2 minute frenzy of kids greedily grabbing at every egg they could get their hands on. Very few seemed to abide by the "5 egg limit" rule. (Not that they were egg-stra special eggs, just a plastic ones with one piece of cheap chocolate.) And if a child got fewer than 5 eggs, it was probably because all the bigger kids gotten them already. Thankfully, at least our little cub had her daddy's help, so she brought all of 2 eggs back with her. And after our tardiness of missing the 1-5 age group (we were just a few minutes late...that shows how quickly it was over), it was just not worth it...except for the cute pictures she got with the Easter bunny. We will definitely be doing our own hunt next year! (OK, so maybe that was a little more commentary than was needed!)

On Sunday, we had a nice packed church service, and then went home. No Easter plans. It felt kind of awkward at first, thinking we should be doing something, but then it was nice to not be driving somewhere (we contemplated visiting my dad who was without a wife for Easter--she is in Minnesota helping Kelsey and Ryan with their new baby, Samuel)...or going for a hike...but we just needed to NOT do something and rest. We were both glad that was what we did. Nothing....other than enjoying the day.

Aren't the kids cute in their Easter outfits?

Tulips!

2007-04-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

It was the most perfect day to visit the Tulip festival. As you can see, we all had a great time...and we all got enjoy the beautiful sunshine. It was definitely a "teaser" sort of spring day in April...one where you think summer is almost here, and then the next day it rains all day.

Isn't she beautiful among the tulips? (there were so many cute pictures to choose from!)

Guitar infatuation

2007-03-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is a common Saturday occurence....She loves the guitar. Every time Dan gets it out, she is on his lap in an instant.
It doesn't help his prep for Sunday morning, but he truly enjoys that his daughter wants to play with him. We wonder, will she be musically-inclined like her daddy? Or just a wanna-be like her mommy? (Well, at least I can mostly sing on key.)

1st Bath Together

2007-03-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

Aren't they so cute in the tub together? After a weekend away spending time visiting lots of family, it was now bedtime. I really needed to get them to bed sooner rather than later--since it already was later! So it was a quickie bath for him with his sister. She seemed to enjoy showing him how the bath is done, and as you can see, they were having a great time at it! Maybe we have two water puppies...and not just one...(we already knew she LOVES "tath-time"!) :-)

Speaking of puppies, we are quite sure that our Lucy is expecting her first litter in April! It will be fun (and lots of work!) More to come on that as her day approaches, and with pictures of course!!

When I get some pictures of their visit sent from Grammy, I will be sure to share some of the precious moments that these two cubs had with their Papa and Grammy. Unfortunately, I regret that we forgot our camera on this weekend trip, so there were none taken to remember their last visit on the farm with their Farnsworth cousins before they move across the state (9 1/2 hours away!) We are going to miss having them only an hour away!!

Lots of changes!!

2007-03-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Wow...our household is certainly undergoing lots of good and new changes. Since the last post, over a year ago now, we have had significant changes! Yes, the first and foremost of all being the addition of our new little cub. He was born on October 29, 2006...now almost five months old! His big sister is growing more accustomed to his presence, and is actually becoming more of a big sister. She greeted him this morning as he awoke (with her in his face), saying "Hi, Baby! Hi, Baby!" Over and over. It is sooo sweet!!
It has been a transition going from one small child to two...but it is getting easier everyday. We don't regret our choice to have them close together one bit! They are already growing up together so much. It is a joy to behold. He is so happy, cheerful, talkative (downright noisy at times!), and a wonderful laugher. I joke that we should have included "Isaac" in his name after his uncle because he laughs so much. :-) Since his birth, our little princess became a "big girl" practically overnight. That's what it seemed like! He was so tiny and vulnerable...and now she felt HUGE and so grown up!! Amazing what a little change in perspective will do.
Our family continues to change daily...but I'll have to say more on that later. There is plenty to talk about. So today I'll start with this...and then off to completing our taxes! Oh the joys...!!!

Celebration of a family

2006-01-25T11:20:00.001-08:00

Last week we celebrated our second anniversary. We had a wonderful time together. Much needed time away was spent at the coast in a cute little chalet for 2 nights. We agreed that the best part of all was leaving everything behind. No appointments, no alarm clocks, no schedule. Just the 3 of us. (Yes, we were very happy to bring the Princess with us...and it was necessary!) Oh, if you include Lucy, then there were 4 of us! We chose a place that was dog-friendly so Lucy could chase sticks on the beach and play in the water. There was a private beach for us to walk down to, but it was high tide. Of course, that didn't stop the dog. She was so happy to be able to run and splash around. We just hugged the rocky cliff and we walked along the edge of the beach. Neither of us are TV watchers, so being able to spend hours watching "Lost" episodes on DVD was a treat. We'd get up in the morning, and invariably, one of us would ask the other, "want to watch another episode?" Which led to another...and another. Very addicting. But it was our time to rest and relax, and we did just that.

We also visited the place (the road to the left) where Dan proposed to me...it was fun to walk down memory lane.

We decided on this "weekend" away that we would like our anniversaries to include our whole family, not just the two of us, as is usual. Dan pointed out that our wedding served as the starting point where our family began, and it should be celebrated as such. We realize that we have Valentines Day soon following our anniversary, and can use that, amongst other dates to get away as a couple (eventually...like in 20 years when all our kids are grown...just kidding.) We know we will need the time away for the two of us eventually, but at this point, we like having an anniversary be a celebration of a family.

First Christmas

2005-12-28T15:54:00.000-08:00

It was a week of Christmas festivities! Our Princess' first Christmas season proved to be a success. We all visited lots of family...drank egg nog (well, her only indirectly through Mommy)...got our first tree as a family of three...opened a few presents...sang Christmas carols...celebrated birthdays...and drove lots of miles.

Overall, it was fun having a first Christmas with our Princess. We enjoyed shopping for her first Christmas present...and for just the right "baby's first Christmas" ornament. We were delighted to watch her as she enjoyed playing with the box her gift came in more than the gift...or that she was more interested in tasting the lights on the tree more than getting her Christmas picture taken.

It certainly felt like we experienced Christmas more this year. Perhaps because we now have a little more understanding of what Mary experienced as she brought a baby Savior into a dangerous world. Or perhaps because we now get to choose how we want our family to experience the meaning of Christmas...since we are responsible for shaping our child's world.

Determination

2005-11-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Determination.
You must have it in order to accomplish just about anything. I've learned that life doesn't get harder... and certainly not easier. Our challenges grow as we do.

The Girls

2005-11-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

It is fun to be a girl. I like having my own little girl, too, who gets to do what I do. In this case, we both dressed up on Halloween. I was not as concerned about my costume. I was more preoccupied with getting the little girl dressed up. Not that she needed the costume to be cute...she's already that all on her own. Without even trying! And isn't she an absolutely adorable little ladybug? We borrowed the bug suit from a friend of ours, and it just fit perfectly! Well, once she was taken care of, I had to decide what I was going to dress up like for our little harvest party we were attending. Thankfully, I rummaged through the closet to find the simple mouse attire I had leftover from a birthday party last year. It was easy to wear in a pinch, and I eventually added a few whiskers on my cheeks. The best part--the tail--wasn't included here. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Ooooohhhh...I just love our little bug!

The Happy Birthday Man

2005-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

This has been a relatively busy week. I can hardly believe it is Friday again! Last weekend was a whirlwind for me. I had a surprise birthday-day to plan out for Daniel's 30th! It was so much fun! He was completely surprised when we (our friend Josh, me, and the Sweetpea) took him skydiving in Molalla. He was completely surprised when his good friend Clinton (whom he only sees occasionally) met up with us. And he was completely surprised when he arrived at the home where we had a huge surprise luau party waiting for him! The party was loads of fun...he had a blast skydiving...I couldn't have had it any better. As much as I'd like to claim credit, I have to say that I'm thankful that he chose not to ask questions as I was planning (he could have if he wanted). He and I are similar in that we don't like to spoil "surprises". As you can see, I think he rather enjoyed his surprises (even wearing the really dorky "30" hat). It is so fun to make him smile that big. As I think about that day, I am so happy to see how much he is appreciated and loved. So many people helped make the party happen, and so many came to celebrate with us. I love my hubby tremendously, and it makes my heart joyful when other appreciate the many things about him that I do.

The hum-haw buggies

2005-09-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today is a hum haw day, I think. It still feels like summer, but with the autumn flavor. As I watched several kids walking home from school, I was reminded of my childhood days many years ago as I myself walked home on warm, breezy fall afternoons. Funny how in such a brief moment, I can experience a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, and feelings. In some ways, I miss being a kid.
I'm not feeling very adventuresome today either. Mostly because both the Sweetpea and I are feeling a little buggy. I actually don't feel too bad, but I can tell I'm fighting something. And she sounds and looks like it--a bit of a runny nose, taking frequent naps, and worst of all--she isn't quite her happy, perky self. We are so fortunate to have such a happy baby girl...so I really notice when she's not feeling on top of her game. So, needless to say, we didn't go on a walk yet today. And that meant Lucy didn't get to walk either. Poor dog. This is when I really wish we had a big piece of property where she could roam free without worrying about cars racing by or her feeling cooped up and rebelling by pulling apart the fence. Instead, her exercise consists of following me around the house or walking us out to the mailbox...grrrrr! Such a ferocious guard dog is she.
Last night was a good evening. Although it ended late (almost 11:00!), it was worth it. We went to our weekly small group (originally called "the young marrieds" but now we're trying to find a different name better descriptive of who we are currently. We're not quite as young-married anymore.) Good things were shared. God is active and real in people's lives, and that is exciting. Several of the guys shared about their experiences at the men's retreat. And then we stayed up late talking with Bob and Polly. Somehow, the deepest and most meaningful conversations often don't seem to begin until after 10:00. I'm not sure why that is...
Off I go to get work done while my princess is asleep!

Excited?

2005-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

OK, this is my first stab at doing the blog thing. I've certainly enjoyed reading others' blogs, and am pretty excited about having our own. Well, excited isn't exactly the term I'd use. That seems to communicate I'm giddy and unable to keep myself from bouncing in my seat. More like, this makes me feel happy inside to write stuff out.

But I'm not really writing here to discuss whether or not I'm truly excited or not. Dumb point, really.

The little princess is sleeping right now. That always makes a great time to get things done. So I'm writing. If any of the entries are cut short, that's most likely because she woke up before I was done. Isn't that life? Untimely interruptions. I guess it keeps me flexible. All a part of motherhood. Of which I'm thoroughly enjoying. I love being a mom. That makes me happy. That makes me excited. I don't think I've ever experienced feelings so strong in relation to anything else before. And it is a wonderful thing.

It is a good day today.

Hello

2005-09-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

This is our Family blog. The Lioness is my Pride... and the princess is too. So, I guess I'm the Lion around here. Um. grrrr. or something.

The Great Red Lion