The Goose and the Bear

Vacation 1, Part 2

2011-08-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Practicing their winks while waiting at In-N-Out

We had the best time at Carol and DB's house! Lots of hanging out, playing in their gorgeous backyard patio (squirt guns, barbies in the fountain), watching fireworks from the boat, trips with Grandma and Grandpa to Fairyland (you can see those fun photos here), hikes with Laurel, and a couple of dinner dates. It was such a relaxing few days before we packed up the cars again and drove to the cabin.

Fireworks from the boat. What a fun night!

We visited the mosaic studio and Maryn made her own piece of art. She had tons of fun and was so proud of her finished work.

One of the murals in the Mission District, San Francisco.

Vacation 1, part 1

2011-08-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

We have a pretty exciting summer lined up, and have recently returned from our ~~first~~ second big adventure. I'm a little behind in blogging but I'm going to *try* to get caught up before birthday week arrives (next week! I can't believe it!)

Our first trip - road trip to the Bay Area then a side trip to Yosemite - was precipitated by an invite to my college roomie's Chico wedding reception. After a long day of driving we arrived in Chico and after an hour or two recovering in our hotel room we piled back into the car for the gorgeous wedding. We were able to catch up with some dear college friends before the kids made it clear they were ready to get some sleep :) Andrea, we were so grateful to see you and your handsome and sweet new husband in person, and we look forward to some Paris-Portland Skype chats in the future.

The next morning we met up with the same group of friends for breakfast, then frolicked in a Chico fountain before piling in the car towards our next destination - Grandma's house!

Father's Day

2011-08-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

This is obviously a little late, but I can't let the summer pass on this blog without paying tribute to some fabulous fathers.

Smiling with Daddy before Father's Day dinner.

First up on the fabulous Father list is DB. Chris' dad is one of the most gentle, humble and kind men I have ever met. He is an avid outdoors-man, river rafter extraordinaire and a man with a very strong work ethic who has instilled the same quality in his kids. Maryn and Lucy love getting hugs from Grandpa and look forward to Bay Area visits for a chance to visit the boat and check the bait traps. DB, thanks for all the ways you've taken care of us, from fixing our plumbing during your Christmas visit, to taking care of the broken key crisis. We are so thankful for you, and proud to call you Dad!

Next up is my dad, Doug. I have so many great memories of playing catch with my dad in the front yard, or just sitting outside after dinner looking up at the stars. My dad is an extremely hard worker who doesn't do anything half way. He taught my brother and me that it is important to always try our best, that love is not just a word or a feeling but an action, and the importance of following through on our commitments. Maryn and Lucy love going to Grandpa's house to have a popsicle in the heat of summer and make a game of trying to beat him to his special rocking chair :) He has helped me with so many projects, like making and installing the huge chalkboard in our house to painting all of the boards for the desk in our closet. Dad, thanks for being available for me whenever I've needed you, and for putting into practice what you preach. We love you!

Chris and my Dad played golf together with a friend and his dad for Father's Day. This is before they came home sore and tired :)

And to my sweet wonderful husband, who is the best dad those two crazy girls of ours could ask for. You are the ever-patient one; you enforce rules when you need to, but always with love and grace. The kids look up to you so much. They love it when you play soccer with them in the backyard and always look forward to your homemade pizzas and perfect pesto pasta. They jump to their feet when you get home with shouts of "Daddy's home" that make my heart melt. I love you more each day and never cease to be grateful for all you do for us. We love you!

Anniversaries

2011-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

July is anniversary month in my family. Today is the eighth anniversary of the day Chris and I said "I do," my parents celebrated 30 years this past July 4th (they like to say they always have fireworks on their anniversary!) and my brother and sister-in-law celebrated the big 5 on July 15th. I know summer is the height of wedding season, so happy anniversary to all the summer lovin' couples! May the coming years hold much laughter and be short on tears (unless they are the laugh-till-you-cry kind) and may you continue to support and bring joy to each other through all the ups and downs of life.

A beautiful wedding on the beach in Santa Barbara, 2006

My lovely mom, wearing my Grandma's wedding dress, and my dapper dad, 1981

And because I'm too lazy to pull out the CD with our wedding photos, here's a little side-by-side look at us in Yosemite on our honeymoon 8 years ago, and at the top of Vernal Falls this year. Maybe a trip to Yosemite will become an anniversary tradition!

Summer randomness

2011-07-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Making a dent in our list of summer fun (notice how the mundane things are left undone...better get to work!)

- Chris and I are both slightly obsessed with The Head and the Heart. And they're coming back to Portland in October! If anyone wants to go with us, let me know.

- Speaking of music, this video is pretty hilarious. I just love punctuation bands!

- While looking back through photos for an anniversary project (8 years next week!) I came across this one that makes me chuckle because a) I do not nor have I ever played the guitar b) Chris plays guitar but not the drums c) This was taken in our first apartment which was a little sketchy, but I love remembering how I tried to spruce it up with candles and flowers d) I have no idea who took this photo or why we were jamming together on the couch. But I love that I have this photo all the same!

- My pile of books from the library is starting to resemble the leaning tower of Pisa. Must read more! Summer favorites so far are Cutting for Stone and Same Kind of Different as Me. Chris is slogging his way through Infinite Jest. Next up on my list are The Wilder Life, the Paris Wife, Jane Eyre, and Sarah's Key (along with the rest of the pile which, lets face it, will probably return to the library unread).

- I am slowly working my way through this sampler by Alicia Paulson. I love the stillness it brings to busy summer days and the kids are enjoying the process, too.

Source: rosylittlethings.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

So that's my list of summer randomness. How's your summer shaping up? I'd love to hear about your adventures and what you've been reading and/or listening to, and whether or not you had a punctuation band in high school. Do share!

Strawberry day

2011-07-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, after lots of waiting and checking, the local farm's strawberry fields were finally ready for picking. We rounded up a friend and also took our favorite little buddy along for a morning full of farm fun, and we came home with a bucket of berries that were promptly consumed (with a few frozen for future summer smoothies). Get ready for a photo-heavy post - I just couldn't help myself with such precious models, and the lovely backdrop of shifting skies and emerald plants spotted with juicy red fruit. Oh, and a rather rusty but perfect truck. And Jess, I promise no berries were consumed by the little guy - only smooshed and smeared. Sorry about the laundry.

The girls were really excited to have their picture taken near the goat.

Love the fancified friends on the rusty farm truck.

How Lucy really felt about the truck.

Self portrait in headlight - little dude was on my back!

A cabbage growing in the patch. Mmm...I could eat him up!

I loved watching him explore!

a day at the beach

2011-06-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

One of the unintentional perks of moving here five years ago is our proximity to Chris' family on the coast in Lincoln City. We had Maryn's first birthday party at Aunt Mary's house and we've spent many fun summer afternoons picking blackberries from the bushes that line their driveway. For one reason or another, it had been way too long between visits. And what better excuse to take us back to the coast than a graduation party?

Chris' (second) cousin Tom graduated from high school last weekend. A huge congratulations to him for all he has accomplished thus far, and for the many adventures to come! And also to his parents for raising such a kind, thoughtful, talented son!

While we visited with family at the graduation party, someone mentioned that a birthday party for another cousin was taking place right after at the beach across the street. So off we went to celebrate little G's first birthday where the kids had fun flying kites, playing ball and spending time together. Thanks to Tracy and family for being so welcoming to us at the last minute. We were so grateful for the chance to visit with everyone!

Great grandpa Jim, S and birthday boy G.

Aunt Mary and Lucy

Uncle Steve should have a business entertaining as Donald Duck at kid's parties.

You can probably tell in the photos that what began as a slightly overcast day soon became sunny and simply gorgeous. While we were at the party, someone else made mention of Chris' cousin Craig who operates a charter boat for fishing and whale watching excursions. He had just returned from his last trip of the day and graciously agreed to take us out on his boat for a bit. We even saw a whale not too far from shore and Maryn wins the quote of the day award with her excited exclamation upon seeing her "first ocean creature!"

Lucy and Steve clowning around on the boat

After all that fun it was time to head home, but not without a quick stop for ice cream bars and some time playing in the sand and waves. It was a perfect day at the coast!

Dying Egg-stravaganza

2011-06-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's another set of photos I uploaded last month but never posted. We dyed eggs at Grandma's house after our walk and had so much fun doing it! I think I mixed the colors wrong so we had to let each egg sit in dye for a long time and they still were kind of light. Of course we cracked a few that we then had to eat - I think the photos of Lucy eating the egg are my favorite. That girl has some hilarious facial expressions stored up! It was a day of fun spring memories as we spent time looking forward to Easter.

Spring walk

2011-06-11T08:37:00.000-07:00

These photos are pretty old now, but they're already uploaded so why not share them? This was from a walk with my mom way back in April, when the spring bulbs and flowers were just beginning to bloom. I love just walking around the neighborhood and pausing to observe all the beauty of unfurling buds and blossoms. Ordinary, but memorable, the little routines and traditions we create that become regular parts of our days, months and years. A simple 20 minute walk becomes a lovely memory of stopping to smell the proverbial roses (or tulips).

A poem for Mother's Day

2011-05-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

No, not my poem. But one that conveys the mysteries of motherhood and the depth of a mother's sacrifice. And it's funny to boot.

The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

There may never be a "making even" (and really, no mom wants or expects that) but as a mother I now know and cherish the gifts that, while simple, come from the heart. Like the buckets full of apple blossom petals and dandelions that were hand-gathered all afternoon and came complete with the satisfied giggling and ear to ear smiles of a job well done. And the gift of time that my mother gave me as we slowly climbed to the top of a waterfall, talking and laughing all the while.

I hope that my mothers and grandmothers and friend's mothers and mother-friends felt celebrated and loved on Mother's Day. I thank each one of you for the ways in which you've taught me, inspired me, and walked along side me and continue to mother your children well, even when they're grown :)

A (rather unorthodox) girl's guide to Star Wars

2011-05-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

I heard around the internets that today is International Star Wars day. May the "fourth" be with you and everything. Har har. I've had these photos for a while now, and today seems like the perfect day to share them.

Along with some awesome vintage little people (you know, the cute but choking-hazard sized ones) and a super-sweet old school speak and spell, the girls have inherited their dad's old Star Wars toys. Now there are many little boys out there (and plenty of little girls, too) who will see these photos and know exactly who each and every character is and what every gizmo on every ship does. My girls have pretty much no clue when it comes to Star Wars aside from knowing who C3PO is and that an Ewok is a cute little bear thing. But hey, that Ewok Village is a super cool fairy fort and the ship (I don't even know the name of the ship) is a vehicle on which Canada Geese take their revenge for invading their no-fly zone. And don't even try to tell them that Rancor is someone you wouldn't want to mess with. They'll tell you he is just misunderstood and that, like my favorite three year old, his bark is worse than his bite - nothing a little swaddling and rocking won't cure. Yeah, dad has some work to do when it comes to teaching these two about the ins and outs of his childhood favorite movies.

"You dare to land in my territory??"

Goose attack!

Poor little Rancor. Do you need a hug?

There there, little buddy. We'll find someone who will return you to your former days of ferocious glory.

A visit from Grandma

2011-05-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's always super exciting when Grandma comes to visit! It was even more so this time because the kids were out of school for Spring break and got to enjoy filling their days with the kind of play only a Grandma can provide. The other great thing about Grandma visiting is that I can count on her to take lots of great pictures of all the fun and post them on her blog. Just looking through them tires me out - we managed to cram quite a few outings (and some shopping, too) into a one week visit!

Grandma gives great foot rubs!

We made rainbow cookies for St. Patrick's day. Don't they look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book??

Having fun in Tillamook where the stickers kept Maryn "content" while we waited for our food. Gotta love that girl's vocabulary!

Grandma had fun meeting Eli - and look, they match!

We did a little bit of everything - from pastries and play at the pirate park to cheese sandwiches and ice cream in Tillamook, even a ride on a camel at OMSI. But I think the kids had the most fun the night Chris and I were able to go out and they got Grandma all to themselves :)

The trip went by too quickly and now we get to catch up via Skype chats until we can see both Grandma and Grandpa in July. We're counting down the days already!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Our little bunnies wish you a happy and joyous Easter:

May your day be filled with the hope of the risen Lord!

the crazies

2011-04-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've been going through all our photos from the last few months, preparing to play blog catch-up. But this one - this one I have to post immediately. Oh my, those kids of mine are as different as night and day and so precious in their own uniqueness. This is what happened when I told the kids I wanted to take a picture. Maryn went in for the hug and Lucy put on her usual "funny face" complete with random hand positions.

I am so thankful to be "mom" to these two crazy kids!

Winter Walk

2011-04-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the longest winters. Ever. So much rain, too many gray-sky days and swarms of oppressive clouds coming too close for comfort. But every once in a while the sun breaks through, claiming victory over the clouds and providing a crisp, clear backdrop for a walk around the duck pond. How we all treasure those days of sun, so much more precious in the midst of a dreary, cold winter. Here's to hoping that posting these photos will remind the sun that it is in fact Spring and time for her to quit playing hide and seek - she's got work to do!

This photo cracks me up - Maryn is letting me know with her worried finger-pointing that Lucy is "too close" to the water. I don't know if it's a first child thing, or just my kiddo's personality, but she really watches out for her sister! Oh, and Lucy was in no danger of falling in the pond :)

This is looking out over the little airport across from the pond and library. I can't wait to take more walks here when the sun returns!

A day of happy hearts...

2011-04-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Oh, it was a happy day indeed. Our first happy heart day came a year after Lucy's surgery and was my way of letting go of the fear and the guilt I had carried to that point, replacing it instead with gratitude and hope. Gratitude for the ways God carried us through a difficult time, and hope for the future - both Lucy's and our family's. Each year at the end of January, on the anniversary of that day, I take a deep breath, say a prayer of thanks, and spend time remembering the amazing ways we were cared for during our hardest moments. I remember so many gestures that, while simple, gave us back our breath and helped us move forward instead of staying stuck in fear. I never want to forget those things, the lessons I learned and the empathy and compassion I hope I will carry forward as a result. Though we may not make a big deal of celebrating the day each year, I will always be brought back to that place - the memories are years old now but still carry the immediacy and rawness I felt living through those days.

The kids, however (sharing none of my sappy sentimentality), saw this anniversary as the perfect chance to relive a highlight of our time at the hospital - riding the tram and eating at the Spaghetti Factory :) So that is just what we did. Oh, we also pranced around Grandma's backyard with a dozen heart balloons. Thanks to my mom and dad, and dear friends Jess and Matt for joining in celebrating the day with us and for being a tangible reminder of God's provision in our lives. You make our hearts happy and full!

Be Mine

2011-02-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! Although it is kind of a silly holiday (shouldn't we celebrate love and friendship every day?) it is an extra special one for our family as we celebrate our annual Happy Heart Day at the end of January and the anniversary of our first date (9 years ago today!).Whatever you do today, I hope it is shared with someone you love (friends count too!).

From our annual Happy Heart Day celebration!

January rewind

2011-02-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

January came and went just as quickly as December. It was a whirlwind of packing up the old, ringing in the new, re-acquainting ourselves with familiar routines and throwing in some new ones for good measure. It was a good month! Here are some of the more mundane moments of January - the things that filled our days and the breaths in between the hustle and bustle.

I love how Maryn seeks this spot each morning - she gathers all her things around the heat vent and contentedly sits and draws or reads until it is time to get ready for the day. This time of year we're all a bit leonine as we stalk the heat or occasional spot of sun, then pounce and claim it like predators - eager and grateful for warmth!

The kids learned all about football from Chris and we had "family football" Sundays. They now probably know more about the rules of the game than I do. As you can see, Lucy got pretty into it!

We celebrated my Dad's birthday, complete with German chocolate cake. Happy birthday, Papa!

The kids are now fort-building experts and no fort is complete without twinkle lights! I would love to have a permanent fort like this one, but I guess the magic is in the building and reconstructing just as much as the finished hide-out.

I just really like these photos! The girls put together some awesome outfits (or "ensembles" in Fancy Nancy speak) and I love how colorful they were that day. They pretty much eschew pants for the most part, unless worn under a dress or a skirt. And the more color and pattern, the better! Oh, and Maryn has been talking to me a lot about "taste" lately. As in "mom, I think you would like this - it's your taste," especially when talking about clothes or fashion. Maybe she's caught one too many episodes of Project Runway??

Speaking of funny sayings, the other day Lucy watched a flock of birds take to the sky, then very seriously asked "are they migrating, or your-grating?" We all absorbed that for a minute than burst out in giggles. These kids are too much!

I made good on the "eat more healthfully" resolution by adding spinach to our smoothies. The kids generally do not like plain fruit, but will drink pretty much anything in a smoothie. We make ours by throwing in large handfuls of frozen strawberries and blueberries, adding a couple of heaping spoonfuls of plain yogurt, tossing in some washed spinach leaves and covering it all with OJ. Sometimes I add a bit of honey if the berries are at all tart. Yummy and healthy!

The dark winter mornings necessitate something cheery with your caffeinated beverage of choice, and I enjoyed every last sip of coffee from my new rosy mug. I felt guilty buying it in December when I should have been shopping for everyone else, but after using it just about every day this month I consider it money well spent.

So, that's our January rundown, minus one or two things I may (or, let's just be honest, may not) post about later. So far, so good, 2011!

snow day

2010-12-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

I have some more advent activities to share, but my mind is a bit sluggish tonight so I'll have to work on that post tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few photos of the "snow" day we had back in November.

They canceled school due to fears of icy roads - the snow was only a few inches deep, but the temperature was below freezing for a while. Poor Chris had to walk all the way to work because the bus never came. It will become his "when I was your age, I walked four miles in the snow!" story he can tell the kids when we're old and cantankerous and lamenting the end of the good old days.

The kids had fun using baby spoons to scrape the snow off the car, then had a snow tea party on the back deck while I stayed warm and toasty with my cup of coffee and watched them from the back door. It was a perfect day, and a much appreciated break!

Advent activities days 3-5

2010-12-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

Advent DAY 3: make bead necklaces

One of Maryn's best friends from school came over to play and we made some necklaces and decorated cookies. I love watching the kids form their own friendships at school (the one between Maryn and her friend E is so sweet!) but I hope no matter how many friends they have, the relationship they share as sisters will always come first.

My Aunt once gave my mom a jewelery box with the saying "A sister is a special friend." I loved that idea, and am having so much fun watching these two and the way they love each other!

I just can't get enough of that dimple!

DAY 4: Put up Christmas lights

This is our second Christmas at our house and our first time putting up lights. I think I would have preferred white icicles, but the kids love color so we went with the big bold ones! I ran out of lights about 3 feet from the end of our house, and while the perfectionist in me cringes at the last unlit stretch I don't think I care enough to climb a ladder again. They're "good enough!"

DAY 5: Pick out our Christmas tree

We went to the same family-run tree farm as last year and found a perfect tree. Last year we had to put the camera on a timer and take a picture ourselves, but this year my mom joined us and took a great family photo for us. Thanks, mom!

Along with our daily Advent activity, we also read part of the Christmas story (or another related verse) from the Bible. Tonight it was Luke chapter two which describes Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem and Jesus' birth in the stable. Maryn asked the question "did Jesus save the world when he was a baby?" To which I responded "God sent him to save the world, but he had to grow up first." Maryn thought about it a bit and said "yeah, he was probably one or two at least." By that logic, Maryn is well past her prime at the ripe old age of five!

I hope you had a good, family fun filled weekend as well! Now to think up some more ideas for this week's Advent activities...

Advent days 1 & 2

2010-12-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of our Advent calendar:

They're the same paper cups from last year, but hung on a ribbon with mini clothespins instead of hanging from a tree branch (which kept falling over, or dropping the cups on the floor). The ribbon is over the chalkboard so I have to lift the kids up to pull out the paper with the day's activity. Having it placed out of reach also keeps them from taking out all the papers and shuffling them up!

Day 1 - Paper countdown chain

We used the same pack of Christmas scrapbook paper (bought at Target last year) to make our paper chain. Does anyone have a good idea of something to do with the paper strips once they've been pulled off the chain? So far the girls are using them as bracelets.

Day 2 - hot chocolate

In adorable little santa mugs - $.50 each from the Goodwill. We'll get lots of use out of these tiny mugs this month!

Christmasy cranberry muffins

2010-12-03T07:28:00.000-08:00

I made these muffins with my girlies yesterday to celebrate the first day of advent. They are the perfect morning muffin - not too sweet, slightly spicy, with a nutty crunch and a bit of a tart bite (not to mention lovely color) from the fresh cranberries. The recipe is originally from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I cut the recipe in half, used slightly less sugar, omitted the figs (although I bet they'd be great, we didn't have any on hand), substituted pecans for hazelnuts and added a bit of orange zest. I'll post the modified recipe here. Enjoy!

Christmas Cranberry Muffins (adapted from Ina's cranberry harvest muffins)

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter melted and cooled
3/4 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners, or use non-stick spray. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients (egg, milk and melted butter) in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Stir in the sugars, then fold the cranberries and nuts into the batter. Fill muffin cups to the top with batter and bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

They're also delicious as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea!

* thankful *

2010-11-30T23:32:00.000-08:00

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all those out there in blog-land. We're so thankful to the friends and family who check in here - the fact that you even care enough to want to know what we're up to means so much. I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgiving weekends filled with yummy food and time with family and friends.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and some of their friends. It was a really perfect and relaxed day. And the food was pretty amazing. Just look at the size of the turkey:

I wish I had the foresight to take a picture of the table to document all the work that went into the wonderful food, but my stomach got the better of me and I forgot all about the camera. Luckily my mom had hers and our friends took some fun pictures of the family:

I absolutely LOVE holiday weekends because they mean we get extra family time. We used Friday to reward the kids for filling out their star chart (a make-shift behavior chart where the kids earned stars for good behavior). Chuck-E-Cheese was surprisingly uncrowded and Chris and I had as much fun as the kids. We were all pretty sad to have dad go back to work on Monday but it helped knowing we made the most of the days he had off.

Here is a picture of our "mantel" decorated for Thanksgiving. We don't really have much in the way of decorations, but the kids bring home lots of fun crafts from school and the end result is pretty festive:

And now the Christmas season is here again. Thanksgiving things are put away, Christmas decor is making its way around the house, and the Advent calendar is making its second appearance tomorrow. Hopefully I'll do a better job of documenting things this year. Tomorrow's activity is a paper count-down chain - the kids have been begging for one since we saw it decorating a table of books at Powell's. They'll be so excited to make their own! I just love the simple pleasures of Christmas!

lately

2010-11-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

A silly Lucy face:

And her newest trick "I see two mommies":

Maryn's hair is finally long enough for french braids (though my patience for creating said braids is still a little short):

Happy Friday!

baby love

2010-11-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

Our dear, dear friends were blessed with a newborn baby boy last week and I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of hours with them taking pictures of their precious family. Here are a few photos of sweet baby Eli at three days old.

Isn't he such a cutie?? It's so fun getting to play "aunt" to this little guy, and he is definitely already like a cousin to my kiddos. They just love touching his soft skin and rubbing is fuzzy little head. And Jess looks pretty fabulous for having a three day old, especially considering baby E was a nice 9 lbs, 13 oz at birth. You're my hero, Jess!

We have prayed so much for you, little one, and can't wait to see the wonderful things God has in store for you!

Halloween

2010-11-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween, but it sure is fun to see all the littles dressed up! I hope your holiday was safe and fun and that the sugar highs were short lived :)

I thought I'd do a little rundown of the kids costumes through the years:

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

Awww...they grow up so fast!

10 on Tuesday

2010-10-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the catch-up installment of 10 on Tuesday (or possibly Thursday, which is when this will finally be ready to post), in which I share some things we've been cooking and baking lately and just otherwise catch-up on life.

1. We had some friends and my parents over for dinner Saturday to carve pumpkins and eat yummy short-ribs (I've never tried a Smitten Kitchen recipe that wasn't wonderful!). It was Jess' due date, and that little dude has yet to make his appearance. She still somehow found the energy and lightness of foot to dance with the "princesses." If you listen closely you can hear Lucy singing the song from Beauty and the Beast (and the guys in the background watching football).

2. It's rainy and cold this week so I'm making my Dad's beef stew. So homey and comforting!

3. If you're counting, that's two meals made with beef in 4 days - which is more than we've eaten in 6 months. Something about the chill in the air makes me crave slow cooked meat. Strange.

4. Due in large part to my friend Lisa (whose blog you absolutely should make a regular read as it includes awesome, healthy recipes and great advice for keeping a tidy, organized home and raising children who love God) I've gone through several cans of pumpkin making pumpkin waffles, pumpkin scones (recipe coming soon), pumpkin muffin/doughnuts, and mini pumpkin cupcakes (with cream cheese frosting, of course!). I've given lots away, but not before eating at least 5 pounds worth myself (at least that's what my scale tells me).

Mini muffins dipped in cinnamon-sugar from Lisa's recipe

5. Although probably imprudent due to our tiny house and budget, we recently bought a piano. Our sweet neighbor was going to put it on craigslist but happily sold it to us instead - plus the move was super easy as we just had to get it across the street. The girls have loved banging out tunes and Chris and I are looking forward to learning a few, too. Can anyone say Christmas carols?? Here's a picture of the kiddos with a Disney storybook as sheet music. I'm loving their creative songwriting :)

6. I'd love to learn how to play this song. It's always been one of my favorite hymns and Sufjan's arrangement of it is so ethereal and soul-stirring. It makes me cry every time.

7. Chris and I can't wait for date night this week because we finally get to see Sufjan live!

8. We're gearing up for a family fundraiser in January and hope to raise lots of money for Preemptive Love, an amazing organization that provides heart surgeries to kids in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Read more about their recent work here, and join us by praying in advance for the families whose lives will be changed by receiving these surgeries.

9. Here's another random picture of the kids from a couple of months ago. They love to help clean the house, especially anything they can spray and wipe down. They also like to sing the Cinderella song while they work - does that make me the evil stepmother?

10. You've probably noticed that my kids are dressed in a costume in just about all of these pictures. The minute we step in the door the fancy dresses come out and aren't put away until bedtime (and sometimes not even then). I'm loving this stage of life with them - their imaginations are boundless! I'm working on stretching my own imaginative muscles and find it sad that it is such hard work. I hope they keep their sense of wonder and fun forever!

What are some things you've been enjoying/thinking about/cooking/doing this week?

Falling for Fall

2010-09-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for the bad pun. But really, I'm head over heels for Fall. My girls prefer to say "autumn" as it's more regal and it does seem to evoke the majestic tapestry of turning leaves in waning light that surrounds us this time of year. However, I still like plain old Fall - a somewhat plain but homey word that conjures the coziness of staying in under homemade quilts drinking spiced cider by candlelight. We celebrated the first picture-perfect day of Fall with a trip to the apple orchard. It's strange looking at pictures of blue skies taken just a day ago while hearing rain drops on the roof today. But the dreary weather is the perfect backdrop to a day spent inside making applesauce!

Maryn wore a bright flowery dress yesterday and had to borrow my sweater to keep from attracting bees. I left my purse in the car while we picked and just put my keys in the sweater. Well, as we got ready to leave I realized my keys were no longer in the pocket of the sweater. We had walked ALL OVER the orchard and I had no idea where the keys could be. After praying for help, we retraced some of our steps and found the keys in less than five minutes. A little miracle!

Better Together

2010-09-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

I've been LOVING the adorable videos that Rubyellen of Cakies has been posting of her sweet family and decided it was high time we did something with our videos, too! We recently bought a little Flip camera off craigslist and the kids have been playing with it non-stop. I love that we have their little voices and mannerisms captured for posterity (and for future embarrassment when they hit high school).

Here's a recap of our month so far - it's been a fun one!

September from jessica ballanti on Vimeo.

What has been your favorite part of September so far?

The Hike

2010-09-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

This one deserved a post of its own! On our last full day at Wallowa Lake my mom and I decided to take the kids on a hike. Our friends told us about an easy 1-mile round trip hike up to a bridge and back that was quite doable for little legs and short attention spans. So off we went!

Here are the kids at the trail-head: ready to go!

And here we are at the bridge:
Only that seemed just a little too easy. That couldn't have been half a mile, could it? They must have been talking about ANOTHER bridge. So we kept going.

The picture above of my mom carrying Lucy pretty much epitomized the rest of our hike. Right after we crossed the bridge we stopped for a little snack - and Lucy wound up wiping sunscreen in her eyes. The poor baby was miserable and weepy, yet I pushed us to go on anyway - we'd made it this far, right? How much could we have left to go?

Only another mile and a half! Not bad for two adults, but the kiddos would have been fine stopping at the bridge. Towards the end, we reached this amazing view:

And a few steps later we were at the waterfall. Poor Lucy is still rubbing her itchy watery eyes and Maryn looks drugged and tired:

We turned around to go back and as I had assured Maryn on our way up: going down is always 10x easier. Until you take a tumble and scrape your hand in sight of the car at the trailhead (poor Maryn!)

Only one thing could console us - Ice Cream! Everything's better with a little sugary treat:

And that is the story of how we survived our 3+ mile hike. Now anytime the girls complain about a long walk or bike ride, I remind them that if they could finish that hike, they can do anything! They are very proud of themselves for having made it, but request that we keep it to shorter hikes from now on. I think my mom agrees :)

Wallowa Lake

2010-08-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

It has taken me so long to write this post because I have no idea how to begin to capture our time at Wallowa Lake in one little blog post. We were invited to join some friends of ours who have been camping here with their family for 30 + years. I definitely understand why they keep coming back. Thank you to the Wallowa crew for your patience with our neophyte camping skills and endless questions. Thanks for making us feel so welcome and comfortable and for sharing your stories and camping gear with us. We're so grateful!

Unfortunately Chris had to work and couldn't come with us, but my wonderful Mom signed on for the adventure. Thanks so much, Mom, for making this vacation possible. We couldn't have done it without you! Unlike Chris' family, mine did not grow up camping. The closest we came was staying in a motel near Sequoia while the rest of my aunts and uncles "roughed it" in tents. We were a little nervous starting out, not knowing exactly what to pack or if we could assemble our tents. But with some help from our friends we were good to go, and now I think we've caught the camping bug. We're so looking forward to going again next year (the kids ask every day when we are going camping again!), and maybe we'll finally master lighting a campfire :)

For a more detailed recap of some of our adventures and outings, (including the very first encounter with the ubiquitous deer) check out my friend Michelle's blog. Thank you, Michelle, for inviting us to come with you and for showing such grace to us as we peppered you with questions and requests for help. You and Brian win the award for being cool under pressure and for teaching me how to find perspective and maintain faith despite crazy circumstances. We're so grateful and blessed to have friends like you!

Now, finally, here are the pictures!

Nothing better than breakfast outside!

For my kids, the deer were the most memorable part of the trip. They came home with a little deer family they play with every day. For the adults they were just a nuisance!

Lucy took these two pictures with my camera:

Sorry, Brian :)The kids played for hours on the grass beside the lake:

Maryn and Lucy made some great new friends on this trip! Here is Maryn with her friend E - they are working hard to build some kind of stick and pine cone stockpile.
Love these ones - you make me smile!:

As we took this next photo we knew the kids would look like we photoshopped them into the picture - the scenery here is just unreal!:

Quiet time at the campsite:
The kids had so much fun playing at doing art projects:

Michelle thoughtfully brought some cool solar paper the kids used to make designs with found nature objects. Super fun!

Joseph is the little town right outside Wallowa Lake. It is the epitome of a cute artsy community. We were there during Chief Joseph Days where the whole town gears up for the rodeo. The kids saw a "stampede" and enjoyed checking out the town:

This one is for DB and Laurel - maybe Maryn will follow in your rowing/rafting footseps!

This was right before the stampede - We were all tired and hot and cranky and the door totally captures Maryn's mood :)

Campfire cuddling:

double rainbow soup

2010-08-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

As far as food goes, tortilla soup is one of my first loves. I was never much of a veggie girl, or a soup girl for that matter, but tortilla soup somehow escaped my picky eating rules. Maybe it was the cheese melting over everything, or the crispy crunchy tortilla bits that made each bite a sensory surprise, or maybe it was just the context. In my mind tortilla soup is inextricably linked with memories of my mom and our sporadic Coco's dates where, as a rule, we shared a meal of soup, salad and (of course!) pie as we talked through the ups and downs of life during my middle school and high school years.

Naturally I was thrilled when a friend offered me a super easy recipe for a delicious soup. It is perfect for cold nights when you need something hot and quick. The original recipe uses a family size can of Campbell's chicken and rice soup, to which you add the required water, plus a can of black beans (drained), some frozen corn, diced cooked chicken, a can of tomatoes (the kind with green chiles is great) and some cilantro at the end. Chris especially likes the rice in the soup, and it doesn't get any easier than dumping everything in and letting it simmer for a bit while you put some yummy cornbread in the oven to go with it.

The pictures are my summer version of this soup. I decided to try a from-scratch version, that still uses some canned ingredients but takes advantage of the delicious farmer's market veggies that abound this time of year. Here's the "recipe" I use (keep in mind it changes each time I make it. I'm hoping that typing it out will help me remember for next time!)

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a dutch oven or soup pot. Add 2 or 3 diced carrots and some minced garlic and saute for a few minutes. Meanwhile chop 1 green zuchinni and 1 yellow summer squash into 1/4" pieces and add them to the pot. Add 6 cups water and 2 heaping Tbsps organic chicken bullion stuff (from Costco), or use 1 box (4 cups) chicken stock + two cups water. While the soup is simmering, dice 2 or 3 chicken breasts and saute in a little oil, adding salt and a hefty pinch or two of cumin. Add cooked chicken to soup. Dump in a drained can of black beans, a cup or so of frozen corn (you could use fresh here, too) and a can of diced tomatoes with green chile (we get them from Trader Joe's). That's it! Simmer for a bit and you're good to go.

I used to put a pot of rice directly in the soup but the rice did not hold up in leftovers during reheating. Instead I make the rice on the side and spoon some in the bowls before ladeling the soup over. For leftovers I just save the soup and rice separately and combine them in the bowl before reheating.

We serve the soup with grated cheese, chopped cilantro. diced avocado and of course chips. The blue corn ones add to the rainbow effect :)

Let me know how it turns out if you try it! I'd also love to hear your favorite summer recipes, especially ones that entice kids to eat their veggies.

*I stole the double rainbow name from this crazy youtube video, which some brilliant(?) person took and autotuned to make this annoyingly catchy song. I thought naming the soup something fun would get my kids to eat it :)

So Cal trip, Part II

2010-06-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

You'll understand the delay in this post when you see the massive amount of photos I have from the girls' first magical trip to DISNEYLAND!!! We were so grateful to be able to stay with Uncle Smylie who happens to live mere minutes from the park, making it easy to explore Downtown Disney one day and Disneyland the next. And best of all, Grandma Carol was in on the fun! The kids are at a perfect age to really experience the magic of a fantasy world come to life and the whole day was pretty much perfect.

Downtown Disney:

Having fun at the Lego store

These are for Little Mister C who LOVES Star Wars

The girls thoroughly enjoyed their first Build A Bear experience. Thanks Grandma Carol!

A pink Ariel bear, complete with red wig
Lucy loves her Snow White puppy!

DISNEYLAND!!

Maryn's favorite ride was Dumbo beacause she got to "soar." We rode this at least 3 times.

Aunt Betty and cousin Colette met us at Disneyland. Colette has twin boys that were born 4 days after Maryn - we call them the triplets:

Aunt Betty

Maryn and JJ rode Big Thunder Mountain
This is Lucy dancing during the parade on Main Street.
So impressed by Colette's ability to carry two 4 year olds!

Riding the monorail

Maryn got to drive!!! Scary :)

Lucy was plumb tuckered out as we waited for the tram to the car

The celebratory toast - we survived Disneyland!!

So Cal trip, Part I

2010-06-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Way back in April the kids and I embarked on a little road trip to visit my family in Southern California. We were gone for about a week and a half and managed to squeeze a whole lot of adventure into that time. The first part of our journey brought us to my grandmother's house. The kids LOVE their GG (short for great-grandma of course), and I am so thankful they are getting a chance to know this amazing woman who has been such a big part of my life. We then got to hang out with my brother and sister-in-law. Tom even babysat for me while I went to a baby shower for Chris' cousin Erica (whose baby has now arrived! Welcome to the world, little Z!)

Another great part of the visit was celebrating my dear friend Erin's engagement!!! Erin and I were in Girl Scouts together way back when and it is such a joy to continue the friendship we started all those years ago. Her fiance just happens to live around the corner from my brother, so we met up with yet another dear friend (and her husband and adorable daughter) for breakfast and play time at the park. Whew! I'm tired just recounting all of that! Speaking of tired, please disregard my horibbly puffy eyes in these pictures :)

We had an amazing time seeing wonderful family and friends. I miss everyone already!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T09:02:00.001-07:00

It is still strange and surreal to me to be on this end of Mother's Day, not only honoring my own wonderful mom and mom-in-law but being the recipient of cards and calls from my own family and friends.

Even with an almost five-year old I still feel like I'm winging it a lot of the time, that I in no way posses the quiet assurance and confidence the word "mom" conjures in my head - the way my mom looked to me as I handed her a bouquet of flowers picked from my Grandma's garden with a crayon-scrawled mother's day card in my fist. Now I realize that my mom also felt this way, that while my daughters may see me as invincible they will grow up to discover the insecurities and second guessing that each seemingly confident decision contains.

And of course I appreciate my own mom and my amazing mother-in-law more than ever, understanding the courage, sacrifice and worry that accompany this most wonderful and difficult job. Thank you both for being amazing models of selfless love and for being the best grandparents my kids could have! We love you!

This year my mom and I got to celebrate with a lovely tea at the Smith Berry Barn. The weather was perfect, the ambiance relaxing, and the food was wonderful! I hope they decide to serve tea again next year so we can make it a tradition.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

a kite flying day

2010-04-05T02:49:00.001-07:00

I have great memories of flying kites with my Grandpa at a park near his house - he had some amazing kites and we had so much fun running down the big hill to get them in the air. I decided the kids were ready for some kite-flying of their own and after buying (and then returning) a cool but huge Elephant kite from Costco, I realized that dollar store kites were more their speed. My kids were quite excited to have Dora staring them down as they tried to make her fly. Two dollars and an afternoon well spent!

Knittin'

2010-03-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yet another reason I should have been born a hundred years ago is my irrational love of and appreciation for knitting. Part of that love, I'm sure, comes from the fact that I can choose whether or not to do it and it is not a matter of necessity for the warmth of myself and my family. But I do somehow feel the otherwise intangible connection with the past every time I grab a pair of needles and some yarn and proceed to make the same stitches women (and men!) everywhere have made for generations upon generations. It's a great feeling to make something practical and beautiful from such humble raw materials, and the very act of knitting is soothing and meditative (once you get past the initial frustration of learning a new craft). I love that when I give someone something I've knit, I'm also passing along hopes and prayers that have been added to each stitch, thoughts of the person who will be wearing it and of course the love that goes into thing made by hand. Not to mention a sermon or two as I find knitting at church or Bible study actually helps me concentrate better :)

Here are some photos of my finished "Olympic" sweater:
From this:
to this (in two weeks!):

I set up the camera on a tripod and used a timer to take some pictures and of course the girls had to get in on the action:
Here's a scarf I made for spring - after so much knitting at Christmas it was nice to do some "selfish knitting"

I have a hard time making hats that fit because I get so excited to wear them that they turn out too short! My kids' heads are well-covered, though!

The thing I love more than the knitting itself is sharing it with others, so if you want to learn I'd love to teach you (or attempt to, as I have no real teaching prowess. But we'd have fun trying!)

What crafty/arty things do you love to do?? I am always amazed at the talents my friends and family possess, and would love to see more - it's so inspiring!

10 on Tuesday

2010-02-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a smattering of 10 random things I've been pondering but not yet posted. I got this idea from my friend Katherine and will try to make this a weekly list - maybe that will help me post more often!

1. I know it's technically Wednesday (umm, Thursday now) but I thought about posting yesterday, so it still counts as "10 on Tuesday," right?

2. We had the most amazing sunny, warm (for February) weather the last few days. Here's a bit of spring from our yard to brighten up what has turned into a cloudy, gray and misty day.
3. My mother in law's friend made this sweater for Lucy when she was a baby and it still fits! I love Lu's sense of style and have fun seeing what she walks out of the room wearing in the morning:

4. Lately I've been obsessed with all things Jane Austen, mostly due to this PBS miniseries which has aired over the last three weeks. I loved this most recent adaptation of Emma, but I also watched the 1996 version (with Gwenyth Paltrow) and Clueless last week for comparison's sake. Which brings me to

5. Netflix. We recently joined and oh boy am I in trouble. You can watch movies streaming from the computer ANY TIME and AS OFTEN AS YOU WANT. You probably already know this because you've had Netflix forever (why am I always so behind on the cool stuff?) It all started when I had the brilliant idea to cancel my more expensive gym membership and rent fitness DVD's to work out at home, but I think the plan is backfiring as I spent every night of the last week firmly planted on the couch absorbed in one 90's chick flick after the next. I hope (for my husband's sake) the novelty wears off soon.

6. These songs make me happy

7. We got a swing from Ikea as a Christmas gift (thank you Carissa!) and I was hesitant to hang it as our house is small and I didn't want big silver hook-things stuck in the living room ceiling. The other day inspiration struck and I hung it in the kitchen from the hooks that are still there from the previous owner's pot rack. Now we have the perfect activity for those rainy afternoons when we're all going stir crazy.

8. If you knit you should really join Ravelry, a website that has hundreds of free patterns and an archive of basically any and every knitting pattern and yarn known to man. They are also doing something called the Ravelympics where you start knitting something during the opening ceremonies of the olympics and finish by the time the games end two weeks later. I'm actually excited about the olympics this year! Hopefully I'll have a sweater to show you in two weeks time. And yes, I know I'm a knitting nerd :)

9. My poor Grandma has been dealing with some health issues lately and had to have emergency surgery a couple of weeks ago. She has been on my mind a lot and could sure use your prayers if you think of it. Love you, Grandma!

10. Carol brought up some delicious and beautiful lemons from her garden when she visited us at Christmas time. We're down to the last few and rationing them for special things. One was this yummy and buttery cake.
The next will be these scones. Do you know if they still sell fresh cranberries after Thanksgiving?

It was surprisingly difficult to come up with 10 things. I hope I can think of 10 more for next week! Let me know if I'm boring you and I'll try something else next time :)

sharing the love...

2010-01-28T13:12:00.001-08:00

Hello blog! Welcome to 2010. I'm sorry I've been neglectful of late, but there's this little thing called Facebook that has stolen my attention. I hope to rectify my negligence soon, and will start by posting pictures (that's all anyone really wants, anyway, right??).

These are the result of a spontaneous photo shoot last week. It was the perfect end to a PERFECT day full of sweet treats (Krispy Kreme!) and sweet finds (vintage teal suitcases!). The photos were inspired by this sweet (and amazingly talented) photography friend and hopefully brought a sweet smile to my wonderful grandma who has been in the hospital (but gets to go home tomorrow!). What better way to get in the Valentines mood than with a day full of sweetness? I hope your day includes lots of sweet things, too :0)

(Sorry if this is redundant, all you facebook peeps!)

Are we done yet???

Advent

2009-12-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season is upon us, and I for one am so happy to see all of the twinkling lights appearing on houses around the neighborhood and the glow from trees winking in windows at dusk. Thanksgiving is usually my favorite holiday, but this year I am so ready to nestle in with my family and reflect on the beauty and joy surrounding the celebration of Christ's birth. It helps, of course that we'll get to celebrate with all our family this year as Chris's parents and sister and my brother and sister in law will be here. The best part of the holidays for me is being with family!

Instead of the usual TJ's advent calendar - the one with the cute picture on the front and many doors opening to promises of chocolate within - I was inspired by all of the beautiful, homemade calendars I've seen on crafty blogs and decided to make my own. Ours is a hybrid of the origami cup idea from Kids Craft Weekly and this organic, earthy one from the Red Thread.

The origami cups are made from scrapbook paper from Target and will hold ideas of things to do each day that emphasize family time, doing for others, and spending time together creatively. Unfortunately I was struck down with a stomach bug on the first day and the scheduled activity (getting cupcakes with friends) was replaced by a trip to Wendy's with Daddy. That's life, huh? At least it was still family (-1) time.

Tonight we're getting the new Dora Christmas movie from Redbox which we will watch together after dinner. Fun times, I tell you!

We're also doing something called a Jesse tree that goes through the whole redemptive history of Israel leading up to Christ's birth. A friend sent me a file with corresponding pictures for the kids to color each day that they can then hang (or tape, in our case) on a tree. So far, they seem to be enjoying it and listening to the story. We'll see how the next 22 days go!

What things mean Christmas to you? Do you have any special family traditions, or ideas for fun things to do as a family that help you reflect on the meaning of the season? Please share!

(PS - I've been living vicariously through Chris' sister Laurel while she travels through New Zealand and Australia before joinging us here for Christmas. Click here or on the Laurel link to the right and be as enthralled as I am with hobbit-land and and gorgeous hikes. I can't wait to see the photos and hear the stories in person!)

This is what happens when Grandma visits...

2009-09-29T15:17:00.001-07:00

I might get in trouble for posting this video, but it's too cute not to. Here's a video of Lucy, watching a video of herself with Grandma:

What do you do when they LOVE watching videos of themselves but hate the act of being videotaped? It's a conundrum.

calling all crafters

2009-08-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

We've been up to all kinds of fun things in the last couple of weeks: Vacation Bible School, Lucy's birthday party, general life stuff. But all of that will have to wait because I just HAVE to share this first!

I came across a blog post that mentioned a fabric/sewing supply/yarn drive called Iraqi Bundles of Love. Basically, someone stationed overseas in Iraq saw a need among Iraqi women for sewing supplies, both for their families and for small businesses. Here's the link to his blog and the information on how/what to send. The premise is that quilters, crafters and knitters are bound to have stashes of fabric, yarn and other supplies laying around for those projects we've always planned to get to but that, three years later, are still sitting unused in the bag from Joannes. (Or maybe it's just me :) Anyway, for just over $11 in shipping costs we can put together boxes of our extra fabric and supplies to help an Iraqi woman clothe her family. (You can also get really cheap fabric and yarn from a Goodwill store if you'd like to participate but don't have stuff sitting around like I do). I love that it is such a grassroots thing that has spread far beyond what anyone ever expected - he had to get a warehouse just to store all of the packages he's received so far! The deadline for sending boxes is September 7th - this guarantees they will get there before his company returns home.

Check it out!

One, two buckle my shoe....

2009-08-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today this silly girl is two. Two years of joy, laughter, fiestiness and fun (is fiestiness even a word??? It is now!) Lucy at two is full of sass and sweetness rolled into one. She loves to give hugs and big messy kisses and makes the FUNNIEST faces while praying. She will eat almost any fruit and tolerates her broccolli but especially loves salmon and chocolate (though not at the same time). She is a people-person and lights up around her grandparents, but she has a special fondness for her big sister - although she is no longer so agreeable about sharing her toys. Her favorite phrase is "do it myself." Yes, she is most deffinitely two!

Taking time to stop and smell the roses...err, shrub.

cannon beach 09

2009-07-31T00:37:00.000-07:00

We've had record breaking temperatures in Portland this week. It feels more like Phoenix than the supposedly rainy Pacific Northwest. My dad joined us for a trip to the beach to escape the heat (although today was comparatively cool here at only 94 degrees!) The girls just LOVE the water and spent most of their time running in and out of the waves, screaming and giggling in pure ecstasy. It was a perfect day!

(You may remember these photos from our last trip to Cannon Beach. It's fun to see how much the girls have grown since then!)

Summer fun

2009-07-29T11:20:00.001-07:00

I guess I broke my promise to have vacation pictures up last week - I really should know better than to make promises where blog posts are concerned. But to save myself from the "bad blogger" award, I'll post some pictures of some things we've been up to since returning home.

Last weekend was full of time spent in Portland. One bad thing about living in the suburbs is that we rarely make it into the city to explore. I hate driving and parking downtown, and sometimes the MAX just seems like too much work. But I overcame my driving phobia to venture out to Jamison Square park. You may remember this video which was taken there two summers ago. The girls had tons of fun and we met up with our good friends Jess and Matt to sit in the shade of the trees and listen to Matt's brother play guitar. Good times!

Later that night we met up with Jess and Matt again for dinner at Andina (soo soo good - even with the tiny portions and large price tag!) and some walking around downtown. The next day we met up with some friends at Portland Saturday (and Sunday) market. Here's the only picture taken at the market...the kids hate sitting for pictures!
All in all it was a great and fun-filled weekend. I spent more time in Portland those two days than I have in the past year! I think I'll make it a goal to venture downtown at least once a month to go exploring...there are so many neighborhoods to check out (and good restaraunts and bakeries to try!).

Last week the girls and I joined Chris at his weekly volleyball game. He plays in a parks and rec intramural league throughout the year, and they play sand volleyball at a nearby park in the summer. The girls actually watched most of the game before getting bored and wandering off to play.

The waning evening light was so pretty, even the weeds looked magical!

At the end of last week we took a day trip to Lincoln City to visit Chris' aunt and cousin. Lindsey volunteers at the Newport Aquarium and we learned so much as she played tour guide through the exhibits. Thanks for a great day, Mary and Lindsey!

Maryn and Lindsay in a tunnel looking at an exhibit from the inside out!

I was so proud of Maryn for being brave enough to explore the touch-pond. I think Lindsey is a good influence!

six years...

2009-07-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Six years ago we stood at the altar pledging our lives and love to one another, for better or for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live. It's by the grace of God that we have mostly had better, but in those dark, lonely, scary times there's no one I would rather have by my side than you. Happy anniversary, hon!

On our road-trip we were able to spend some time in Carpinteria, our favorite little beach town where Chris proposed and the place we called home for the first three years of our marriage. We took a family picture at "our rock" - the closest approximation of the place where Chris asked me to be his wife (it's hard to know exactly which rock, but this is more or less it). It was strangely poignant and sentimental to return to the same spot six-plus years - and two kids - later. Though many things in our lives have changed, being back in that place makes me all the more thankful for the things that have not.

**I promise there will be more pictures of our trip later this week. In the meantime, check out Carol's blog for all of the fun times we had with them at the beginning and end of our travels.

as I was saying...

2009-04-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

After blogging about our friend little man C's funny comment at the tulip festival, I came across these cards that are so stinkin' funny. You may see a Maryn or Lucy-ism in your mailbox in the near future. Nothing like seeing the world through the mind of a child to get you smiling!

a sunny day in April

2009-04-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Now that we're back to our regularly scheduled dreary rainy spring weather I thought I'd post some pictures from our brief interlude of sun. We took advantage of a gorgeous day and went with some friends to the tulip festival in Woodburn. It ended being a little too hot and the kids were worn out quickly, but we managed to drag them away from the playhouse and tire-horse swing for a few photos with the tulips. I would love to go back here sans kids and play with my camera while frolicking through the flowers, or take the kids but leave the camera at home. Doing both was a little to exhausting and I felt like a pack mule in the desert by the time we were through. I definitely wilted more quickly than the tulips!

Maryn, little miss C and a new friend playing in the house

Little man L on the horsey swing

Maryn would not stop moving all day...this is the best shot I got!

Last shot of the day...taken by Michelle on the little golf cart ride around the fields. This is Maryn's "camera" smile and Lucy just looks hot, tired and done with being out. Did I mention she had heat rash?? Poor thing!

My favorite part of the day was probably riding there and back with Michelle and her kiddos. Maryn and little man C have so much fun together. At one point they held hands and little C said "it's just like we're married!" Too cute! Thanks for the fun day, guys!

February and March

2009-04-02T14:14:00.001-07:00

February and March seemed to drag and fly by at the same time. Here's a smattering of highlights from the last two months:

Carol and DB visited at the end of March to watch the kids while Chris and I went to a wedding in Yreka, CA. It was our first weekend away from the kiddos and we had a great time relaxing, eating Mexican food and watching March Madness/reading (guess who did what). Here's a picture of Melissa and me before the wedding - isn't she a gorgeous bride??

Carol stayed for a week to help us move into the new house. She is an amazing woman with SO much energy and is always on task. The kids loved having Grandma here and we truly could not have accomplished the move without her help. Thanks Grandma Carol! Check out her blog for more photos of all the fun (good thing someone thinks to take them!).

The girls' playing a computer game on Grandma's laptop. I think they're doing "head, shoulders, knees and toes" for the hundredth time that week.

Grandma and Maryn played preschool with all the stuffed animals. Here they are all dressed up and ready to go outside for recess.

Here are some other random photos from the last couple of months:

A family wheat grass-growing race.

Lounging with bear in doll strollers.

Maryn and Chuck-E. You'd think a rat that big would freak her out but she couldn't be happier.

Posing on St. Patrick's Day.

Lucy in her hand-knit sweater. It was my procrastination project before the move - but it was perfect for St. Patty's Day!

I hope I get some more pictures in April than I did during the past few months!

Long overdue blog post

2009-03-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is for any of you that are still checking in with the blog after months of staring at our IKEA pictures and drooling over heart cupcakes. SORRY and thanks for sticking with us. We will be back with our regularly scheduled programming shortly.

We've obviously been MIA for a while, just taking things easy, trying to shake the three-week cold that hit us in February and doing lots and lots of packing.

That's right, for anyone that hasn't heard yet, we bought a house! We've been here for about a week now and it's definitely feeling like home. It's super close to our old apartment and 10 minutes away from my parent's house. We feel so blessed and thankful to have our own house and we pray that we can make the most of the resource we've been given.

I've been letting the kids stomp around and jump and even yell a bit as we get used to having our own space and not worrying quite as much about disturbing the neighbors. While jumping and running is nice, I'm most looking forward to the decorating ;o) We've already painted two rooms and are working on ideas for the third bedroom - a guest/office area. Next on the agenda is making plans for a vegetable garden and building some raised beds before the time for spring planting passes. Oh, and also building a fence between the front and back yards so the kiddos don't escape when they go outside to play. We better get started!

I took advantage of a break in the rain yesterday and snapped some photos of the house and yard.

Front of the house: the window on the left is our room, the one on the right is the living room.

Living room: the front door is to the left of the armoire.

Kitchen/dining nook, picture taken from the living room. Notice the little imp with her Curious George getting in on the action.

More kitchen.

Girls' room

The yard came complete with 10 fruit trees - mostly pear and apple. These buds and blossoms are from one of the pear trees.

This picture cracks me up. Maryn came outside and shut the door, leaving Lucy to look forlornly out the window. But the mourning turned to dancing pretty quickly:

Maryn in the backyard enjoying the water-play table from Grandma Carol.

Spring just isn't Spring without daffodils

We hope you all can come for a visit sometime soon! Thanks for taking the virtual tour :)

Happy <3 Day!

2009-01-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

It has been one year since Lucy's little heart was patched up and we are celebrating with a day of heart shaped food and all kinds of yummy treats. I'll try to post some pictures of our festivities later tonight.

***sorry for the picture posting delay. We had so much fun yesterday that we all sacked out early!***

The girls woke up early and we had heart shaped toast with nutella for breakfast. The scarfed them down before I got a picture. Next we went to IKEA for some fun playing in the children's decor section and of course some yummy Swedish meatballs for lunch. Oh how I love IKEA!

Oh no...Grandma's being eaten by a hippo!

I'm only including this picture so you can fully appreciate the hat...It's a birthday cake with candles! Wait, it looks like I have horns...AND I'm being eaten by a hippo!

Maryn in a moment of reflection

Trying to get a picture of both girls together, AKA mission impossible.

Chris made a heart-shaped pizza for dinner and my contribution was chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting which Maryn decorated with sprinkle hearts. You may question the choice of cheesy pizza and buttery frosting for a kid with heart problems but we're just following doctor's orders :)

Heart ice cube tray from IKEA

This is kind of a birthday do-over as she was not too into cupcakes then. How things have changed!

We really wanted to do some kind of fund-raiser or to adopt a family going through something similar as a way to mark this milestone in our lives. Time and HIPAA regulations prevented us from organizing it for this year, but I wanted to mention that donations made to this Compassion International fund are used to provide medical care for children with all manner of medical conditions, including heart defects, to kids in third-world countries. We love Compassion!

There is also a really good movie that was made about the doctors who pioneered open heart surgery to save the lives of babies with Tetralogy of Fallot. It is called Something the Lord Made and stars Alan Rickman and Mos Def. It hit close to home knowing that if Lucy had been born 50 or 60 years ago there would be no treatment to save her.

We are so thankful for our sweet Lucy-goosey, for the doctors and nurses that took such wonderful care of her, for our friends who have supported us and prayed with us through it all, and for our wonderful Father who has had us in His hands the whole time.

Happy heart day, everyone!

1st Corinthians 13

2009-01-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the last post, I was really moved and inspired this week by meditating on Paul's beautiful description of love, and by a related passage in 1st John (4:7-21). One of my favorite questions from my CBS study this week had us write down each word Paul used to describe love (or love's opposite) and come up with a specific way we could put it into practice in our lives. Not surprisingly, most of mine were ways I could love my children more sacrificially and completely. I am still surprised at how selfish I can be during my day to day life with my kids. How completely lacking in patience and kindness I can be when one of the kids does something that I perceive as making my day longer, harder or messier. No wonder Maryn has a hard time sharing with her sister and Lucy hordes toys like someone is going to swipe them at any moment.

Anyway, I was sad to miss Bible study today but what better place to learn about love than right here at home. It was an especially timely lesson as the girls have been going through a really rough patch in their sisterly relationship. There were still rough moments, to be sure, but I tried to pray through them and respond in love rather than frustration or anger. And it ended up being a GREAT day. The afternoon is usually our hardest, right before Daddy gets home from work. Maryn surprised all of us by choosing to give her most cherished Cars to Lucy to play with and she patiently let Lucy direct their play instead of the other way around. It was a breakthrough. We had a totally peaceful afternoon full of play and fun. Together. Without crying, whining, shoving or swiping. Which must lead you to wonder what our days are usually like!

Really, they're not so bad. We're all in the process of learning how to put others needs before our own. How to build up instead of tear down. How to be vulnerable and risk being hurt or rejected or used and to love anyway. Learning that starts at home but radiates outward to all of those we meet and befriend along the way. Lord, teach us how to love and thank you for loving us first!

"We love because he first loved us...And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 1 John 4:19, 21

sickness and skirts

2009-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

We've been diligent about taking our vitamins, washing our hands and covering our mouths and noses, yet somehow we've ended up with ANOTHER cold. The girls and I all woke up with sore throats and runny noses so we opted to sequester ourselves at home instead of getting ready for Bible study. I was pretty bummed to miss it as we're studying 1st Corinthians and spent the last week delving into chapter 13 - the "love" chapter. The study was so good, it deserves it's own post. So more on that in a moment.

As for the colds, I think they might be coming from the kids' area at the gym. I went for the first time in a while last week and the runny noses started not long after. Yet another reason I should be waking up early to get my gym time in while the kids are still sleeping. But it's hard to go to bed when there are projects to be undertaken. Like the skirt I've been wanting to make for Maryn. It's the twirly skirt pattern from the House on Hill Road blog. Maryn picked out the fabric herself at Joann's (they are having a 40-50% off sale on fabric through next week). It's a purpley-pink floral...but she calls it "fuschia," just like Fancy Nancy.

I used the basic twirly skirt tutorial but didn't have contrasting fabric for the top and the hem. So I picked out some matching ribbon and used the technique from the Oliver + S Lazy Days skirt pattern. The ribbon is so easy and makes the edge look really tidy. I have some fabric leftover from Maryn's skirt so I might make Lucy a matching one using the Lazy Days tutorial.

I finished the skirt this morning and Maryn and I had a twirly skirt photo shoot:

Maryn twirled...

Then I had to put my twirly skirt on (no, I didn't make it!) and we twirled together...

Until we got tired and plopped down in a sunny spot to take a rest...

Before having more fun with the tripod and timer!

That's what sick-days are for!

A simple Christmas

2009-01-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

This year has to go down as one of my favorite Christmases ever. The voluminous amount of snow unwittingly helped me to pare down my "to do before Christmas" list, and while it was not totally void of some last-minute rushing, it was a far more enjoyable and contemplative season with more of a focus on relationship and quality over quantity.

Gifts this year were especially simple. We've never really gone all-out for Christmas as far as gifts go and this year I tried to be especially thoughtful and intentional with the things we gave the kids. I managed to come up with a few things I knew they would enjoy and get use out of in the year to come. I ended up giving each girl versions of the same thing to try to avoid fighting and the "her toy is better than mine" syndrome. It mostly worked.

$5 Curious George dolls from Kohls - with hand knit scarves so the girls can tell them apart.

Brown paper packages tied up with string. (they didn't stay that way for long!)

Markers, colored pencils and personalized sketch books.

This was my 4:00 am last-minute project - personalized minkee pillows (Maryn LOVES her "bumpy" blankies, so why not a bumpy pillow to match?)

Maryn got a construction kit from IKEA

And Lucy got her very own stroller (no more fighting over Maryn's - I hope)

After a leisurely morning opening gifts, Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Doug and Auntie Amanda came over for brunch and stockings. Such a wonderful morning! We missed being with the rest of the family, but it was nice to spend a Christmas at home. And I hope we can continue the tradition of a simple Christmas next year, with our without the snow.

catching up

2009-01-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

As a self-dubbed "procrastinating perfectionist" something in me needs to catch up on all of the blogging I've intended to do before I can start fresh with 2009 activities. The next few blogs will be a smattering of things we've done or random happenings from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Getting caught up (and hopefully staying that way) is a new year's goal for me. Thanks to those of you who are already helping to keep me accountable in reaching it!

Thanksgiving and gingerbread houses

2009-01-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving at Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Doug's house. The dinner was amazing, but I think Maryn, Amanda and I enjoyed decorating gingerbread houses the most.

Amanda and Maryn before the project begins

Gingerbread house making is messy work!

Maryn's house (with a little help from mommy):

Amanda's house (I love the candy cane chimney!):

Here are all three houses together (Daddy was supposed to decorate one but decided he would rather play the Wii. He was going for a white-trash look, anyway...can you tell which one is his??)

We tried to get some pictures of the girls, but they just wanted to play with the boots:

carbs=comfort

2009-01-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

I have always been a carb girl. Well, maybe more of a chocolate addict, but desserts of any kind have always been my downfall. When i was in elementary school I remember my mom asking my pediatrician how much chocolate was too much. It seems the love affair began early. It continued throughout my adolescence - I know I personally sent at least one fellow student to grad night during the See's candy fundraiser my senior year of high school. And now I'm passing the addiction on to my kids. I know I will have to curtail my dessert habits at some point but its hard when Maryn and I have so much fun baking together!

Check out Maryn's adorable apron from our friend Sandy.

A cute Maryn and Grandma baking shot - we are a family of bakers!

Our favorite cookie recipe right now is a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie from the Kutsch Family Cookbook. Chris' cousin archived the recipes online so you can find the recipe here (thanks, Denton!). We especially like this recipe because it is easily halved - a good way to keep oneself from the belly ache of over-indulgence which is an easy thing to succumb to with this recipe - you don't realize how rich they are until it is too late. You've been warned!

*The recipe is good as is, but I've found that they rise a bit better if you add a teaspoon of baking powder as well as the baking soda that the original recipe calls for. Just a tip!*

And one more recipe in honor of Erica's food challenge for November. The ingredient was yeast. I've been attempting to bake bread for the last year or so with mostly imperfect results. I've mainly used this recipe for Oatmeal Toasting Bread. While the taste is good, the loaves are always a bit dense and never light and airy like the bread you buy at a bakery or the grocery store.

My latest attempt is from this recipe for cinnamon-sugar swirl bread. This time I broke out the Kitchen-Aid mixer with the dough-hook attachment as I didn't think my arms could handle stirring the required 7 cups of flour into the dough. I really like how the dough turned out and it rose well during the first proof. Maryn helped me brush the butter onto the rolled dough and sprinkled the cinnamon and sugar on top before rolling it up and placing it into a greased loaf pan. The second rise also seemed to go well until I uncovered the pans to place them in the oven. All of a sudden - poof! - my lovely loaves deflated. Do any of you fellow bakers have suggestions as to why this happened and how to avoid it next time?

*awesome baker Carol noted it was probably because I let them rise too long. No more watching good but distracting movies while attempting to bake bread! (I think I was watching PS I Love You)*

The dough after kneading and ready for the first rise.

After the second rise and ready for the oven

Anyway, the loaves came out of the oven about 40 minutes later looking quite beautiful and brown, if a bit flat on top. Never being one to follow instructions too closely, I cut into a loaf after a few minutes and was pleased to find it very light...much more so than my previous Oatmeal Toasting bread attempts. I think I may have undercooked it a bit and will leave it in a bit longer next time. But I was quite happy with the results and the flavor. I think this dough would be great even without the cinnamon-sugar in the middle or as cinnamon rolls topped with cream-cheese frosting.

I also like that it makes two loaves - one for you, and one for a friend (or the freezer).

Happy baking everyone! Let me know if you try either of these recipes and feel free to share any of your favorite cookie recipes or bread baking tips.

snow - part 1

2008-12-25T18:54:00.001-08:00

Most of you already know about the crazy snow storm we've had in the last week. The "arctic blast" came through Portland last weekend and pretty much closed down the town for a few days. We are not used to snow here, and definitely not prepared for over a foot of it. Good thing Grandma Carol made it out before the big storm hit, although you can read here that it was not the easiest journey.

Here are some pictures from the first bit of snow two weekends ago during Grandma Carol's visit. We spent most of our time inside as the girls were not fans of the wind blowing snow in their faces. That and the bout of stomach flu that hit Maryn on Friday, Lucy on Sunday and Chris and I on Monday night. We were so lucky to have Grandma here to take care of us!

Grandma Carol and the girls

Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Doug stopped by for a visit

Grandma had the brilliant idea to bring the snow inside. We had indoor snowball fights and made miniature snowmen.

We decided it would be safer to walk rather than drive to Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Doug's for an early dinner. It was in the teens with the windchill. Brrr!

Maryn enjoyed baking with Grandma - especially licking the beater!

sick and tired, but Christmas-y!

2008-12-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

A horrible cold complete with hacking cough and perpetually dripping nose has been making its way through our family, starting with Maryn last week and finally making its way to Lucy in the last couple of days. Actually, it started with my Dad, but I'm not pointing fingers (or tissues). To compound issues, we took Lucy to the doctor for a bad diaper rash and found out she also has an ear infection. Poor baby! She's such a toughie that we had no idea she was hurting. We're all (mostly) on the mend now and it's time for a long overdue blog update!

We are getting into the Christmas spirit here and put up our Christmas tree last night. That is a story unto itself as I happened to buy a stump-less tree without thinking about how in the world I would put a tree with no stump into a tree-stand. A little branch trimming and some poking and prodding got the tree into the stand and it's only a teensy bit crooked. You don't notice, do you?

As we hung our ornaments on the tree I realized that our collection is seriously lacking. I ended up putting some on that would better be left in the box, and others that I had no memory of where, when or why they were procured. And the fun of ornaments is reminiscing about the stories behind them (which we got to do when we helped mom, dad and Amanda trim their tree last week). So this is my plea for ornaments. Anything with a good story or sentimental value would work. Handmade is always good, too. Any takers? I know you guys will come through :)

We've been working on pictures for the Christmas card and I think we're going to have my talented freind Allie take some in her new home studio this week. I was trying for a picture of just the girls today and man is Allie going to have her work cut out for her: these girls won't sit still together for anything! Here's the first attempt:

This is after the chocolate chip bribe:

I quickly realized that chocolate and white dresses do not mix well so these are the final shots with lollipops instead and a dress-less Lucy:

And a funny story to end:

We periodically purge the kid's out-grown toys, usually saying something like "we're going to give these to kids who don't have any toys." This goes over fairly well and the kids forget about it quickly once they get consumed with the toys they still have, or, more likely, making toys out of things that not designated as such ie: mommy's kitchen utensils or books.

As I finished typing this post I looked behind me to notice an abnormally quiet Maryn serenely pulling carefully organized (have I mentioned that I'm slightly OCD) books off the shelf. As I told her to put them back with a slightly annoyed tone to my voice, she retorted "but some people don't HAVE any books!!!" I guess she's getting them ready to donate to the Goodwill. Hmmm. Put me in my place.

And with that I leave to put my bookshelf back in order. OCD, remember?!

The colors of Fall

2008-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

I realize that the last few posts have been about Fall, but I can't help it. I LOVE FALL! I love the colors, and the smells, and the crispness of the air after it rains. I love the clouds and the gray days that give me permission to cuddle up with a cup of tea and a good book or a knitting project. I love the baking that comes with fall: pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, gingerbread cake and cookies, cookies of any kind :) I think I gained 10 lbs the first fall I was here because somehow gloomy weather triggers my internal baking barometer.

On my way to pick Chris up from work on Friday I noticed a gorgeous lane of golden-leafed trees lining the street with a carpet of foliage underfoot.
What a perfect backdrop for some fall pictures! I enthusiastically described my plan to Chris. To my surprise he responded with "I was thinking the exact same thing!" So we set out on Saturday afternoon to capture the kids in the fall splendor. My plan was not quite perfect, however, as the rain and quickly waning light made it difficult to capture the perfect picture.

I really like how they came out, anyway, blur and all. The kids had so much fun running and kicking their way through the leaves, even in the cold drizzle. We finished up with a trip to Coldstone (okay, I still use bribes to get pictures!). We hope you, too, are enjoying the magic of fall!

A royal Halloween

2008-10-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Fall fun

2008-10-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Three

2008-10-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

She's officially three! This has been a year of great growth for the bear: going from crib to bed, getting rid of diapers and pacifiers, growing into her role as big sister and becoming a bit more of the Maryn she'll eventually be. A Maryn who loves to sing and dance, jump and run, explore and discover, deconstruct in order to rebuild and rearrange. A Maryn difficult to pin down for pictures :) Thank you, doodle, for the joy you bring to my life and for the wonderful moments yet to come.!

What three-year-old photo shoot would be complete without the potty dance? :)

Lucy Walks! And Dances!

2008-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos of Lucy - the one of her walking was taken today. She took her first steps last week and seems to be getting the hang of it:

This one of her dancing is from a month or so ago. I'm so glad I got this when I did because she hasn't done this dance since. I love it! We were at my parent's house watching a Brian Doerksen (worship music) video. It really looks like she's worshiping with her hand in the air:

And this picture was taken in May or June but I just came across it in my archives and thought it was so funny - as all parents learn: When silence falls, trouble is never far behind!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Cannon Beach

2008-09-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you all for your comments on Maryn's difficult time at ballet. It means so much to be surrounded by supportive family and friends...this parenting thing is too difficult and too important to do alone!

After a good night's rest Maryn was back to her perky self and we were ready for a little spur-of-the-moment adventure. Grandma Kathy's work day ended sooner than anticipated so we decided to make an afternoon trip to the beach. It was overcast as we left and we drove with no expectations for what the weather would be like when we got there. My kids love being outdoors and would be happy to play in the freezing cold so long as they could be outside, so I knew they'd have a great time no matter what the weather held.

All our concerns were for naught when it turned out to be the perfect beach day! Sometimes being impulsive pays off! The fog lifted soon after we arrived and the kids played happily without sweatshirts in the cool ocean breeze. We stopped for ice cream on our way home - the perfect way to cap off a beautiful afternoon at the beach! I hope we can get at least one more beach day in before winter hits full-force.

I LOVE this picture my mom took of me and the girls...especially Maryn's cheesy smile and Lucy's impatient face :)

I deliberatly dressed the girls in matching outfits hoping to get some cute shots of the two of them...they were far more interested in the sand than my camera.

Proof that no matter how much I argue to the contrary, I most definitely throw like a girl :)

Maryn takes Ballet

2008-09-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

This week has marked the start of "school" for us. Although Maryn is not yet in pre-school. We had our first CBS (Community Bible Study) class on Wednesday. We are studying 1st and 2nd Corinthians this year and I am really looking forward to it. Maryn is in the young 3's class, or the "green" class. They really do a great job of providing a structured class for the little ones and Maryn learned a lot last year despite our many absences for Lucy's recovery. I hope we can be more consistent with our attendance and work on the Bible stories and memory verses more this year.

In addition to CBS and weekly trips to storytime at the library Maryn will be taking ballet this Fall. She had her first class yesterday. When I asked her what classes or activities she wanted to do this year "ballet" and "art" were the ones she kept repeating. So I signed her up for a class through parks and rec. She has been in love with ballet ever since watching the ballerinas at OBT exposed a few weeks ago and has been wearing her tutu regularly while toting her ballerina doll wherever she goes.

Nerves got the better of her when we actually arrived at the class and while she participated for the first part, the second the teacher tried to interact with her she went running to grandma's lap and remained there for the rest of the class.
I often have a hard time knowing how to deal with this aspect of Maryn's personality - the shy, reserved side where she refuses to interact with anyone new and slinks to my side unwilling to participate. Part of me wants to push her out there, mostly out of embarassment or self-consciousness that my kid is the poorly-adjusted one. But I'm realizing more and more that it's just part of who she is and if I force her agianst her will she'll just be more unwilling to try the next time. I think it will be better next week when parents are not allowed to stay in the room and she'll feel less "watched." It also helps that there were two other girls with the same personality type. I wish I had captured the scene when the teacher had all of the girls fall down and only Maryn and her two shy buddies were standing . I can see them becoming fast friends as the class goes on - if they can overcome their shyness long enough to talk to each other :)

I love how you can tell she's studying the other girls.

Lucy loved watching the girls dance. She wanted so badly to go join them!

A tired ballerina

Lucy's party

2008-09-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, this post is a bit out of order - we're going on a month now since Lucy's birthday party. But better late than never, right?!

Grandma Carol flew up on Lucy's birthday (which fell on a Monday) and stayed through the weekend for Lucy's party. We really appreciated her help as I had lots of ideas for party decorations but am a serious procrastinator. So there was plenty of work to do! Grandpa DB and Aunt Laurel flew up on Thursday night and were also here through the weekend. We had so much fun working, playing and partying - first birthday style!

And a HUGE thank you to my friend Kim for letting us overrun her house and backyard. She even set up a canopy and cool pirate kiddie pool in preparation for the summer heat. I could have stayed all day - lucky for her the kids got tired :)

Birthday cupcakes and a special cake just for the birthday girl.

Our take on edible arrangements. They were surprisingly easy (and fun!) to put together.

Pull-string pinata

Kim's daughter, sweet B

Fireman C

A quiet moment with Grandpa

Playing in the pool with Laurel

Lucy was a little timid with the cake. She only ate a few bites before calling it quits.

But these two had no problem digging in!

What a lovely day spent with dear friends and family. Thanks for celebrating Lucy's first year with us!

Blackberry Pie

2008-08-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm officially obsessed with berry picking and I had to take Grandma Kathy to the Berry Barn for some berry picking fun with the kids. We brought home our stash of blackberries and made a scrum-diddily-umptious pie. Nothing better than three generations baking together. Is it weird that I love my mom's old sifter? It just says home and warmth and special times baking together. Left over berries ready to go to the neighbors (or to the fridge) Before After - Yum! This recipe is pretty similar to the one from my mom's cookbook. We substituted blackberries for blueberries of course. This is from the Betty Crocker website. Pastry
2	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon salt
2/3	cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
4	to 6 tablespoons cold water
Filling
3/4	cup sugar
1/2	cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon, if desired
6	cups blueberries
1	tablespoon lemon juice
1	tablespoon butter or margarine, if desired

1.	In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
2.	Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
3.	Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
4.	In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/2 cup flour and the cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over blueberries. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
5.	Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

Lucy has chompers!

2008-08-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

So long gummy smile. Lucy finally has some teeth! Maryn only had 4 teeth at a year old, but Lucy wins the toothless smile award with no teeth until two weeks after her first birthday. You can see her little chompers poking through the gums. No dentures for her (at least for a while!)

Gangsta'

2008-08-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

This picture is from a few weeks ago during movie night (we rented Cars...and then watched it 10 times in the 7 days we had it before we had to give it back to blockbuster). Maryn found this hat and wore it during the whole movie. I thought she looked like a hip-hop dancer in her sweats and the hat and showed her some of my So You Think You Can Dance moves to emulate. Too bad you can't hear the "huh" sound she made as she struck this pose. She's hard core.

The Goose turns ONE!!

2008-08-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Lucy's big day was so full of fun and excitement that I am only finding time to blog about it now, one day after the fact. So here's my belated birthday shout-out to our sweet Lucy-goose who has brought immeasurable joy and laughter (and the occasional tear) to our family and who has made us all better people in the 366 days since she graced us with her presence.
She has emerged from adversity to become a sweet, joyful, impishly-grinning, twinkly-eyed girl who enjoys climbing on furniture and adoringly chases her sister.

Lucy, we love you so very much and are grateful to God for bringing you (and us!) through this first year of your life. We can't wait to see the things He has in store for you!

hi and bye

2008-08-08T17:15:00.001-07:00

We apologize for being bad bloggers this past week and we're going to play hooky a little bit longer so this is just to tide you over until we can catch up next week.

Things around here have been (and will continue to be) busy:
-We went to the zoo with the G family - what a beautiful and perfect day

Little man C and Maryn playing in the dirt at the zoo

-My parents moved into their new house last Friday - woohoo!
-My good friends Steph and Erin visited from California - I can't put into words how much I've missed them and how wonderful our time together was.

Steph, me and Erin. We set up a tri-pod to take some pictures of all of us - we've come a long way from junior high!

-Our church had their Power Lab-themed vacation Bible school - so much fun!

Little miss C (little man C's sister) and Lucy at Power Lab. They're going to be best friends, I just know it!

-We're going camping this weekend with our dear friends the K family (our first camping trip since we've been married and had kids!)
-Lucy turns ONE on Monday!!!
-Grandma Carol, Grandpa DB and Auntie Laurel are all coming next week to celebrate with us!!

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it all, but wouldn't have it any other way. "See" you all next week :)

a berry picking day

2008-07-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

The thing I love most about where we live is how close we are to both the city and the country. In 5 minutes we can drive from suburbia to farmland. This opens up so many possibilities when it comes to u-pick farms. You can find berries in summer, apples and pumpkins in fall and chop-your-own Christmas trees in winter. Seeing as berry season is in full swing, we took advantage of picking our own at the Berry Barn. It is the cutest little farm/store/soda-shop/deli you've ever seen. Plus, they don't spray their berries with pesticides so you can feel perfectly good about eating them straight from the bush (which we did a lot of that day). This is going to become a new summer tradition for us and I hope to have a freezer full of berries and homemade berry-based goodness by the end of the season. We mostly picked raspberries but I couldn't pass up buying a pint of already picked blueberries as we left. I ate quite a few of these in the car on the way home but still had enough left over to make these blueberry apple bars from my favorite farm-girl Susan's blog. I also have plans to make these with the raspberries. Yummy!

The kids had fun, too. Lucy was content in the stroller with Maryn plucking raspberries and feeding them to her. Lucy LOVES berries and Maryn hates to eat them but has great fun finding and picking them. It's a great partenrship!

As usual I took hundred's of photos of a mundane event. Feel free to skip these :)

Lucy loves to play in (and eat) the dirt. Luckily she found some raspberries to put in her mouth instead.

They have these little red wagons you can use to haul your berries. Maryn had the best time playing with them. Too bad we don't have room for one at home - it would keep her entertained all day!

Blueberries at the store. I couldn't pass these up!

Beautiful oilcoth. I wish I had a reason to buy some - I just love these bright colors.

My dirt-covered girl observing the chickens

Maryn enjoyed her chocolate milkshake on the ride home

The Science of Sleep

2008-07-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Though so much about parenting is unexpected, one thing we all know before going in is that we'll face sleepless nights. However, that sleeplessness takes a much greater toll than I ever imagined. Babies sleep to the strum of their own lullaby, and while some sleep through the night at a fairly young age (I've heard of this happening, but have no experience of my own to back it up), many take months before accomplishing this feat. And once they do, a parent finally getting caught up on precious sleep may experience setbacks in their child's night-waking due to teething, illness, travel, impending leaps in cognitive/motor development, night-terrors, thirst, hunger, gas (baby Megan is provides a great example of this one) - the list is infinite. I used to inwardly snicker when my pre-child self heard stories of parents enslaved by their baby's nap schedule. My baby was going to fit into my life, not the other way around. Right?

Enter Maryn. She was a colicky, fitfully-sleeping child who required marathon bouncing sessions on our exercise ball while being tightly cocooned in a sling to fall asleep. It was not until she was four months old when my grandma bought me the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child that we realized much of her fussing was due to being over-tired. We instituted a rigid nap schedule and slowly things began to change for the better. And there I was "enslaved" to my child's nap routine. But it was a small price to pay for a less-cranky baby and more rested mama.

Even with better naps, Maryn did not sleep through the night until she was about 9 months old. And there are still sleep challenges to be overcome. Right now her toddler bed is in our room as Lucy's cries in the night were keeping big sister awake. It is not the ideal situation, but it's working for the time being. For some reason she prefers to sleep on the floor and although we put her to sleep in her bed, she inevitably crawls out sometime during the night and we have to remember to step gingerly for fear of crushing her underfoot. She also likes to sleep surrounded by a menagerie of stuffed animals and a library of books:
Here she is on the floor surrounded by a dictionary, Suburban Nation, God Chasers, a Bernstein Bear's book, and The Theory of Poker (Chris wanted to make sure I got that one in the picture)

She normally cradles pup-pup or a blankie, but that night only a bright yellow frisbee would do.

Maryn also gave up her pacifiers recently which made for a few VERY rough nights of sleep. She's starting to adjust to sleeping without them but bedtime now requires more books and back-rubs in their absence. While time consuming, I mostly don't mind - my mom "tucked" us in 'till we were teenagers and it was always a sweet time of sharing and talking before we went to sleep. I hope to make it a special time for our girls as well and these nights are just the first of many if they are anything like my brother and me.

Lucy's sleep was long in coming, but mostly due to the heart stuff and recovering from such a traumatic event. Her sleep clock also kicked in around 9 months when she began sleeping through the night. Lucy is a much more laid back baby than her sister was and while she likes to take naps in her crib she does pretty well catching cat-naps in the car or the Ergo when we are out and about. That works out pretty well because it's a lot harder to stay home and work around naps when you're trying to entertain an almost three-year-old. Oh, and I should mention that both kiddos liked to be swaddled like little burritos until they were about 8 months old. This blanket was a life saver!

And here's one more tip about babies and sleep: always remember to put pajamas on over their diapers - yes, even when it's blisteringly hot. As you'll notice in the picture above, Lucy has removed her diaper at some point during the night and is tuckered out (adorably so) stark necked. What the picture fails to show is that she is serenely sleeping with her face plunked down in a big ole' pile of you-know-what, which I realized shortly after taking this picture when she woke up with it all over her cheeks, hands, and in the crevices of her ears. It was actually pretty well contained and with a bath and a load of laundry we were able to get on with our day. Gross, but manageable, like many things in parenthood.

And now I'll leave you with a video. It's actually more of a sound-bite as it was taken in complete darkness around 9:00 pm when Maryn was supposed to be sleeping. She's singing herself a lullaby, and a sweet one at that. Yes, Jesus does love you, honey, and I hope you never forget to sing this song. Just not so loudly that it wakes Lucy up next time.

Sweet baby Israel

2008-07-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

During a trip to the coast to visit our Aunt Mary and Uncle Jim I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the newest member of our extended family, little Israel Victor, new son of Tabitha and Ty. Here are some pictures of him at 7 days old:

With his momma, Tabitha. Tab, I loved watching you with baby Is. You are a natural!

He has dimples!

Sweet baby hands

Look at that face! And I can't get enough of his rolls!

With aunt and doula Barb in a handmade blanket from one of Barb's friends.

Proud great grandma Mary. God has blessed you with a WONDERFUL family that just keeps getting better as it grows!

What a joy to meet this little man and spend time with the new family. We know God has good things in store for this one and can't wait to see what life holds for you all. Thanks for letting us visit!

Feelin' the HEAT!

2008-07-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had our own mini heat wave here, with highs in the 90's. It's still quite warm out this week, which is nice, but temperatures over 80 turn our second floor apartment into a human-sized oven that not even fans running all day and windows open all night can alleviate. So we ditched the apartment for the pool on Friday and ventured outside on Sunday when the weather cooled down a little. Sunday night we had the COOLEST thunder storm...I just love sitting inside and listening to that thunder roll and boom around me. And that rain felt glorious!

Here are some pictures from our fun in the sun

Poolside:

Lucy making her infamous pouty face

Just hanging out outside:

Cheesy faces

painting with water

Silly bubble blowing face :)