Sunday, December 12, 2010

Still 29!

The whole group in front of our ride!
Many of you know Steven turned 30 in Oct '09... And I'll be turning 30... next week! I'm not exactly a big  party person but I do love a reason to celebrate the wonderful people who fill our life as a family! So for my 30th birthday, we organized a small group of friends who embarked on a wine tour with us. Us and five other couples enjoyed an afternoon visiting Cristom Winery, Witness Tree Winery, S. Innocent Winery and Bethel Heights Vineyard.  Witness Tree seemed to be everybody's favorite and it wasn't just because they had 9 (yes 9!) wines on the tasting flight. I think it is safe to say everybody had an absolutely wonderful time!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Bring on the holiday!

The Saks spent a wonderful Thanksgiving in Eugene with Granny, Papa and Auntie Stephie. Abi was well entertained by the stairs up to the bedrooms and thankfully exhausted a ton of energy there! As the holiday season seems to be getting into full swing, we're reminded how blessed we are to have so many wonderful friends, family and a baby girl (seems unfair to call her that anymore!) who's growing and learning every day. Abi communicates quite well what she wants and understands so much more. It's not uncommon for her to help empty the dishwasher and put the silverware away or help set items on the table for dinner. Her favorite is the ketchup; anything with ketchup on it will be eaten! We headed to the zoo last weekend while Steve worked with our friends Rachel and her son Shaun. Abi LOVES the animals and has started signing monkey and frog and of course the sound affects for lions, bears, monkey, etc. are quite entertaining for us. She loves Christmas lights also so we're heading back to the zoo with friends again for ZooLights! Should be fun!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Toddler already?!

Abi seems to be on the verge of toddler-hood and I have to wonder, "Where's my baby?!" She communicates with well with several different signs we've learned, yes, no and points. She runs, jumps (although quite comically) and as of last week, does somersaults with the aid of Gramma. As fall's cold nights have settled in it seems our household has definitely settled into enjoying being "us" and all that our schedule holds for us. About 1 1/2 wks ago, Gramma flew in and Steven and I took off for Kona with our friends Don & Whitney Davis. It was a wonderful get away knowing Abi was being loved on and settled at home with Gramma and a visit from Grannie. Since returning, my work schedule of working only 4 days/week has gone into effect. Last night I told Steven, "I feel like it should be Sunday tomorrow" but I'm sure I'll adjust to 3 day weekends very well! :) It sounds as though Steven's schedule will change back to 24/48s come January which I think we'll be happy for. It seems that there's little point to trying to prep for changes since God is in control and His master plan is far more glorious than anything we cook up.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pumpkin Patch

While Steven was in ND duck hunting with my family this past weekend, Abi and I went to Redmond to visit friends and enjoyed a day at the pumpkin patch. We enjoyed time seeing Ruth and the twins' and their families. It sounds like Steven thoroughly enjoyed being able to duck hunt for three days with family. They had great weather for it and sounds like everybody put their gun to good use. Abi had her 1 yr MD appt and is 31" long and weighs 21 1/2 lb. She is walking a lot but for whatever reason like to cruise on all four at home on our carpets.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

October already?!

Where did the summer go?! With everybody else in the house snoozing, a comfy pair of sweats on, a pot of white chili on the stove and the familiar sound of football on TV, it is definitely fall here. We woke up to the sound of rain pounding outside and temps in the low 50's; yep, fall in the NW. This was our only unscheduled week for quite awhile so we opted to stay home rather than run around as planned. This meant that Granny and Auntie Stephie came up to spend the day with Abi. I am so grateful that they come to visit! Abi loves company and it was great to see them! Abi is gaining confidence walking and will walk across the living room and back if she has the patience. She cruises quickly on all four. I spent Saturday at the Women of Faith conference with a wonderful group of ladies from MVCC. What a GREAT event! If you get the chance to go, it's a must. Steven is trying to get work projects done; with his odd shifts he doesn't have the down time at work to accomplish them. The backyard was seeded almost four weeks ago so it received its first cutting this past week. It's time to shop for a rider I think!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

New Tricks

Abi loves water. Whether its in the dog's dish, her sippy cup, the little pool in the yard or running from a faucet.

Birthday Video

Monday, September 20, 2010

Happy 1st Birthday Abigail Evelyn!

One year ago, Abigail Evelyn entered our life. Three hundred and sixty five days later, the 20+ lb. happy, busy, crazy little girl is the light of our lives! We celebrated Abi's birthday this past weekend with a small gathering of family and a few friends. Abi had a wonderful time and enjoyed being surrounded with so many wonderful people who love her dearly! She's starting to occasionally mimic words, enjoys trying to use her utensils herself and is starting to take a few steps herself.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Reading

Abi is developing a love of books. Tonight as she "read" there was a certain tone to her babble. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture her "meow" which sounds more like a massive lion roaring. Sitting up on the couch seems to be a treat to her as is climbing down by herself.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

New Favorite Picture

We went for a walk on Tuesday as a family since the weather was nice and cool and we were all home together (yay!). After our walk, Steven and Abi played on her little slide structure while I snapped pictures. She loves going down the slide even by herself. Here are a couple of the resulting shots...

Friday, August 6, 2010

See the wheels turnin'

Occurrence during bath time tonight:
Abi standing in the bathtub against the side, yelling happily. Mommy says, "Abi you have to sit down in the tub so you don't fall." Mommy takes Abi's hands and helps Abi stand upright so she can sit. Instead she stands there a solid 10 seconds smiling and waving her hands before she plops (she finds this funny because it makes a big splash). "Thank you Abi." Abi proceeds to wrinkle up her nose and lean forward (two indicators a little fit is about to be thrown) but as she starts to put her face down she realizes she's in the tub and there's water... Abi sits upright, wrinkles her nose up, bares her two teeth and yells. Mommy understands Abi did NOT want to sit down but appreciated the thinking through and decision NOT to throw a fit in the tub.

Yes, Abi throws "fits". This includes wrinkling up the face, throwing herself down and burying her face in the carpet and yelling. This occurs approximately 2-3 times/week. Our friend Josh was over for dinner on Wednesday and he found it very entertaining. We tend to laugh at it, tell Abi she's fine and move along. :)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Redmond

This past week I spoke at a conference @ Eagle Crest so Steven and Abigail were able to travel with me. It was a wonderful week of time spent with Shane, Jenny and family and Shaun and Rachelle. We sure wish we lived closer! In addition to relaxing, going to the splash pool (Abi continues to LOVE the water) and getting some walks in, we also took in the Museum of the High Desert (thanks Shane & Jenny). Abi continues to discover new things each day. This past week it's been climbing stairs, standing on her own, the power button on the front of the TV, bouncing while sitting on her knees and sharing food with Mommy and Daddy. Shane and Jenny's youngest daughter Katy is just 5 months older than Abi and they were hilarious to watch together! Katy is quite a bit bigger and running all over the place but the two of them would run all over Shaun & Rachelle's house while Addy chased them (all three of them giggling). When we got ready to leave Katy and Abi were giving each other kisses too. So cute! Here's a shot of Abi I got today before she took off for her slide.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Just ask...

This morning's sermon was given by Bridgetown Ministries Pastor Marshall Snider. As usual, I walked away reminded about how great God is and how He fills us for His glory alone. Marshall talked about asking God what's holding us from eternity (Mark 10:17-25) and took the story of the wealthy man beyond just monetary love. We're very sad to have had our last Sunday with our new (now past) worship Pastor Matt Cain. Matt shared about asking God to give you the opportunity to witness through love and demonstration and shared a moving experience he had this past week. After racing to get a tired girl down for a nap, pack up the car for my company picnic, get there (late) and then head home after wards with the list of what I needed to get done for the week tonight, I was wondering when I'd have a couple of quiet minutes to ask God about things and (quietly) wait upon His answer. On that note, Abi has gotten very active, loud and is just enjoying exploring her work. We have a small play structure which she was playing around today while I watered the flowers in the front yard and when I turned around, I saw that she had figured out how to crawl UP the slide. It was a WONDERFUL afternoon home with her and I'm grateful that Steven and I's marriage has been blessed by her. After dinner, I stripped Abi down since it was still over 80 degrees and let her splash in her little pool. Amidst her crazy splashing, drinking the water and going under (5 times of which all she coughed a bit and just went on splashing) the humming birds were zipping all around us. The lucifer plant is in full bloom and they really enjoy it. As Abi splash over next to me, I said Abi, "Look at the bird." Abi stopped splashing, quieted and looked up, the bird ate and then perched on a branch and just looked at us. For a solid 30 seconds (eternity with a near toddler), we just sat there quietly and watched the bird. Then Abi said, "Ugh?!" and the flying water commenced. Wow can God work fast in 30 seconds...

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Pool time!

We've had crazy hot temperatures this past week reaching the high 90's a couple days. I filled a small pool in the backyard which was a life saver with Abi. As well, because she loves the water and splashed like a maniac, it doubled as the bathtub after dinner too. Here are a couple of the shots I captured this evening.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

3 Abi "Things"

Abi of course is growing and learning new things each day. A few of the most recent "joys" are growling, standing up next to things, finding water (Buster's dish, the toilets, etc), pointing, waving and sticking her finger in her nose. With family around, we were able to capture growling, nose poking and blowing "raspberries" all in one!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Just over nine months...


Since Christine is visiting, I of course jumped at the chance to have her photograph Abi. If you've seen Christine's work or their blog, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Steven worked today, so Malcolm, Christine, Abi and I headed south to The Oregon Garden in Silverton and enjoyed a gorgeous day! Here are a couple of my favorites, with very minimal editing (my very novice eye and software only).

Friday, July 2, 2010

Olympic National Park

This past weekend, my brother Malcolm and his wife Christine arrived in town and we all packed up and headed to Port Angeles, WA to enjoy ONP and surrounding area. For you Twilight buffs, yes, we did visit Forks and ate at Bella Italia (good food!). We got lots of hikes in including Cape Flattery, Hurricane Ridge and through some of Hoh Rain Forest.
The weather cooperated and we only had drizzles one morning. Abi seems to enjoy her hiking pack and usually tackles the paths on Daddy's back. I'm definitely not the photographer in our family, so if you'd like to see stunning pictures of our trip, check out Malcolm & Christine's blog!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

San Diego

A little over a month ago, I said to Steven, "I'm SO ready for some sun." So we rolled Mother's Day and celebrating his probation period ending this month into a long weekend to San Diego as a family. Wow: good timing! It's rained something like 55 of the last 62 days in Portland! *yuck* We had a wonderful time in the tepid Socal climate! We took in the Zoo, the USS Midway, Birch Aquarium and putzed in Carlsbad and visited a friend of Steven's. Abi is VERY mobile now (climbing, crawling and eating all that she finds) and discovering new things every day which made the trip all the more entertaining! She enjoyed the big animals at the zoo but was mostly very intrigued by the fish in the aquariums. For Mom and Dad, it was 4 days of no work agendas, no daycare drop offs and pick ups and just being together.


At 8 1/2 mo old, Abigail is into new things each day! Buster is definitely her buddy and puts up with all that she loves on him with (ear pulling, feet grabbing, taking toys, taking his food). This week, she has discovered (and investigated): standing up on the bathtub wall, Buster's dog food AND his water dish, standing up in her crib, every twig on the patio, and taking off bibs. Each day is a fun adventure. Milestones were noted too: waving good-bye (most at daycare), pointing to EVERYTHING and signing "milk".

Friday, May 28, 2010

Minnesota in May



This past week we took a mad-dash trip to MN to attend Liza and Dave's wedding. Congrats to a beautiful couple! Watching them really makes you see what it means to have friendship in your relationship. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and the reception a lot of fun! In addition to the wedding, we got to spend the entire long weekend w/my brother's two girls and then he and his wife as well as my parents. More time with extended family was squeezed in when possible. So many fun pictures were taken, but of course I'm not going to make an entire album on our blog. One of the most precious sequences of photos I took all weekend was "peekaboo". While having dinner at the wedding reception, Steven started playing peekaboo (using a linen napkin) with Abi. She finds this game VERY entertaining right now. Pretty soon, both Michaela and Danielle were playing peekaboo also... by pulling their dresses up over their heads! It was absolutely precious!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

In the blink of an eye

Everybody warns about how fast they grow up and life changes. Today was one of those days. Abi played shy at daycare when I dropped her off but never fussed. When Daddy picked her up, she had only had a half hr afternoon nap and didn't nap the rest of the afternoon. At dinner, she attempted to blow a raspberry w/a mouth full of food, but when she got a stern look from both Steven and I and I told her "Abi stop. We do not do that," she stopped(!). In the bathtub, she figured out that she could maneuver to the drain if she rolled to her tummy and open in up (?!) and then maneuver back into a seated position. Wow, where did all of those behaviors come from?!... It's been a busy last week for us all and is just the start of a rat race we will call June. Thankfully, Steven is done w/doubles for awhile, we enjoyed conversation over dinner and are very much looking forward to a few chances to get away together in the next 3 weeks!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Walking buddies (pseudo commercial)

SDAO is going to have a Portland to Coast relay team again this August! Since I WON'T be 9 months pregnant, I'm excited to be on the team! But in getting assigned my legs of the relay, I realize I'm not quite in shape to do each of my 5.5mi+ legs (one of which is all up hill) at a very brisk pace. So each night if the weather is cooperating and there isn't a ton on the "to do" list, Abi and I hit the pavement (Buster in tow most of the time too). I had no idea that when my Mom insisted that we get a Bob stroller, that I would completely agree that it is the ONLY way to go for a stroller!! We're excited to be going to San Diego as a family in a few weeks and I was absolutely ecstatic to read that the airline we're flying will allow us to check in both a carseat AND our favorite stroller (gate check) w/out any charges. We've gotten rather spoiled so the thought of renting something other than a Bob for San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park wasn't exactly appealing. Here's a pic of Abi chillin' in her Bob this Sunday evening: She's quite the ham and smiled for the picture on cue, but was snoozing within 100 yards.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Very Special Mother's Day

Not only was it my first Mother's Day with a child, but we had the joyous event of Abigail being dedicated at Mountain View Community Church (our church home). Although much of our family live far distances from us, today was another reminder of how God has filled our life with love regardless. Grannie and Papa Guchi and Auntie Stephie joined us as well as a plethora of great friends. One of those wonderful friends is Karen Lais who is a musician. Here is the video of Abi's dedication (smiled on cue for Pastor John of course!) and a snip of the song that Karen sang for Ms. Abi.



Thursday, April 29, 2010

Family recipe

Grandma Schmidt made great German potato salad. And Grandma Betty's been able to write down the recipe...

Inspired by my parents' dinner group, we've gotten a small group of friends together and we'll be having our second evening of food and themed drinks. Our first night in February was cheese and wine. Tomorrow night, we'll have sausages and beer (German). In keeping with that theme, Grandma Betty sent me Grandma Schmidt's recipe. Not sure if I copied it wrong or how I ended up so off, but I had to triple the liquids. Oh well... With a few adjustments it tastes good! Thanks Gram! The real test will be tomorrow night when everybody gets to try it.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Fun stuff!

We've had a calendar full of fun stuff! We got to spend an entire week at Eagle Crest visiting with friends. It was a great week of hot tub time, fellowship, and some over due time with some of our best friends. Since coming home, its back to the grind. We enjoyed an evening of fellowship with our new worship pastor Matt and his wife Krista. And yesterday, we were also able to get the backpack carrier for Abi. Talk about a realization of what it would be like to gain 24 lb and go for a walk!! The basic 2.5 mi walk turned into a much longer walk... but Abi seemed to enjoy it and it was a great workout. With Steven home yesterday, we had the time to shoot some updates of Abi. And... with Steven on duty today, I met up with his captain's wife and their kids and headed to the Tulip Festival.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

In Rare (chunky) Form

My sister-in-law is a wonderful photographer so we were laughing about my "Easter dress" photo shoot with Abi. Her Easter picture was 1 of only 2 good shots after trying to take pictures while Daddy was on shift. For your entertainment, here are a couple of the "other".

We had Abi's 6 month well baby checkup today. The little diva weighed in at 17 lb 14 oz. Height and weight wise she is in the 75-80% for her age. And man was she in rare form! She was babbling, talking, and playing with Dr. G the entire time; pulling on this; grabbing for that; up, down, all over the place. She did cry when she got her 4 shots, but as soon as she was picked up, she was over it.

Steven and I are doing well of course! He's back on the rescue this month so likely will be getting worse sleep on duty than nights at home. Work isn't slowing down for me but the program is making good progress. We're looking forward to a week as a family starting next Monday as Steven and Abi will be able to travel with me while I work in central Oregon. Steven and I enjoyed an awesome night in downtown Portland w/our friends Kerri and Scott when we attended the Michael Buble concert last Friday. Great entertainer!!!!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Happy Easter!

May you experience our risen Lord in a very real and moving way this Easter season!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

In a nutshell

Where has the last month gone to?!?! Here's a run down of our last four weeks... Back to the last week of February, Dad Gold visited. We spend a handful of days on the boat. Both days there was a lady on the boat, we caught next to nothing. The day I stayed home... at least 6 fish for each of the guys! The following weekend was to be our "quiet" family weekend which was actually Steven's cover up for the surprise of my two best friends from grad school arriving for a long weekend visit. Steven was all prepped for this and was "manny" (male nanny; a household joke here) the night us girls stayed downtown (my first night away from Abi). This past week/end, Mom Gold flew in and us girls went to Seattle to visit one of our favorite wineries Chateau Ste Michelle. That week, Steven was in Orlando for a fire district accreditation conference. It sounds like he had an absolutely wonderful time. In addition to classes, he also enjoyed Universal Studios and took in a Cirque de Soleil show. And tonight, I am packing my bag for a 2 day children ministry conference in Bellevue, WA.

It's been absolutely wonderful seeing family and friends. As I peruse the upcoming weeks of the calendar, it's filled with more fun events and then finally in April, our family will have an entire week together at Eagle Crest. Technically, I'll be working and many of Steven's friends will be at the resort (or live in Redmond) so it'll be time filled with fellowship, nonetheless, we'll have one full week of actually staying in the same house every night!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Must run in the family


The first photo: Michaela @ approx. 7 mo old at Rex Hill Winery (Aug 2007)
The second photo: Abi @ approx. 5 1/2 mo old at Chateau Ste Michelle Winery (March 2010)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Peaches

Maybe they're too sweet...





We'll give it another go tomorrow. :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Updates ala Photos

Abi and I went back to MN this month for a short visit while Steven worked all but 24 hours of a 6 day stretch. We enjoyed our time immensely as you can see with the photos of Abi and her cousins Michaela & Danielle and me and my cousins Nick and Chan. Abi is now 5 months old and LOVING her rice cereal and the sweet potatoes tonight. We are excited for a visit from Grandpa Gold starting tomorrow and a little time off together to enjoy fishing.


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Healthy

Quick updates on our household:
- Aubrey is trying to get the Return to Work program at SDAO running and successful. Patience is a virtue so I'm praying for more of them. :) It's going very well, but it's tough not to put in more hours. Nonetheless, I'd much rather spend my evenings enjoying my family.
- Steven is working lots. He's got the next group of Explorers through the entrance process now. He was asked to work on the District's accreditation team as well so will likely be traveling to Orlando in March for conference. He's also gotten the sump pump on the Dink+1 (our fishing boat) fixed and ready for 3-4 straight days of fishing later this month.
- Ms. Abi is healthy. We were in the ER last Monday evening due to sudden onset of wheezing to her existing cough/congestion. After x-rays and a nebulizer treatment (which she and her lungs responded very well to), we went home with an inhaler and amoxicillin for ear infection and bronchitis. We are grateful for Dr. G who diagnosed her the next day (4 month well baby check up) with RSV. That wasn't a surprise as another baby at daycare had been admitted in the hospital that week for RSV. Abi spent a week home w/Daddy & Mommy as well as a visit from Grannie and Auntie Stephie. She bounced back VERY well as you can see in the picture. She weighed in at 15 lb. 11 oz. for her 4 month visit so is on the upper end of growth for her age. She seemed to immensely enjoy her first taste of rice cereal tonight and somehow managed to eat (or at least let run down her face) most of what we mixed for her. Daddy gave feeding her a shot for awhile.. it was dully noted that everything within reach is fair game for Abi now too.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Blessed

After another busy day, the evening brings some time to play with Abi, vacuum, organize, put tax documents in one pile (ha ha), throw a batch of laundry in the washer, etc. etc. And thus will proceed next week and the following week, etc etc. I took a couple minutes to read Malcolm & Christine's blog and I was reminded how much I miss family and friends in the midwest. But it also reminded me how grateful I am for them despite the distance. Then I started thinking of all the blessings... we had a wonderful visit in Nov w/family & friends in MN, my friend Jill got a new job in Wisconsin, Dick's treatment is going well, Leroy's "Earl" may not be there, I know without a doubt my new job is where God has placed me for His glory, Steven is excelling at his promotion and has had the privilege of ministering through it, we had a great visit when Steve & Annie received their Businesspeople of the Year Award, spent time with their wonderful friends (love the Kaps and Settlemeyers!) and more visits are on the horizon with Mom and Dad (can it be tomorrow yet?!). The Twins' and families are coming for a visit tomorrow for their 30th birthdays which means more time with people who bless our lives. I was reading John 6:35 and Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never be hungry..." He wasn't referring to actual food... but rather the amazing sustenance that He so graciously filled my heart with this evening. To those in our lives who "feed" us: thank you for being God's blessings. You are much loved!

4 Months Old: Giggles, Rolling Over and Lots of Yelling (both happy and mad)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Her father's daughter

Abi is her father's daughter... proof if you need it.