Where Did It Go?

Where oh where did the last two months of 2012 go? Seems like when looking back, it must have been great right? Hmm, what was going on?

We took a wonderful trip to Eagle Crest with our friends Dusty and Kayla partially as a work trip. I again spoke at the Oregon Fire Chiefs Assoc. conference and everybody went with. We found a great condo to rent that already had a crib, bunk beds, and a play area. PERFECT!!!! We enjoyed the time immensely. Abi rode a full size horse (Fiona) and the four day trip was capped off with the perfect first 3" snow of the season.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving / early Christmas in Eugene. Steven and I got to join Annie and Steve for the Festival of Trees Gala this year which was a blast. It was a great event supporting the future hospice house in the community.  Since we will be having a Minnesota Christmas, it was a wonderful time to be together as a family and enjoy each others company since we'll be thousands of miles apart in December. The only things missing: Auntie Evi, Uncle Bruce and Auntie Diane.

And now, it seems we've raced into the Christmas season. This last week, we've said no to nearly all social commitments. We've had a few evenings looking at lights, making cookies and now two days before we leave for Minnesota, the kids are actually packed already!

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Our kids in a snapshot...

There's much to update on but it seems so little time. Alas, our children have big beautiful personalities so in 2 minutes, I can update on those at least! I will soon get photos loaded of our wonderful adventures too.

Abi: When Steven and I returned home from duck hunting, she was very adament about seeing the ducks. I explained that after we shot the ducks, we prepared them to be eaten because we eat what we kill. She was still adament, so we let her look into the cooler of cleaned duck breasts. The next day while walking past a neighbor's yard where they have chickens, ducks and geese, Abi asked if she could shoot their ducks to eat. Thankfully they weren't outside. Within a day or two we were loading the kids in town in a parking lot and a low flock of geese flew overhead. Steven made shooting noises and Abi said, "Dad, you can't shoot them. You don't have your gun." Yes, my country girl being raised in the city.

Zach: This morning while prepping the family to head out of the door, he wanted in the garage and so in an effort to let us get going, I let him out to just play. When we peaked our heads out to check on him... He was laying on the cement floor licking up the rain water that had ran off our car. That is our "all boy" son in a nutshell!

Bubble Fun..

You can essentially catch the drift of this fun!! Abi did great blowing bubbles and Zach loved popping them. She then thought she'd share which resulted in him flinging bubble solution all over her and all over the deck. And the photos even captured his response when I eventually told Abi it could be her turn to blow bubbles again.

Cloud of Witnesses

As many of you know, Abi has been spiking temps routinely approximately every four weeks for the last several months. It came to a head while visiting Minnesota in June because she also was vomiting and got dehydrated thus potentially tripping up our planned flight back to Portland.  Since then, fever patterns have been tracked, blood has been drawn, a new pediatrician found and yada yada.

Yesterday I checked the calendar and knew we were due...our friend Kayla who's a CNA and off work for a few weeks picked Abi up this morning when her temp hit 102 at day school. They enjoyed a morning together at our house and we headed in for three vials of blood to be drawn for extensive tests.We had Hector the lab tech who I've heard from a couple pediatric offices to be sure to request. He had Abi chatting and telling him all about going to the zoo with a friend from day school... She cried for a couple minutes over the fear of the needle stick but not the pain as we'd been turned onto a topical anesthetic because of a RN mom friend from church.

This evening as I enjoy a quiet house, banana nutella bread is baking in the oven and Abi's temp (amazingly!) was down to 98.6 just before bed the meaning of Hebrews 12:1 hit me.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

I don't know what's plaguing Abi's little body, I don't know why Steven is on shift or away every night Abi's fever spikes and she's delirious and nearly convulsing with shakes.  But I know that God knows the path marked out for our family and for Abi. If we shake off our doubts and earthly worries (hinders) it's easier to see He has surrounded us with amazing friends and people who've touched our hearts each step of our journey and the prayers of the "great cloud of witnesses" are being felt...

Kiss Me Dirty mud run

This Saturday, nine other crazy gals and I ran the first Kiss Me Dirty 5K mud obstacle fundraiser for gynecological cancer. My friend Kayla is a survivor and Nana Lael continues to battle against hers. Thank you to everybody that donated to this great cause! Funds raised went directly to Oregon Health Science University's Knight Cancer Institute here in Portland. I did not make my goal of $500 though I was pleased with $300.

The day dawned as a chilly fall day but by the time our wave left the starting point, it was a gorgeous 70 degrees. Obstacles included a tire pile and track, 30' slip'n'slide, 20' rope pyramid, a few panels to hurdle, belly crawl, tubes to hurdle, mud pits to climb up over and through and a water pit to crawl through.. and these were all in mud. My hands, elbows and knees are proof! Everybody on the team has already said they can't wait for next year.

Birthday Week

I am grateful that the kids are young enough not to object sharing a birthday party! We celebrated Zach's 1st and Abi's 3rd birthdays with a joint party last Sunday. It was wonderful! Many good friends were out of town so it was a very cozy group that still filled the house and make the kids feel incredibly loved. We are so blessed with love in our life!

 Abi had chosen a wonderfully gender neutral theme of Mickey Mouse (one of her new favorite morning cartoons before day school!) and had advised Daddy and I, "We need balloons and whistles and hats and napkins..." I'm not sure where she concocted this idea of all the things that are required for a birthday party!  The kids each enjoyed their strawberry cake with chocolate chip frosting (just like Grandma Cindy's), the gifts, and mostly all the love and attention from friends and family. The kids were so tuckered out by the time everybody started to leave... Abi even fell asleep reading books on the couch with Karen.

Zach started walking just a few weeks before his 1st birthday on September 21. He's now started signing more, all done and milk. His vocabulary consists of mama, dada, and no which you hear at one volume level: loud. We joked the other morning while making breakfast that he's very similar to a ball in the pinball machine; just keeps looking for an exit! If the slider, garage door or front door are not closed, he's out!

Abi turned 3 this Friday and wow has she really grown up. She said good bye to any night time pulls up, has a chore chart and her own clock which changes colors indicating when its time to wake, sleep, and yes, be done with a time out! The child has an amazing memory: today she told us details about what she saw at the rodeo in August, who we went to the rodeo with in July and where everybody sat in the car, etc.

Choosing a Yoke

What a busy week for us! Steven is on a double (and had a double last week too). I've prepped a handful of items to sell at a large kids resale event at the expo center. I start physical therapy for my hip. Abi and Zach moved into their new classrooms at Bright Minds Christian Day School and...on Friday Zach turns one!!!  Of course add on church events and work events and I am back to my standard stressed, worried about messy house, lack of meals planned, etc etc self.

But in the midst of this, God has been asking me to take his yoke. He says, "Come to me tired woman. My yoke is easy and burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30). When we have a almighty creator God who loves us beyond measure, why don't we take his yoke which he offers us? He desires for us to drop our burdens, our disappointments, our worries and fears at his feet as we worship Him. He wants to take those things from us and for us to take on his light yoke.

It's a choice. Tonight, I'm leaving my burden because it does me no good and prevents me from taking His yoke.

Celebrating 5 Years

 

  On August 18, 2007, we said "I do" for the first time. On August 18, 2012, we said, "I do" for the 2nd time. And we're already talking about where to renew our vows for our 10 year anniversary! We had a wonderful party with lots of family and friends here to share in the fun day.  Family made it from NYC (thanks Evi!) and Minnesota too. Possibly most amazing was that all but 2 members of the wedding party made it! 

 

Good bye Buster Brown

On Monday evening, we said our good byes to our family dog. Buster was 9 and had suffered a slipped disc as well as what our vet anticipated was cancer. Towards the end, he wasn't able to stand up on his own or walk more than a dozen yards.  B was such a great family dog and had a special relationship with Abi. We could tell he was aging when Z arrived but had continued enjoying walks with us. He was so gentle with the kids! 

Too busy to complete anything well.

 

This spring, we looked forward to summer with great anticipation. Getting more stuff done on the yard, having a bigger garden, working on expanding the deck, re-roofing the house...Man we had high hopes. Then the reality of summer set in. Barbeques, weddings, trying to squeeze in a hike here or there, Bible study, work conferences, and the routine trying to visit family, friends... And the garden flopped with an intense batch of mint compost burning the roots. The roof has been postponed until late summer/fall ... maybe even next spring?! 

Today I left work an hour late after prepping for a conference presentation (and leaving another presentation due Thursday unwritten), leaving a message for a client on the phone as I walked out the door only to realize there was an accident/incident on every route to the kids and Zach had started running a temp at 3:45pm but I didn't realize it until nearly 5pm when I finally got back to my desk...*sigh...*deep breath

I phoned Steven as I settled into my slow trek to the kids through the heart of Lake Oswego, he said, "Murphy's law... How are you doing?" And in that moment of slowing down, knowing God had given me the love of my life to share this journey with... I realized I was fine. This is life and I'm not alone. And it is glorious in its busyness. Work doesn't always seem glamorous, kids run fevers when Dad's on shift and on the only day you work late that month. And time marches on. But life moves forward and in the midst of all that...God's glorious work is done. A dear friend was induced this afternoon and we continue praying God's safe delivery upon their son. Another dear friend reached out in need of prayer and I am honor to intercede on her behalf to a God who loves her beyond measure. In the moment that I surrender my exhaustion to God asking if I'll ever be able to do anything really well and focused again... He reminds me it is His work that is all that needs to be accomplished and done. His word is a lamp unto my feet and a light onto my path (Psalm 119) always guiding us forward.

4th tradition

Since we were engaged, we've gone to the Molalla Buckaroo each year to celebrate Independence Day.  Last night we took an ill Abi who enjoyed every minute of the horses!  She sure loves horses. We enjoyed the company of our friends Nick & Alicia and Dusty & Kayla. One of the highlights was the sound system's  failure which resulted in the entire grandstand singing our national anthem. Absolutely gave goosebumps! The system was brought back on line after the saddle bronc riders finished up.

9 Month Photos!

Milestone celebration

Happy 70th Birthday to Papaguchi!

The week after we returned from Minnesota, we headed south to Eugene and spent a 3 day weekend with Annie, Steve, Stephannie as well as Steve's sister Diane & husband Bruce from South Carolina. It was wonderful to get to see everybody and spend more than a couple hours together. Annie's cousin Linda and her husband Ben made it down from Washington as well.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed all the attention and affections and it was great just to be with family.

Zach updates

Frank the Tank is growing!  Zach is definitely on the high end of his growth chart and we advice Abi that Zach will catch up to her size if she doesn't eat more. He often out eats her and is only 5-6 lbs lighter.  While in Minnesota, Z started crawling. He now motors everywhere, bear crawls, stands next to anything and just this week stood up on his own in the middle of the room. Zach is still an incredibly happy baby. And at this point, we are already marveling at the difference between the kids. Zach puts everything in his mouth, pushes on everything to see if it opens or moves, is noisy in general and seems to be "all boy". 

Abi updates

Oh dear. If I had to give a single word update it would be "personality". Abi has always had it, but she just keeps getting more. She is proud of her new big bed (the twin captain bed I had growing up) and is into dressing herself. She prefers to be barefoot in the yard and if there's music, she's usually dancing! Abigail is still loving being at day school three days a week. Lately she has been telling us about monsters; they've been in her bedroom, all over our house and even in the carts at the grocery store. So far, they are all friendly and usually leave if you ask them to go home or notify them it is bedtime and they should leave.

Minnesota

Steven was asked to be water rescue for the Wild Canyon Games this year. Our boat was used last year for the event, but this year he went to the Young Life ranch and participated. He really enjoyed the scenery and seemed to have had a great time. Since he was going there for 4 days and working, the kids and I flew home. Yep, found my big girl panties and took a flight with a 32 month old and an 8 month old. It went so incredibly well! Lessons learned: car seats purchased for the great crash test ratings do NOT fit into FAA seats. It was such a great great trip!!! Malcolm, Christine, Michaela and Danielle were able to be with us at Mom & Dad's the whole week which was just awesome because the kids are now old enough that they just play play play. It was wonderful for the girls to be building such great relationships. While we were home, Zach learned to crawl. And has not stopped since! (Another post to follow on him). The trip included lots more biking than we'd done in a long time thanks to tag-alongs and Mom & Dad having the double stroller/bike trailer, a trip to Itasca and the girls swimming in the head waters as well as lots of time with aunties, uncles, cousins and all the grandparents.

I realize how blessed I am to know all of my grandparents and how lucky that my kids are to be getting to know them as well. I'm also grateful that we arrive in Minnesota with a bag of clothes and all the kid gear we need is there! Makes traveling so much easier. Check out Malcolm & Christine's post on the visit. In my focus to prep everything for a smooth trip for the kids... I forgot my camera. (Seriously?!?!) My few shots were taken with my phone which actually did ok, but it wasn't the same.

Inspired

I realized it had been 3 months since I had posted any updates when we were in Minnesota. Christine and I had a great conversation about how really when you get to the heart of blogs, they're for the benefit of your close loved ones and the subjects themselves. I often find blogging therapeutic to reflect on our lives but I always want to capture my children's lives for them. Thus, a major catch up.

Its passing in a flash...

Where does the time fly? The kids are growing up so fast. We've started potty training with Abi. She very much gets the concept and is doing well. This morning started with Abi running out of her room to tell Zach about how she pee'd in her Buzz Lightyear panties Monday but not her Woody panties. Yes, Abi tends to prefer Cars, Toystory characters and such over any princess stuff. We have a couple movies with princess' but she hasn't seemed to really take to them. So, she wears little boy undies! Abi is doing great at her day school and absolutely loves it.

Zach has been rolling onto his tummy frequently though he doesn't seem to remember that he had in the past rolled back onto his tummy. He does great with neck strength and will spend quite a bit of time on his tummy checking things out. We've been trying some cereal, but he doesn't seem to be too big of a fan. Zach continues to be one of the most mellow and relaxed babies we have ever met! He's just one happy dude and laughs and smiles at just about anybody that will pay him attention. And if you're really lucky, he'll give you a big ol' slobbery kiss too!

Romp to Stomp 2012

Despite a few feet of new snow on both Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor, my friend Alicia and I braved the mountain passes to participate in Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series Oregon.  Alicia and I headed over Friday night and enjoyed a quiet night at Sunriver Resort before driving up Bachelor this morning. The strong wind added to the new snow and created some awesome white out conditions on the roads but once we got on the snowshoe trail and dropped into the trees, it was absolutely gorgeous. And although I drove on the way over to central Oregon and up and down Bachelor, Alicia took the helm and drove her own 4WD vehicle back over Mt. Hood. For someone who isn't confident in snowy conditions, she did great and I was excited to be able to support her in that adventure.

Thank you to everybody who supported this awesome event! I raised $475 dollar this year! The plan is to have an entire team participate next year! Can't wait!

2012 Already!!

Where has the last month gone?!?! It's not just 2012, but we're full swing into 2012. We spent a wonderful Christmas both at home and in Eugene this year. Abi's preschool class at Mt. View Community Church sang with the children's choir.  It was our first Christmas of me helping the children's program and Steven running the video and snapping photos while Zach sat in his car seat near by. One of those milestones both for us as parents and for Abi as well! And while I half expected her to freeze on stage in front of the congregation, she sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus beautifully with the other adorable 2-5 year old kids in her class. Christmas in Eugene was particularly wonderful since Annie's sister Evi was able to join us from New York City. Of course we're all back into the swing of everyday life. I'm working 24 hr/wk which consists of a half day Monday and then seven hour days Tues-Thurs. Steven is on his normal 24 on/ 48 off and of course taking overtime as family commitments allow. Abi and Zach spend Mondays with our good friend Nick when Steven isn't home and head to Bright Minds Christian Day School Tues-Thur. We're so very blessed with a great day school that the kids are doing so well at! We're slowly approaching potty training with Abigail. Our daughter has a decisive assurance of herself so we decided not to go to battle until necessary.  We are definitely making advances though and so hopefully we're diaper free with Abi well before her 3rd birthday. Zach is gaining weight at a very steady rate. What a mellow happy little man he is! He's tippin' the scale at 16 lb, grabbing things within reach, standing on his legs, rolling from tummy to back and very much likes his rice cereal in the evening. And the best part...He's decided it's ok for him NOT to eat at 2:30am now! (Thank heavens!) Apart from runny noses, the kids have remained healthy this winter although I was knocked on my butt by a very nasty virus.  It was the first time in our marriage Steven has had to stay home on account of taking care of the kids/household/myself.  Thankfully that is behind us and we're looking forward to all that God has in store for the new year!