Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! We love you all and hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Here is a picture of Katrina with her very first tooth that fell out! She got a buck from the tooth fairy and a special note. She was so excited she was jumping up and down! Mommy had to pull it out for her and it came right out.

Say What!?

Sitting at the dinner table the other night I was telling Justin how Emma's teacher had told me that her and this little boy from her class had become such good friends. They always play together and get along really good. I wasn't surprised to see Emma getting along so well with boys but was surprised as to her reason why. I asked her that night at the dinner table after telling her daddy about her new friend.

Mommy: Emma, why is Alex your best friend at school, why do you like him so much?"

Emma: " Well... because he's cute!"

Silence...

Daddy: " I never want you to speak to him again!".

Scary!

The heart of giving

I have to share this little story that as a mommy just touched my heart. At our church right now we are doing the operation Christmas child shoe box drive. You take an old shoe box, decorate it with some Christmas paper, and fill it with toys, candy, and things for a child who might not otherwise get a Christmas gift over seas. On Sunday during Katrina's first class she got to participate in stuffing some of these boxes. That day after we got home Justin and I decided to rearrange the girls room, which included taking apart their bunk beds to make two beds on the ground and doing a complete overhaul. It took quit a while but while we were working on that Katrina was busy working on her own little project. She kept coming upstairs and going on and on about how she needed this and that (various things) for her shoe boxes for the orphans. Were weren't really paying too much attention to her and didn't really know what she was doing. By the time we got done it was almost dinner time, we came down stairs to find Katrina at the kitchen table with a mess in front of her. She had been very busy. I saw scissors, tape, paper, card board, crayons, candy, more tape, just random things. I was like, what do you have going on here? She was like, Mom! these are my shoe boxes I am making for the orphans, I have to get them done. She had gone out to the garage and gotten two collapsed cereal boxes and one shoe box from our recycling bins and taped them back together, filled them with her used crayons, toys I was going to throw away (from cleaning their room), and a bunch of her Halloween candy out of her treat bag. She had even included a pair of her scissors in one box, intentional or not. She had drawn little pictures and taped them on top of the boxes. They were totally misshapen and, well, looked like a 5 year old had made them but I was just so touched. She was so concerned and had to get these boxes done and had so willingly filled them with her candy and her colors and her toys. She is our first child and I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not but she can be pretty selfish sometimes. It's difficult to get her to share anything with her sisters, even her dad or I, especially when it comes to candy. But she had just given it so easily, without thought to the cost to her because she cared, and was concerned that these little children who she does not know would not have presents for Christmas. I didn't know how to tell her that we couldn't turn the boxes she had made in and have them sent without breaking her little heart. So I didn't. We went to the store the next day and purchased everything we needed to make some 'real' boxes for the orphans and I just let her think they all went to the same place. That is the true heart of giving so freely of our 'stuff' that I think God would like to see from me sometimes. With concern only for the well being of someone else, true genuine concern, not with any motivation for myself or what I might gain, or concern for what I might loose or sacrifice. If only I could be more like a 5 year old sometimes.

Our Halloween Pictures

Here are our Halloween pictures. I am a little slow getting them out there I know but better late then never. The Sunday before Halloween the girls and I (Justin was still in Maryland) went to the Harvest party at church and even I got dressed up for the festivities! It was fun. We also went to the zoo on Saturday before Halloween to do a scavenger hunt there. They enjoyed that as well. On Halloween the girls went trick or treating through the neighborhood with Annabelle and Ella. We had a yummy dinner that night with Chris and Amber, and Luke and Liz, and Nancy aka: Nana. It was a fun time with friends. The girls were really cute, especially Addy, she loved carrying her candy bag around on her arm and walked almost the whole time. She didn't understand the collect now, eat later concept, she wanted everything out of the bag right then. It was cute. Enjoy the pictures.

HEADLINE: Bathroom Bandit Caught Red Handed!!!

It's her first offense so she was let off with a stern talking to!

Sick of being Sick!

Monday was a long tiring day. We spent the majority of the day at or traveling to various doctors offices. I had an appointment in the afternoon because I suspected I might have strep throat. Suddenly I got a sore throat on Thursday night, and unlike when I usually get a cold, it persisted over the weekend. I called Monday and got right in. I turned out I did have strep. While I was at the doctor with the three kids trying to manage them while filing out my new patient paperwork my wonderful husband showed up to rescue me from my frustrations. Good thing he did too because while I was being examined very suddenly Emma started saying she didn't feel good. She turned very pale, eyes glossed over, started sweating with fever, and then the vomiting started! I felt so sorry for her. She just felt horrible and I was so thankful that Justin was there to help me and her. I had already called their doctor on Sunday because since Halloween night they had all developed some type of nasty sickness. It started with little Addy and then went to Katrina and then Emma. It started with a nasty runny nose and then the eyes, I can only describe it as the nastiest snot draining from the eyes. It was gross. By Saturday Emma had developed a really severe ear ache. She was at Disney Princesses on Ice with her sister and Nana when it came on and she was in so much pain, I felt so bad for her. So I called and got them in on Monday. I knew it was bad, probably the worst they have ever been but when her pediatrician called Emma a 'petri dish of bacteria' I knew it was REALLy bad! Needless to say all four of us girls are on antibiotics and I think Justin is contemplating moving in with the neighbors for a few days so he doesn't get whatever we all had. It might be too late though, he was complaining of a sore throat last night. It's only November and I am already sick of being sick!!!

Momsense

Anyone who is a mom should check out this link to youtube. It's the William Tell overture for moms!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

Enjoy!

The Great Pumpkin Hunt

One Friday before Halloween my mom, me, and the girls meet Amber and her two girls at the local pumpkin patch for some fall time fun! Justin was on a trip to Maryland visiting his sister and her 4 little girls and celebrating his sisters birthday. He missed out on the day but we had a great time despite missing daddy's presence. They got to see many animals including a calf, donkey, turkeys, piglets, goats, sheep, geese, and chickens! Find their way through a hay bale maze, taste fresh made cider, ride the tractor, and find the perfect pumpkins!

The Importance of 'Daddy Time'

Having three little girls it is easy to see how important 'daddy time' is for them and just having a man in their lives to love them and invest in their lives. As soon as daddy gets home they want to have 'wrestle time'. This gives them a chance to exercise their muscles and show dad how strong they are. Mommy usually sits back and waits for someone to come to her when they get hurt, kiss the boo boo's, and send them back into battle. It amazes me how much they love to be physical and rowdy. They know they can be rough and tough and not hurt him. Now that they are older daddy takes them out on 'special daddy dates'. Just one on one time with dad to hang out, eat together, talk, play somewhere, go to the driving range or putting green, or whatever they want. They LOVE their special dates and can't wait to be the next one in turn. I can't imagine raising these three beautiful little girls without their daddy. There is something special about the love that he can give them, that will instill in them a sense of self worth and confidence in who they are. Only he can model for them how a husband should treat his wife and how boys should interact with girls the right way. I can't model that for them. When they start dating and considering who they may want to some day marry(not for a LONG time!) I hope that because of the love their dad showed them, and the example he displayed to them as a husband and father, they will choose someone like him.

Some Fun Photos

Sisters... ahh they are wonderful. Here are some great shots of sisters just being sisters and some of my other favorite pics from recent.

Our Little Student

We had our first parent teacher conference with Katrina's kindergarten teacher and were so proud of our little student! She got perfect scores on her first ever report card, she is in the highest reading group, and has tested above the level she should be at right now in all her testings. I was so proud not to hear anything negative and all good things and hear how smart her teacher said she was. Although she did say she reminded her of a 'smart airhead'! She can be a little ditzy sometimes she said! Oh well, we can't all be perfect can we!

Addy turned one!

Wow, I can not believe our little Addy is already one year old! That was the fastest year of my life! The old saying the third time is a charm, sure rings true with Addy. She has been the most easy, sweet tempered, lovely little baby ever. Not that our two older girls were not sweet babies, just that Addy in particular was EASY. I literally thought there might be something wrong with her in the first few weeks because she did not cry. And this wasn't just a newborn phase either. For the entire first year, she has just been so easy going and slow to tears, a good sleeper, everything you hope for in a baby, she was. God truly answered our prayers on many levels when it came to our third child. She has changed so much in this year. Just recently she has started walking. Every day she gets better and better and I see the pride of accomplishment in her face. Her new favorite word is 'Hi!', and it's the way she says it, in a very nurturing, hello, I'm so happy to see you kind of way. It's just stinkin cute. She gives kisses too, with her mouth wide open! She uses sign language to tell me when she is all done with something, and shakes her head no when mom just isn't getting something right. We were walking down the diaper isle at the store today and she saw the babies on the wipe packages and said 'baby'. She loves other babies and always tries to hug and kiss and cuddle them. I have a feeling she is going to be very affectionate and compassionate towards others. What a fun year it has been. I will miss all the times we had together in that first year but look forward to all the fun times ahead!

School Days

We had some big milestones this September. Katrina started Kindergarten this year and Emma started preschool. Katrina started on the Tuesday after Labor Day and Emma on Wednesday.

I posted some pictures of their first days. They were both so excited to start. Last year Katrina went to a private christian preschool that was just wonderful. She went 3 days a week and we loved her teachers. It was preschool only so was very academically focused compared to some preschools and also had the bible and character principals. I really loved it and she loved going. Emma, by the middle of the year, was REALLY wanting to be in preschool and go to school like Katrina. It was getting difficult to tell her she couldn't go so this year she was so excited and so was I! She loves it so far, and has the same teacher Katrina had. I think it will be so good for her to have something of her own that Katrina is not involved with. It's been an interesting time for me as mommy to have both my oldest in school and just watching them grow before my eyes. Its such a bittersweet thing for me. I so love this age and stage we are in right now but I also look forward to them growing and becoming more independent. I just can't believe how fast this life and their childhood is going by. I'm so glad I still have one little one at home, I don't think I am ready to send them all out into the world yet. I had a really hard time with the thought of Katrina going into the public school system this year as a Kindergartner but I amazingly didn't even cry on her first day! I guess I had gotten that all out of my system last spring.

Through the eyes of Katrina

Here are Katrina's answers.

1. What is your favorite thing to do? Ride a horse.

2. What is your favorite movie? Dreamer.

3. If you could paint your room any color, what color would it be? Pink and purle like my old one.

4. Who is your favorite person? Mommy and Gramma

5. What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer, a girl one.

6. If you could be called by any name, what would you be called? Princess Analiese.

7. Who is your favorite character in the bible? Jesus.

8. If you had $5 what would you buy? A princess dress, spleeping beauty.

9. What is your favorite thing to eat? Pears and oranges, and lunch, and chicken nuggets.

10. What is your favorite dessert? Ice cream, and pie.

11. Who is your favorite person to play with? Mommy, Gramma, and Papa Jeff.

12. What is your favorite game to play? Tic Tac Toe, and puzzles, a hard one.

13. What is the best kind of cereal ever? Honey Nut Cherrios, NO! its, the colorful round ones. Fruit Loops!

14. If you could go anywhere today where would you go? The barn and ride horseys all day.

15. What is your favorite bible verse? Daniel and the Lions Den.

Through the eyes of Emma

I got this idea from another friends blog.

I sat down with our 4 year old Emma today and asked her the following questions. I was a little surprised with some of her answers, especially the last one.

1. What is your favorite thing to do? 'Going on a special trip'

2. What is your favorite movie? 'Little Einsteins movie'

3. If you could paint your room any color, what color would you have? 'Blue and Yellow'

4. What do you want to be when you grow up? 'Umm, a girl that hunts for animals'

5. Who is your favorite person? 'Annabelle'

6. If you could be called by any name, what would you be called? 'Carrissa'

7. Who is your favorite character in the bible? 'Jesus'

8. If you had $5 what would you buy? 'A real puppy'

9. What is your favorite thing to eat? 'Toast'

10. What is your favorite dessert? 'Ice cream'

11. Who is your favorite person to play with? 'Annabelle'

12. What is your favorite game to play? 'Checkers'

13. What is the best cereal ever? 'Toast...toasted cream'

14. If you could go anywhere today, where would you go? 'Wildlife Safari'

15. What is your favorite bible verse? 'John 13:4....that's what we do'.

( I was surprised she came up with that without even thinking about it so I had to look it up to see for myself what it said, I just laughed. John 13:4 says: 'rose up from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.')

Fun summer photos

Sorry the last entry was so long. I'll keep them much shorter from now on. It's not easy summing up our an entire 3 month period in a few short paragraphs. My old computer crashed taking with it every picture I have taken since 2005 up to last month. I was in the process of backing them all up, so frustrating and heartbreaking for me. I am hoping I can still recover them though. I do have a few pictures from this summer and our trip to Wallowa Lake though that I will post here just to share.

Summer Recap

Okay, so I need to get caught up on so I am going back to the beginning of summer. When I look back at this summer I guess we did a lot but it still doesn't really seem like we got out of the house as much as we normally do during the summer. I think because of so many of our summer days were cloudy we stayed in more than normal. I can't believe that it is already September and about to be fall. I really feel like we didn't have a complete summer.

Here is what we did do this summer though...

At the very beginning of June we went to Running Y Ranch with Justin's Uncle Jon and Aunt Nancy. We had such a good time for the week we were there. Justin got in a lot of golf with his uncle, the girls got to ride their bikes, swim, and play outside and go for prairie dog hunts. Aunt Nancy and I did a lot of watching food network, talking, and cooking. It was a great time. I also got an awesome opportunity. I got to go out for a morning and herd cattle on horseback with a small group of 'cowboys'. Actually there was only one true cowboy and the other 3 were women. It was one of the coolest experiences. I could have spent all day out there and am pretty sure I missed my calling as a cowgirl! Look for me in an upcoming issue of The Furrow, a magazine put out by John Deer. In the picture I am the one in the middle driving the cattle across a highway.

When we got back from our week at Running Y Justin's only sister, Amy, had arrived here with her 4 daughters. They live in Maryland and drove for 4 days 14 hrs a day to get here. They spent the summer here and that was great. It was so nice to get to know our nieces better since we haven't been able to spend that much time with them. There is Shannon, the oldest at 6, who loves to hang out with the adults and how that girl can sing! Then Audrey, the 4 year old. She is a little mischievous, like our Emma. She is a crack up. The first thing she said to me when I got to Nana's house to see them was 'Your husband is going to get old, die, and turn gray.' So matter of factual. Then there is Lila, little Lolly, the just turned 2 big girl! She is a love, but also wants to do everything on her own. And she'll tell ya how it is too! Then there is the baby, Trinity. The sweetest, most adorable little thing, she is I think, 8 months old now. Just a happy sweet baby. Oh I miss those girls so much. It was such a great summer with them here. We went to the zoo, the beach, a parade, vbs. Good times. I loved getting to know Amy too, we got to spend a lot of time together and I thoroughly enjoy her company and miss her as well. I wish they lived closer.

In late June Justin went on a missions trip with the youth group to San Fransisco. They worked in the Tenderloin District working with homeless and the needy and poor in the hear of San Fran. Justin said it was an amazing trip spiritually both for him and the kids. It was hard to have him gone from us for a week but we managed, we were so happy to have him home again.

In July, we got to see our dear friend Tina get married. She tied the knot with Jakob on 7/7/07. It was such a fun wedding. Myself, Katrina, and Emma were in the wedding. The wedding party was huge! 5 flower girls, 9 bridesmaids, and 7 groomsman! It was a very bittersweet time for me. I had to figure out how to celebrate the joy of her marriage with her at the same time I was dealing with the sadness of knowing she would soon after be leaving Portland to move back to Denver where her family is. I miss her so much.

Also in July Grama Edie and Papa Bill (Justins grandparents) came to visit for 5 days. It was a great time with them just visiting and enjoying watching them with their 7 great grand daughters. They are such a testimony to marriage, having stayed faithful for 61 years now! I am so grateful that I am part of their family and thank God for the love and prayers they have given us for our entire marriage.

Towards the end of August we spent 4 days and 3 nights at Wallowa Lake in North Eastern Oregon near a little town called Joseph for a family reunion on my dads side. It was very fun, the kids had a blast just playing outside with their cousins and going for nature walks, and learning how to pee in the woods (first timers didn't do to well according to their poor Uncle Terry!). We took our boat that we got this summer with us and got to enjoy the FREEZING cold glacier water the lake is made out of. I tried to attempt wake boarding but as soon as my body hit the water, after Justin pushed me in, it said NO NO NO. I thought I was going to die of shock. Yes, it really was that cold, even in August. I got out as soon as I could swim to the boat and tried to avoid getting back in the rest of our time there. Being on the beach was nice though.

We also had the opportunity to host a few guests this summer. In early August Justin's cousin Michelle, her brother John (who is deaf) and her two little ones, Selah (2) and Kaleo (6wks), stayed with us for a week. I had such a great time with Michelle, I feel like she is a sister and so enjoyed getting to know her on a deeper level. We just click. The girls loved learning sign language from John who is amazing with kids. They really latched on to him. Selah and Kaleo were so sweet and man did Katrina miss Selah when she was gone. It's all I heard every half hour for the rest of the day and intermittently throughout the week. It was such a blessing to have them in our home and be able to serve them as much as we could and just have that fellowship with them. Michelle has a passion for the Lord that is so contagious.

In late August Justin's aunt and uncle came up from California for a wedding and stayed with us for a few days. It was just more fun with family.

When I reflect back on the summer and my earlier comment that we didn't really do much this summer I think I was wrong. I see now that we spent a whole lot of time with family this summer, cultivating and sealing relationships that will ultimately last for eternity. I can't really think of a better way we could have spent our time because family is everything.

First Blog

So this is my first ever blog. I guess this entry is more of a trial run. Hopefully you will all enjoy being able to stay in touch with what is going on with our family through this blog. I'll try to keep it updated frequently with lots of pictures etc..