OUR NEW HOME
We have signed papers on our new house! We are almost officially property owners again. The loan should close by Friday, and then we'll get to work in earnest. We are so thankful! :-)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Taylor's Birthday and Christmas
It's been a very long time since I've updated, so here's a long, picture-filled post. Taylor turned 5 on December 9, but we started the celebration while we were in Montana in November and continued it all the way on through the entire month of December. Taylor's first round of partying and presents occurred at Grammy and Grumpy's.
Then, on our way through Idaho, he celebrated with his special friends there. When we came back to Washington we had a small family celebration on the actual day of his birthday.
He had been asking us for months if we could make sure he had a friend birthday party (Aric did not have one and I think that caused Taylor to worry greatly), so a week after his birthday, we celebrated with a bunch of his friends from Oregon. Thankfully, Matthew and Jonah's mommy opened her house to us so we didn't need everyone to travel to Washington. The boys had had fun making an easy gingerbread/graham cracker house the week before, and on the same website where I had discovered "cheater's" instructions (use cardboard for the frame and just stick the crackers to the outside - my kind of craft project :-), we saw an idea for snowman cupcakes. Taylor wanted to try his hand at making them, so we had a snowman-themed party this year. We had so much fun having so many great friends together - it will be a cherished memory for a long time to come.
A week after that party, Jeremy's parents came out to visit and brought more birthday gifts from various family members, so we had yet another party. This time, Grandma made him a gummy worm pie. When all was said and done, Taylor had five separate birthday cakes...in terms of memories (not to mention GIFTS), it was definitely not a bad haul! :-) I think Taylor may have reached the zenith of his birthday career.
Of course, as soon as Grandma Janet and Grandpa Lyn came, Christmas was upon us. It wasn't a "normal" Christmas at our house. Our decorations are packed away at the very back of our storage unit, so we decided to keep things low key and have a Charlie Brown tree (notice it in the first picture below - it's a whopping 18-incher!). The only other decorations we had were what the boys made in Sunday School, but it made life very simple and was actually a nice change.
The New Year celebrations came and went so quickly I didn't find a chance to blog (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), and Grandma and Grandpa just returned to Montana this week. They'll be back soon for another brief visit, and then they'll be headed south for a while and then on up to Colorado to be with Jeremy's sister when she delivers her first baby in March. We've had such a fun visit with them and it's been really nice to have family around during the holidays. We haven't been able to celebrate a Christmas in Montana for about 7 years, so it was very special to have a little bit of Montana come to us. I've been thoroughly spoiled by having Grandma help out with cooking and cleaning, and she even babysat the kids all day, every day for about a week (with some help from Daddy and Grandpa) so I could attend a 1-week intensive seminary class. It was a great experience for me to get back to school and I feel so refreshed spiritually and "mommily" from having such a significant break from the kids. The kids, I must admit, weren't so gung-ho about the deal. It was fun for a few days, but by the end, they were asking and telling me not to go back. The sweetest thing was when I arrived home one evening and Aric threw his arms out wide and ran toward me, shouting, "Good morning, Mommy! I missed you!" It doesn't get much better than that!
At the end of Grandma and Grandpa's visit, they treated us (and themselves) to an afternoon at the Rivercity Bluegrass Festival. Taylor and I went for most of the afternoon, because we didn't figure Aric would have the patience or stamina to enjoy 6 hours of live concerts. Jeremy ended up being called to work, though, so about half an hour before things wrapped up, he dropped Aric off at the Convention Center for a perfect 3-year-old's dose of music. Although Taylor was overwhelmed by the end, it was, all in all, a very fun experience. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!
In other news, we have been waiting for a month to get one single signature so our house deal could move forward. We finally have that signature and have set a closing date of January 25th. Thank you Lord! It's been a much longer process than we are used to and we've learned a bit about trust and patience along the way. :-)
Jeremy's schedule at work has shifted, as it does every three months, so he's now back to a "normal" weekend schedule instead of always working Saturdays and having Mondays off. He has also moved from day shift to swing shift, so we're enjoying spending our mornings with Daddy. Once we have closed on the house, he'll be spending most mornings up there working away, but it's kinda nice to enjoy this lazy "calm before the storm."
Our newest addition is still doing well. We are now 16.5 weeks along and the baby has advanced in size from lime to plum to lemon to apple to avocado. Although these are obviously not the most accurate descriptions, they keep things exciting for the kids. We have visited YouTube and watched ultrasound videos of babies that are at the same stage as our baby, and Aric always ends up putting his hand on my belly with a look of rapturous anticipation. It always fades quickly, and I don't think he really believes our baby is moving around and kicking like those babies on the movie, because he sure can't feel anything! The boys are both quite opinionated about baby names, and I'm quite sure whatever we pick out won't be satisfactory to them. Taylor started out thinking Lilly was a nice girl's name (which it is, although it's not one of our favorites), but last night he had changed his mind to "Flower." Aric, being the impish 3-year-old he is, has decided the baby ought to be named "Taco Salad." This is less surprising once you know that he's renamed himself "Hot Dog Butterfly" and his Grumpy "Christopher Robin Hot Dog." Did I mention that he happens to be in the middle of a growth spurt where he's hungry all the time?
Taylor always amazes and surprises me with his sweetness and creativity, and he's been on an especially creative tangent lately. I would love to scan in and share all of his artwork, but that would take days. Here are two of my favorites selected from his recent (as in, the voluminous crop he cranked out just yesterday) artistic endeavors. He's also reading up a storm, which is so fun for all of us, and he's getting better at writing and math all the time. He is largely self-directed in his pursuits, and it's so fun to see such a voracious appetite for learning different things each day.
(This one is for Daddy and it makes me laugh every time I see it. Daddy has a pot on his head (obviously) and Mommy is wearing a night cap. His newest development is to give his "people" hands instead of having their fingers stick out of their arms. I love it!)
(This one is for Mommy. You can see he's written "Mom" and "Tay" all over one side of it, and there are lots of worms in the ground to help this flower grow well and be happy.)I'll close with one movie of the boys opening a few presents. I think every Christmas since having kids has gotten more fun, and this year was no exception. We are so thankful for the joy and life they bring to our home.
Friday, December 14, 2007
An Announcement...
We are very happily expecting a baby around June 25, 2008. I am 12.5 weeks along and feeling mostly normal again. For awhile, I was fairly miserable with morning sickness and terrible headaches, but thankfully, they've subsided. At about 6 weeks, when I'd already been experiencing some sickness, I suddenly got MUCH worse. I was sleeping almost all the time, it seemed, and I felt hot and cold, and I could barely stomach the thought of food. After about three horrible days of feeling this way, I was pretty sure the next 6 weeks were going to be pure misery... Then Taylor got the stomach flu. I have never been more thankful for a flu bug in my life! I was so relieved to know this was going to be over in a few days instead of lasting for over a month! :-) :-) I had to laugh at myself for never even thinking it might be possible that I'd come down with anything besides morning sickness.
The boys are mostly excited about having a new baby. Taylor is elated and can't wait for a sister, whereas Aric was excited about a brother. I say "was" because as the idea has taken hold in his mind, he has gotten more and more unhappy about losing his position as the youngest. We have had fun telling the boys the size of the baby each week as it relates to food. When we first found out, the baby was the size of a sesame seed. A few weeks later, it was the size of a blueberry, then a kidney bean, then a grape, then a kumquat, and now a lime. Here is a picture of the baby at "kidney bean stage." Jeremy asked when I brought the pictures home if they were actual size. They weren't intended to be, but at 8 weeks, they did happen to show the baby as being exactly the size of a kidney bean. :-) The baby looked like a kidney bean, then, too. Now the length of a lime, I'm sure the baby looks a lot more like a baby. :-)
We are very happily expecting a baby around June 25, 2008. I am 12.5 weeks along and feeling mostly normal again. For awhile, I was fairly miserable with morning sickness and terrible headaches, but thankfully, they've subsided. At about 6 weeks, when I'd already been experiencing some sickness, I suddenly got MUCH worse. I was sleeping almost all the time, it seemed, and I felt hot and cold, and I could barely stomach the thought of food. After about three horrible days of feeling this way, I was pretty sure the next 6 weeks were going to be pure misery... Then Taylor got the stomach flu. I have never been more thankful for a flu bug in my life! I was so relieved to know this was going to be over in a few days instead of lasting for over a month! :-) :-) I had to laugh at myself for never even thinking it might be possible that I'd come down with anything besides morning sickness.
The boys are mostly excited about having a new baby. Taylor is elated and can't wait for a sister, whereas Aric was excited about a brother. I say "was" because as the idea has taken hold in his mind, he has gotten more and more unhappy about losing his position as the youngest. We have had fun telling the boys the size of the baby each week as it relates to food. When we first found out, the baby was the size of a sesame seed. A few weeks later, it was the size of a blueberry, then a kidney bean, then a grape, then a kumquat, and now a lime. Here is a picture of the baby at "kidney bean stage." Jeremy asked when I brought the pictures home if they were actual size. They weren't intended to be, but at 8 weeks, they did happen to show the baby as being exactly the size of a kidney bean. :-) The baby looked like a kidney bean, then, too. Now the length of a lime, I'm sure the baby looks a lot more like a baby. :-)
Monday, December 10, 2007
Thanksgiving in Montana
We had so much fun sledding at Great-Gramma and Great-Papa's house.
The boys also had fun on the teeter-totter that Mom played on when she was a little girl!
At Grammy and Grumpy's house we had fun building a snowman...
...and having a snowball fight.
Jumping off Grumpy's new deck!
Nothing like the blind trust of a child!
Rough-housing with Grumpy
An early birthday party for Taylor with our great friends in Idaho
Silly kids!
An early "Merry Christmas" to everyone!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Our Housing Adventure
We haven't mentioned anything recently about our house building adventure because we haven't been sure what was going to happen or where we would eventually end up. We were all set to purchase 5 acres in Woodland, WA and build a house, but the closer we got to the project, the less we felt it was what we were meant to do. We had some serious doubts, which the builder graciously walked us through, so we kept moving forward on the project. However, when it came time to really commit, we both felt very strongly that this wasn't where the Lord was leading us. Our "gut-feeling" continued to be one of resistance, so finally, after a lot of prayer, we decided we'd better listen and stop moving down this path.
The very day we broke off the Woodland project, a house came on the market in a nice rural pocket northeast of Vancouver. The home is a 1960s era fixer-upper on one acre. It would be a close commute for Jeremy but we would still get to feel kind of like we were living in "the country." The home would be large enough for our growing family and Jeremy would have room to pursue his projects in the extra-large garage. This house seemed like a really great fit for our family and we were very excited to "stumble upon it" when we did. (Of course, we think the timing had more to do with being directed than stumbling!) However, it was a foreclosure and the price was unbeatable, so we were immediately part of a bidding war with three other interested parties. Thankfully, we were eventually the winning bidders. However, because of some major repairs, we could not get financing secured for a while. Eventually, and thanks to our great realtor, we were able to come up with a workable solution. Now, we are finally officially in contract on the house. We plan to close and take possession on December 21. We probably won't be moving in until the end of February when our apartment lease expires, and, in the meantime, we'll be working hard to get the roof replaced, the electrical systems replaced, the downstairs plumbing removed (from concrete) and replumbed to a different area of the basement, the entire downstairs demolished (including walls, floors, ceilings - everything but the one structural wall), the kitchen demolished, the laminate flooring that covers the entire main living area removed, and... well, you get the idea. We want to do as much as we can before we move in February, then we'll just live in whatever part of the house is most liveable at the time while we work on other parts of it.
Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am to have such a handy husband? It's a good thing he likes projects, because this is a pretty major one! This is definitely a different direction than we thought we would be headed, but we are so thankful for the strong sense of leading that has brought us to this house. We are very excited to "plug in" to our new community and get started on this adventure. If any one of you happens to be in the area and wants a workout, let us know. We can probably manage to find an extra pair of leather gloves for you. :-)
We haven't mentioned anything recently about our house building adventure because we haven't been sure what was going to happen or where we would eventually end up. We were all set to purchase 5 acres in Woodland, WA and build a house, but the closer we got to the project, the less we felt it was what we were meant to do. We had some serious doubts, which the builder graciously walked us through, so we kept moving forward on the project. However, when it came time to really commit, we both felt very strongly that this wasn't where the Lord was leading us. Our "gut-feeling" continued to be one of resistance, so finally, after a lot of prayer, we decided we'd better listen and stop moving down this path.
The very day we broke off the Woodland project, a house came on the market in a nice rural pocket northeast of Vancouver. The home is a 1960s era fixer-upper on one acre. It would be a close commute for Jeremy but we would still get to feel kind of like we were living in "the country." The home would be large enough for our growing family and Jeremy would have room to pursue his projects in the extra-large garage. This house seemed like a really great fit for our family and we were very excited to "stumble upon it" when we did. (Of course, we think the timing had more to do with being directed than stumbling!) However, it was a foreclosure and the price was unbeatable, so we were immediately part of a bidding war with three other interested parties. Thankfully, we were eventually the winning bidders. However, because of some major repairs, we could not get financing secured for a while. Eventually, and thanks to our great realtor, we were able to come up with a workable solution. Now, we are finally officially in contract on the house. We plan to close and take possession on December 21. We probably won't be moving in until the end of February when our apartment lease expires, and, in the meantime, we'll be working hard to get the roof replaced, the electrical systems replaced, the downstairs plumbing removed (from concrete) and replumbed to a different area of the basement, the entire downstairs demolished (including walls, floors, ceilings - everything but the one structural wall), the kitchen demolished, the laminate flooring that covers the entire main living area removed, and... well, you get the idea. We want to do as much as we can before we move in February, then we'll just live in whatever part of the house is most liveable at the time while we work on other parts of it.
Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am to have such a handy husband? It's a good thing he likes projects, because this is a pretty major one! This is definitely a different direction than we thought we would be headed, but we are so thankful for the strong sense of leading that has brought us to this house. We are very excited to "plug in" to our new community and get started on this adventure. If any one of you happens to be in the area and wants a workout, let us know. We can probably manage to find an extra pair of leather gloves for you. :-)
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Fall Fun
The boys carved some fun fall pumpkins (it's obvious they had a LOT of help from Daddy!) and enjoyed dressing up for a harvest party that we never ended up making it to. It was still fun. We went around our apartment complex and got a few pieces of candy and they thought life was pretty great. Here are the pics!
Also, I keep wanting to mention a few of the funny things these boys have been saying lately:
Aric, pointing to the thin blue lines in his wrist: "Mom, are these my brains?" (I emphasized the difference between VEINS and BRAINS after this question!)
Taylor, after getting a flu bug: "Mom, I don't like throwing up. It makes my stomach feel all googley." (Who knew "googley" was such a bad thing?)
Aric, as he was being dragged through a store: "Dad, I'm so BORING!" (Jeremy said the checkout lady couldn't stop laughing at this one. He really was tired of being out and about. As he came in the front door, I overheard him say, "Dad, you wore me out!" Sometimes it's pretty funny to hear him repeating phrases he's heard.)
The boys carved some fun fall pumpkins (it's obvious they had a LOT of help from Daddy!) and enjoyed dressing up for a harvest party that we never ended up making it to. It was still fun. We went around our apartment complex and got a few pieces of candy and they thought life was pretty great. Here are the pics!
Also, I keep wanting to mention a few of the funny things these boys have been saying lately:
Aric, pointing to the thin blue lines in his wrist: "Mom, are these my brains?" (I emphasized the difference between VEINS and BRAINS after this question!)
Taylor, after getting a flu bug: "Mom, I don't like throwing up. It makes my stomach feel all googley." (Who knew "googley" was such a bad thing?)
Aric, as he was being dragged through a store: "Dad, I'm so BORING!" (Jeremy said the checkout lady couldn't stop laughing at this one. He really was tired of being out and about. As he came in the front door, I overheard him say, "Dad, you wore me out!" Sometimes it's pretty funny to hear him repeating phrases he's heard.)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIC!
(Plus the balance of September pics)
On September 17, Aric turned 3. Because of our move, the regular party with friends didn't happen. However, when Grammy and Grumpy were here, we made him a birthday blackberry pie and had his first mini-party. He got to open gifts from his Grammy and Grumpy, Great-Papa and Great-Gramma, and Great-Aunt Lynn.
Thanks, Grammy and Grumpy, for KARAOKE!
Great-Gramma send a goodie box to all of us, so Tay got in on the fun.
On his actual birthday, our immediate family had his second mini-party. We drove down to Wilsonville and visited Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center. Aric has been wanting to ride the go-karts for a very long time, but the minimum age requirement is 3, so this was his first opportunity. He was quite firm about riding with Mommy instead of Daddy (who, by the way, was far-and-away the winner of the race). Conservative, safe-driver Mommy was near the end of the pack (ok, ok, I was dead last, but at least Aric didn't have anything to be scared about! :-). Later that day, we had chocolate angel food cake that the boys had helped me make and Aric got to open his presents from Tay, Mom and Dad, and Grandpa Lyn and Grandma Janet.
Since he got a bicycle for his birthday, we've been trying to get out and ride whenever it's not rainy. A few weeks ago, we went to Round Lake (near Camas) and gave the boys their first taste of "trail riding." They lasted about a quarter mile before retreating to the play structure, but it was a beautiful day to be outside enjoying the beautiful fall colors.
Two weekends ago, we went to the coast with our friends, the Hendersons. We visited the Tillamook Air Museum and my boys (yes, all THREE of them) got to drool over F14s and play in cockpit simulators. We stayed in a beachfront rental, which we have never done before. I must say, we were totally spoiled by huge picture-window views of the ocean, not to mention the fact that bathroom breaks didn't require packing the whole family to a public restroom blocks from where we had started. We had a very nice time.
Now Jeremy's upriver and we're settling into the reality of apartment life and waiting for the next step in this interesting process. We're very thankful for sunbreaks, bicycles, soccer balls, and the library. I'm also thankful for the humorous moments that occur every day with my boys. They keep me chuckling a lot of the time. One example from a few months ago: We were eating out at The Old Spaghetti Factory with grandparents. Taylor's menu had a word scramble with noodle terms. He asked me what to do and I told him what each of the terms was. He studiously turned to his placemat and began writing each of them phonetically. He started with "P-O-S-D-U" aka pasta. :-)
(Plus the balance of September pics)
On September 17, Aric turned 3. Because of our move, the regular party with friends didn't happen. However, when Grammy and Grumpy were here, we made him a birthday blackberry pie and had his first mini-party. He got to open gifts from his Grammy and Grumpy, Great-Papa and Great-Gramma, and Great-Aunt Lynn.
Thanks, Grammy and Grumpy, for KARAOKE!
Great-Gramma send a goodie box to all of us, so Tay got in on the fun.
On his actual birthday, our immediate family had his second mini-party. We drove down to Wilsonville and visited Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center. Aric has been wanting to ride the go-karts for a very long time, but the minimum age requirement is 3, so this was his first opportunity. He was quite firm about riding with Mommy instead of Daddy (who, by the way, was far-and-away the winner of the race). Conservative, safe-driver Mommy was near the end of the pack (ok, ok, I was dead last, but at least Aric didn't have anything to be scared about! :-). Later that day, we had chocolate angel food cake that the boys had helped me make and Aric got to open his presents from Tay, Mom and Dad, and Grandpa Lyn and Grandma Janet.
Since he got a bicycle for his birthday, we've been trying to get out and ride whenever it's not rainy. A few weeks ago, we went to Round Lake (near Camas) and gave the boys their first taste of "trail riding." They lasted about a quarter mile before retreating to the play structure, but it was a beautiful day to be outside enjoying the beautiful fall colors.
Two weekends ago, we went to the coast with our friends, the Hendersons. We visited the Tillamook Air Museum and my boys (yes, all THREE of them) got to drool over F14s and play in cockpit simulators. We stayed in a beachfront rental, which we have never done before. I must say, we were totally spoiled by huge picture-window views of the ocean, not to mention the fact that bathroom breaks didn't require packing the whole family to a public restroom blocks from where we had started. We had a very nice time.
Now Jeremy's upriver and we're settling into the reality of apartment life and waiting for the next step in this interesting process. We're very thankful for sunbreaks, bicycles, soccer balls, and the library. I'm also thankful for the humorous moments that occur every day with my boys. They keep me chuckling a lot of the time. One example from a few months ago: We were eating out at The Old Spaghetti Factory with grandparents. Taylor's menu had a word scramble with noodle terms. He asked me what to do and I told him what each of the terms was. He studiously turned to his placemat and began writing each of them phonetically. He started with "P-O-S-D-U" aka pasta. :-)
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