200th post

Today is my 200th post- I began my blog on Feb. 13th, 2008, the day before Valentines day. Soon after we discovered we were pregnant with Kate and the blog sort of took on a "for the grandparents" theme.

It's fun documenting the things the kids do. Last night we looked at all the old videos of when Kate was the age that Savannah is now and laughed at all the similarities. Carson is determined to teach Savannah how to snort like a pig- like Kate did when she was about a year old. Click here for a reminder video.

We are having a wonderful time with Carson here! We have had great late night chats and I am not sure what I am going to do when he leaves! He LOVES the kids and spends time teaching them and playing with them. His recent question to us "Do you guys ever leave, like when they are asleep, and run to the store? I mean, people do that." has confirmed to me how he has a few things to learn about kids....

I couldn't believe he asked us that, I mean, who does he think we are? And he was dead serious. "No, Carson, we don't leave our kids at home while they sleep and go to the store, and you have just disqualified yourself from ever babysitting!!"

Here are some more pics of our trip with Carson from the Memorial Day weekend.

Here are some more pics from Ruth of the night we went up to her house for dinner.

Carson has been sending out resumes and looking for a job and yesterday the Lord has blessed his efforts. He literally got two jobs in the same day! He will be gainfully employed at Buster's Chicken Factory and Eileen's button store. That's not true.

He actually will be working at Bed Bath and Beyond and for a neighbor here in our new complex. It's a cool story how the Lord worked it all out. We just "happened" to be outside and "happened" to start talking to this guy who just "happened" to buy the condo beside ours. He needed a painter and Carson just "happened" to have a history in painting and needs work! He got two jobs in the same afternoon!

Would you hire this guy? I would...doesn't he look spiffy?




Here is Michael at the beach on Monday, with our new friends Andy and Christopher. Michael and I met them 2 weekends ago at the beach and he will be training them this summer in volleyball.



I will close this blog with a story of horror. While at the beach on Monday with a couple hundred thousand people at the pier, I turned around and realized Kate was missing. I had asked her to pick up her beach toys and she was gone. Gone.... gone!! I turned in a circle while muttering, "Kate, where are you?" Another circle, looking farther out, nowhere. "KATE!"

Screaming...nowhere to be found. SHE WAS RIGHT THERE, now gone. Visions of someone carrying her away under a towel, etc. were stinging my eyes. I was crying, yelling at everyone...trying to find her. Michael went towards the ocean, Carson towards the shower and our friend Rob stayed with Savannah. I couldn't see in the crowds of people, no Kate.

I was screaming louder than I have ever screamed at any football game. "KATE!! KATE!!! Lord, please show me which direction to walk..." Scanning, crowds of people. Too many to focus on. Where do I look?? Which way. I am running...

Then, after about 30-45 seconds of sheer horror-trying not to panic... but failing...

I heard the best words I've ever heard, "She's over here!!" A family, walking by had taken her hand and were standing still. They spotted the maniac mother bear screaming like a wild bancchi and 'bingo', that must be this little girl's mommy.

I ran to Kate and smothered her in tears of joy and sorrow. "I almost lost you!!!" I tried to tell her not to do this again, but all I heard myself doing was mumbling and sobbing. It was quite a moment. One that I won't forget for a long time. (Oh, and what was she doing? She had all her sand toys in her hand, taking them to the car, I guess. I need to be a bit more specific with my words next time =)

Thank you Lord for your protection and for your angels who lift us up in their hands so we don't strike our foot against a stone. Ps 91

Home Sick....

Look at this pitiful face!! Doesn't it say...
"Hold me mom, I am sick!"

We've been a bit under the weather...Each week, when we go to church and put the kids in the nursery, the following Tuesday they come down with a cold!! It is sometimes easy to get discouraged- at times you feel cut off from the rest of the world! We miss church, and the fellowship that church brings.

I read a very encouraging blog from another mom about this. So, for all my young mom friends click here.




http://theeastmanchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/04/one-of-our-best-friends.html





Here's a funny little happening I had to share:





Freshly diapered from their baths I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and I was thinking to myself, " how nice, the girls are playing together in their room so quietly." That thought turned into..."man, they are really quiet." To...."GIRLSSS!!!"


This is what I found.








What is that white stuff you ask?


That, my friends, is Desitin. (To all my friends without children....that's) DIAPER CREAM and it ain't called 'cream' for no reason. It is an oily mess under water...so, bathtime number 2 took a bit longer.






You can't really tell from the pictures, but Kate had laid it on thick. She used like half a bottle of the desitin on Savannah. She looked like the Austrailan aboriginals we visited in Australia!

And the funniest part, Savannah was standing there, very still, letting her do it! She is so cute. Wanting to take part in everything sister does. Kate has even started telling us what Savannah is trying to say.

And, last night before bed, Kate said, "Mommy, tell me a verse."

So, while praying for a verse to give her on the spot, I remembered the one I am memorizing. Remain in me and you will bear much fruit. So I recited it to her.

She looked at me and said, "yeah, fruit cocktail!"

My two cuties...

Today I noticed that I had Savannah in an outfit that I remembered Kate having a cute picture in- so I fished it out, we grabbed the camera, and took a pic of SJ!

It was fun noting the similarities and differences!

Savannah is 9 months today and.... Kate is 11 months in this picture.







Of course, it wasn't without it's challenges...here is the progression for your enjoymjent.

oh yea...up and rolling

We are back in bih 'niss....that's right folks...
back in bih' niss....surfing the web, connected, online...up and running...
back in business.

=)

Off to Tennessee

It has been a long and grueling 2 weeks of teething and packing, (Savannah did the teething, we did the packing) but now...

VACATION TIME!

We are headed to TN in the morning, 5 am sharp.... and we are so excited! We couldn't move tomorrow if we wanted to, so this (previously planned) vacation is a much needed blessing from God.

C-ya soon family!!!

Bloggiebatical

Hi faithful readers,

It is time for a bloggiebatical.

I need a break from my documenting - but for a good reason!!

Firstly, at the end of the month, grammy and grampy are flying us home to visit!! We are really excited...Kate has been walking around saying, "I'm going on a plane to see my grandma, and my little Shelley and my little Keith." That's verbatum.
So cute!

Secondly....

We are moving...relocating, getting the heck outta here, hitting the road jack, making a move, out like Clout, getting a new address, breaking free, making a change,.... you get the point.
And life is not allowing much room for sitting around thinking about what I am going to write about. I just found icecream in the refrigerator today..if that tells you anything about the craziness of my life.

With that said- here are some videos of my kiddos (the smartest in the world, or my small world that is!)and they will have to last you for awhile.

This is not staged. One afternoon the girls were playing together on the bed and Savannah rolled the ball to Kate every time. These are the parts I caught on camera. Enjoy and we'll update you on our crazy life in uh, about 10 years.... hee hee!

Sunbeams

We have the morning sun streaming into our kitchen, it's so beautiful and warm on a wintery morning. I love how it played on Kate's hair as she was playing...so I wanted to remember it, forever (like all the other moments...ahhh! How am I ever going to keep this up??hee hee)

Give your toddler a bowl of beans, water and utensils and sit back and practice your photography...she cooks, I shoot. Everybody's happy!

I really liked this series...all photos untouched original.
Click photo for more.

Baby Shower!!

Yesterday was an amazing day and God has richly blessed us and provided for our little girl in such a fun way! Our shower was awesome, we enjoyed seeing all our Biola family in one spot!







Our friends came together and brought such great food and gifts for Kate. We were generously showered until our cup ran over... truly, God provides for the needs of His children, there is just no other way to describe the generosity of His people. It's amazing to think that 6 years ago we came here not knowing anyone and now we are surrounded with this loving Biola family.

For more pictures go to our photo webpage.
Click on the button....

Last night we got to catch up with some old friends we used to know from Talbot. We went to Downtown Disney to the Rainforest cafe to eat dinner and had a splendid time. Here's Lorna and I (she is about 5 1/2 months pregnant with her second child!!).

Here's her daughter Alaethia.




Lorna wanted a pictures of our babies touching...hee hee!


Right when we got back to their hotel, Michael and I felt an earthquake...it was so rolly....that's 2 in one month!

Today is our first baby shower and it's at work. We are so blessed to work here at Biola and to have such an awesome community of friends! I am so excited about it. I am sure I will have plenty of pics to post later on...

Until then, here's a story....
Sunday night, Michael and I were very tired and we still had 3 loads of laundry to fold. While folding the laundry, I saw something on the floor I needed to put away and walked into the other room. I came back and Michael was facedown on the bed (his arms underneath his body like he had fallen). Being a bit more jumpy than usual....I went into hysterics...screaming at him asking what was wrong. He looked up at me and said, "what is wrong with you?" I said, "I thought you were dead!!"

He was laughing until he saw that I was really crying...trying not to go into early labor. (I really thought I would!)

He never plays tricks on me and wasn't intending it to be a trick....needless to say it was NOT funny at the time, but now I am cracking up at how edgy I am these days...

Ahh..the joys =)

This is my good friend Claudia and her new son, Levi. Isn't he too adorable? Claudia was my RA at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and when I met her, right away I knew there was something special about her. I am so glad to see this new joy God has brought into their lives! Congratulations friends! We are so happy for you!

And Claudia, you look amazing, as always =)



Well this weekend proved to be the first of many wonderful Fall days at Huntington. It was the perfect weather and there is a hint of winter goodness in the air.

Michael was on fire this weekend and I got some fairly decent shots of his games.
Click our photo button below to see more:







Lastly, let me also give a shout out to my parents who have been married 29 years (yesterday!!)

Happy Anniversary guys...thanks for creating a fun loving home for all of us kids.

Picture of the kiddos in years past...lovin' that perm!!


May the Lord bless you with many more years wonderful to come!!



I love you!!!

Watching in Wonder- 30 Weeks

Michael and I stare constantly in wonder and amazement as we gaze upon "this basketball belly" as Michael calls it. One would have to be crazy not to believe in our majestic God after going through the journey of pregnancy (and I haven't even experienced parenthood yet)! The miraculous order and design of the human body is truly a work of art.



Well, we have had some really neat blessings lately that are "worth writing home about".
ast Saturday, Aunt Anita (Hengiman) our adopted CA aunt, called and said she wanted to take me maternity clothes shopping (again!). I was thankful because as you can see, I am growing out of my 2nd trimester clothes! It was so nice, we actually got to bring Jesse Hengiman along too and we spent 6 hours wondering around the stores just browsing. I got some nice things and we got to eat out together at Macaroni Grill- my favorite!! It was a lovely day! Thank you so much Aunt Anita! You are such a blessing in my life. (Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera on hand.)


Then, on Monday night we were asked to meet my friend Katrina at a park for a little surprise. When we got there, she had set up a table with pie and plates and forks and we ate by the fountain.



Afterwards, we walked up on a footbridge and they showed us the moon rise. IT WAS HUGE and orange and beautiful. Quite a site I must say.

She planned it perfectly, don't know how she did it! Thanks Katrina, that was very special of you to do for us...








Well, that's all for now...please continue to pray for us as we are being asked at work about what our plans are after Kate comes. We have such peace right now and we know that God is working out details that we cannot even see. "Without faith it is impossible to please God..."Hebrews 11:6

Please pray for His provision for us as well as growth in our faith!

Lots of Happenings!

Life is going great here! It's so fun to see things come together for little Kate. God hears our prayers! And He answers! And each time...I'm still amazed. He does care about the small things.
My friend called me up the other day and had found/purchased a breast pump for me...such a blessing and huge burden lifted!

We also walked to a garage sale down the street on Sat. morning, where we found friends we had known in school. They didn't know we were expecting and wanted to give us all their baby stuff! I got a bouncy chair and some clothes and went home and got crafty! I re-covered the boy-ish looking chair with some flannel yellow fabric with stars I picked out from JoAnn's for $1.80 and now it looks just like new! We love it! I even ventured out to make little a little hang-y star and heart!

It vibrates and plays music...brilliant!

Also, last night, a huge miracle happened! We got our hands on (what seemed like) California's last Dutailier glider!! It's the thing I really really wanted for nursing- because it feels SO good on my spine! It's a neat story....Apparently the one we picked is on backorder for life and we weren't getting it! Turns out a store I called yesterday in West Covina had a floor model that broke the guy said, "we just got one in! I will hold it for you!" Later we found out that his manager yelled at him because it was the floor model replacement! But, we still got the chair! Yipee! God is so good!

Also, after picking up the chair, it was getting late and we grabbed a bite to eat. It was my first attempt at Chinese food in 7 1/2 months (it is usually my favorite but Kate has made me dislike even the smell!). I still read my fortune cookie just for fun- certainly not looking for divine wisdom but I like what it said. It read, "Children will play an important role in your life." I think God can speak to us through anything.

This weekend was a big weekend for us! We re-arranged all our furniture to fit Kate's little crib and changing table. Her wall is getting girlie already... The crib will go to the left of the dresser/changing table...

And this is up on the other wall. It was so fun to hang things up and makes it feel ever closer to meeting her!!..which by the way is only 10 weeks away, Lord's will!

Other happenings:
Michael planned a Bocce ball tournament at work, and it started last Wednesday. We are having such a nice time on our lunch breaks eating and playing bocce in the shade! Explaining the rules to all 36 players...

Jason's on our team, thankfully! Look at that roll!

Melrose and Karen, Bocee beauties.

And yes, even pregnant ladies can play too =)
Click here for more bocce pics: biolabocce.spaces.live.com

Hope to hear from you...leave a comment below so we can see who's reading! God bless!

3rd Trimester Here We Come!

I am 28 weeks. I made it to another huge milestone...the THIRD TRIMESTER!! and moving right along...all outwardly that's for sure. Here are some picture updates of Kate's home.

So, it was a long weekend, a nice 3 days of rest and relaxation. Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day. Labor day now has a new ring to it to me...I mean, I am going to be in labor in 3 months! Ahhh!!

My mom and I chatted on Sunday night for 2 1/2 short hours...she found a diary of when she was pregnant with me. It told of the delivery story and how my dad was so happy and it was just so fun to hear a young woman like me going through the same things I am experiencing...but it is my own mom and it was me the baby! I hope to have some nice things to pass down to Kate. I started a book to her this weekend that I 'll give her one day when she's older.

We went to the beach Saturday, surprise! and Michael played like 5 games in a row. He had to quit while he was ahead because I was ready to head out after 6 hours, but I think he got a workout indeed! Then it was church Saturday night.....awesome message and great fellowship afterwards. The church provides a meal and you just come eat and chat...too cool.

We also spent a fair amount of time home this weekend, so it was a nice compromise of being out and about and in and snug. I got some new picture frames and made a little collage on the wall...making room for pictures of new baby! Michael is always reading and learning about the things to come...

and then to the Henigmans for a lovely BBQ on Labor Day....

It's always so nice to be down in Fountain Valley with the cool breezes and sweet company. God has truly blessed us with a nice outlet to get away from our daily work week and routine.


If you are reading this, please pray for Michael and I if you feel lead. We are standing in front of a new faith mountain and waiting for the Lord to direct our next steps, as He has so faithfully done in the past. We are about to begin a new chapter in life and have no idea what the future holds. Pray that God will provide a way for me to stay home with Kate for this is our desire. We have NO idea how this can happen at this point, but we are trusting that our God will provide our every need according to His purpose.

Thank you for your prayers!
Blessings!

Friday....

Today is the longest day known to mankind. I am so tired and so ready to go home! It’s our first full Friday workday of the summer and it’s only 3:30!! Michael and I just took a walk together for a break time and all the campus is a-buzz. The students are coming back to school and the place is beaming with excitement. The gardeners have all the pretty flowers groomed for the new students and families who are coming on campus for the first time…and God is always at work here. The Holy Spirit is ready to begin shaping hearts and minds for Christ in a new semester.


Today at work was our final day of Office Olympics, we had so much fun!There We found out in the past 2 weeks who in our office is competitive and who were spectators only! Michael is wanting to start a bocce ball tournament with our offices in a few weeks...so that should be fun. Community is a great establishment of God.


I took a picture of the tree I love, called the Flaming Red Coral tree. It goes through 4 dramatically different stages, and right now it just so happens to be in the "green, full of leaves" stage. I always said I was going to get it in all of it's stages because it's so amazing to me! Click here to see it in March.

AND ... some leaves on other trees on campus have already begun to change color...that confirms that Fall is on the way, and guess what happens in the Fall??? A baby KATE!! We think we want to have a 4D ultrasound and are currently looking at places to go get one…We would love to see our Kate early since technology so nicely obliges.

Last night we went out to dinner with a young guy we met at the beach this past Saturday. This is quite a neat story actually as he says he feels God has called him here to Huntington Beach to start a beach volley ball ministry. It is an answer to our prayers...we need more soliders of the faith out in the sports world. We left feeling excited at what God is doing in his life and tried to encourage him as much as possible. Listening to him reminded us alot of how we were when we first moved here. He is freshly transplanted from the South and has some southern ways about him that will be met with some opposition and questioning here but he will figure it out soon and God will direct him. It was just neat to see the things we have learned about the culture and how much we have changed/evolved and taken on the theme of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do".

The beach is going really well actually, and we feel that more and more we are making headway in our friendships with the players. Michaels game is greatly improving as he has been able to play alot this summer and train throughout the week here on campus (we have an awesome sand court). I am the cheerleader for now but can't wait to "get back into the game". Please pray for God to draw people to himself.

Well, I am just rambling for now…so I better get back to reality.

Michael's hidden talent

My husband has a hidden talent. Well, he as a few but some shall remain hidden. Today I reveal one though. He can catch a fly with his bare hands. He hasn't merely conquered this task once or twice...but dozens of times to my amazement. Just when I think the fly is too fast, he snags him- mid air!

So, this weekend we had some little univited guests in our home. I said aloud, "we really need a flyswatter"...but was quickly reminded I was mistaken. Michael began the dance, around the rooms, hands in the air, "waving like you just don't care".

Well, this fly was fast and furious and I have to admit to my discredit, I was doubting.

Finally, the trained eye of this human flyswatter of a man had caught the pattern of the fast moving pest. Then, SWIPE!! Midair, fly noise ceased...Mr. Fly is trapped in the world's fastest human flyswatter hand on the face of the earth and wife is happy....

True: I have seen him catch over six flies in one day with his hand. That is talent folks. Pure.

"What a man, what a man, what a mighty fine man! Yes he is."

Here I am growing and growing and loving it!

26 week update.

Hope you are having a great week...blessings!!