tonka trucks and tutus

my happy mug

2011-10-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

as i poured another cup of hot, raspberry tea leaf tea (come out now, baby!) i thought about my 'happy mug'. my ever-present, in-all-of-my-jewelry-listings mug. my beautiful cup, with a chip from being knocked onto a dining room chair by chubby, little hands. now with a crack that runs up the inside of it, rendering it useless for liquids. i remember the heartbreaking look on my son's face when he realized what had happened. i remember the letdown i felt, when i saw the little crack and chip. the first thought being to toss it out, it was after all useless now. and then i wondered if maybe a re-purposing would be better. not a total loss, but a change. this lump of clay was created to hold hot chocolate on cold nights, steaming tea for the sickies and on occasion water when the dishes hadn't been done the night before. what good would come from it now? could it have been created to do more then the expected? did the potter look at his molded, painted, glazed, finished product and see the potential? beyond a simple cup?

i like to think that like my 'happy mug', with the ever changing world, my life has more purposes. more then i can know, but what the Potter knew. potential. beyond what is seen. beyond my simple humanity. beyond me.

one year ago

2011-04-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

i opened my shop! in honor of that, i will have FREE shipping on everything today at my shop! no matter the size of your order! hurry by and check out my spring line.

meet me at the beach

sometimes i'm a bitter butt

2011-04-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

it's true, i'm bitter. but i still hope. we all do. we were created by a hopeful God, with a hopeful love. so why wouldn't we hope? i find this irritating sometimes, my hope springing up when all i want to do is throw a pity party. when i'm good and cynical. throwing out choice morsels of words that make me feel like my party is just getting started. i start to sink into the feelings, wrapping them around me like a comfy blanket. and then hope, like a bucket of cold water, totally messes with that comfort. sometimes i hate hope. my humanity glares at it, like my four year old glares at me after a time out. how dare it mess with my OBVIOUSLY, justified cynicism. but then when hope has poked at me enough to make me open my eyes and tell it to go away, i see the God behind the hope. the God who loved a people who had wrapped themselves in their pity, and shut their eyes. He loved us enough, to send His Hope to us.

i'm bitter. i'm bitter at the church for turning it's backs to a people so lost in their bitterness and pity, that they cannot see Hope. a church ignoring the people who have chosen to believe in Hope, to follow Hope, and then are crushed by the people in their own church. not the church building that we're always so proud of. not the church music that we act is a direct link to God's jiving-bones. not the traditions that are beautiful in their own way. i'm upset with the people who make up the church. when did we become so busy, so self-important that not do we only make time for God on sundays, but each other? i'm not sure what version of bible you read, it's pretty irrelevant in this one point. they all shout this out pretty clearly

...LOVE GOD AND LOVE EACH OTHER.

we weren't meant to take on parenting, marriage, jobs, sickness, money issues, loss and LIFE without each other. i have watched countless friends walk away, get too busy, find flaws that can't be forgiven, and spread words of hurt like a cancer. i'm not unique in this. it's probably happened to you. it happens too often. when this happens enough, the bitterness sinks in, the Hope is hidden from our eyes. i have been blessed with the daddy's family. more godly people you'd have a tough time finding. they have walked beside me in my hurt, my losses, my joy and my hope. it's so natural to them. i can't understand how this is not more natural, to a people who have chosen to seek Hope. does your heart not hurt? aren't you lonely? do you feel like you are screwing your kids up? yes. the answer is yes. you don't have to tell me about it. i'd love to hear, i'd love to help.(or just sit with you and cry. i'm a great crier, plus i bring wine.) but even if you chose to keep these truths to yourself, consider that they are truths for every one else.

this sunday is easter. the day our hope was embodied. Hope that broke free of death and took on our bitterness. have someone over for lunch and share a little hope.

don't be a bitter butt.

call it morning sickness...

2011-04-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

but that picture in my previous blog post, is really stomach turning. esh.

HELLO! i know it's been forever since i popped on here for any amount of time. that damn facebook! :) well, i've taken a break from fb, trying to reconnect with my friends and family in PERSON! or *gasp* over the phone! i know, p-h-o-n-e. i had almost forgotten you could TALK on one of those!

sooooo, i'll be on here more often i hope. though truthfully, i 'm not sure who comes by anymore. maybe this will be a place of healing and venting more the anything. a very dear, sister of mine has inspired me with her thoughts. her openness to God. her love and hope. her desire to dive into the words of a Father who cares for us. so, for now that will be my goal. to seek and share what i am given.

join me?

my kids eat peas!

2010-06-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

it's true you know, they do. in the summer when it's baking hot, my kids LOVE frozen peas. but in the spring/winter/fall months my kids are not into frozen peas so much. so i've been trying different things to sneak them into their favorite foods, without totally dehydrating them and losing all the nutrients. today i found a way! below is how i did it, it's super simple but gets the job done for most kids. it's colorful and makes a great popping sound. :)

a box of macaroni and cheese, cooked up as usual
frozen peas (i suggest organic for peace of mind)
a couple hot dogs (turkey dogs or tofu...whatever)

make the mac n' cheese, but before adding the noodles to the sauce, toss in FROZEN peas and mix up. then add the noodles and cut up hot dogs. let cool slightly and serve. the peas will still be a little chill, and make a fantastic "popping" sound when eaten.

my kids are on their second bowl as i type. :)

earth day...

2010-04-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

happy to enjoy the natural light...and this can wait until tomorrow...this will *probably* wait until the weekend...and we might even skip tonight's bath...but earth, here is where we miss each other!

wordless wednesday

2010-04-21T13:43:00.001-07:00

wordless-ish wednesday

2010-03-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

how can THIS, possibly be considered obscene?!

post entitled...

2009-11-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

don't poke the sleeping bear or

play hard, crash hard

either way...

mommy forgot to dress me today

wordless...thursday?

2009-11-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

wordless wednesday

2009-10-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

pumpkin picking 2009

2009-10-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

fall has fallen, and so we off-ed to the pumpkin fields for pumpkins. twas cold. but alot of fun. it was gummybear's (still working on his out-of-utero nickname) first trip to the pumpkin field. duh. and so far, total indifference. :) however, the oldest two loved it. the dirt. the rain. the super cool rainboots. the piles and piles of pumpkins....ah, a toddlers heaven.and for fun...a comparison to last year!

one fall day...

2009-09-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

monkey pondered life while driving recklesslythen climbed the great mountain of dirt with sisterpeanut butter chased the illusive blue balland then ran as far as her stylish little boots would carrywhich was to the fenced off front yard. :)

now we are off to bake cookies...hooray fall!

it's a boy!

2009-08-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

a little late here on the post, but gummybear has finally arrived! born last monday evening at 7:32pm. 9lbs 11oz, 21 1/2 inches long! "gummybear" came into the world after only 2.25 hours of laboring and pushing, even with the small delay due to his shoulder becoming stuck. it was such an amazing experience to go completely natural, aided by my midwives and my incredible husband. after having the baby, i began to lose good deal of blood and there was a concern that we may have to head to the hospital but my body bounced back. thank you Lord.

we're all settling in well. the older two kids are very gentle and loving towards the new baby. monkey is having a little bit of a two year old attitude issue, but we're working through it with him. :)

thank you to the daddy's mother for the days spent here with me while i healed and rested! thank you to everyone else for the prayers and love.

guess i'm having one of each...

2009-08-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

ha! had you going there for a second didn't i? no, i'm referring to the dead even guesses on boy or girl. i really enjoyed watching it go back a forth, and it cracks me up that it evened out RIGHT before closing.

okay, but now's the time to fess up. what did you guess?? common people, help me pass the time. i'm so dying to be done here!

time to pop!

2009-07-23T13:28:00.001-07:00

day before having monkey day before having peanut

two weeks before due date...

*sigh*

feelin' a breeze

2009-07-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

do you think she notices?

freaky friday

2009-06-19T08:10:00.001-07:00

those second born kids...

peanut amazed me when she actually peed and then told me. having the two (soon to be three) so close in age can be exceptionally hard work. but there the times when it pays off in HUGE ways! go baby girl!

32 weeks

2009-06-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

and can you believe it's already time to order our home birth kit? where did this pregnancy go?

ha ha, i can see why peanut gets so mad when she tries to sit in my lap. poor little girl, baby is already moving in on her space.

they liveeee

2009-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

somehow i managed to transplant the little planters monkey and i did about two months ago. i'm way impressed by these little things! they may even produce something given enough time. :)and for a little comparison, this is right before the transplant. they're HUGE now!

they say...

2009-06-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

"Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments."

soooo, according to this baby should be sleeping at some point. yes? i'm not convinced.

9 more weeks folks!

nothing better...

2009-06-02T19:24:00.001-07:00

then cool water on a hot, summer day... a daddy to dunk you... a big belly to lean on... some shade to splash in...and darling tummys to kiss!

watching the cars go by

2009-05-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

wordless wed (two days late)

2009-05-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

wal-mart: the high cost of low prices

2009-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

this is not meant to shame anyone. it is not meant as a slam against anyone who shops at or supports walmart. it is instead simply an explanation as to why my family PERSONALLY chooses not to use walmart. i have many friends and family who have asked me why and I want to be completely honest. it was not an easy choice to make; their prices are honestly fantastic. but at what cost? or rather, at the cost of who’s family? again, i’m not meaning to belittle anyone’s choice to shop walmart. how on earth would i have any right to judge you for choosing to pay low prices, so you can afford to live in this economy?

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

rice kriiiiispies

2009-05-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

making rice krispie treats is so much fun. made MUCH more fun by the eating of marshmellows as you go...

and the sharing of sticky fingers!

but i still love the making part!

boy or girl?

2009-05-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

i see you voting! what do you think baby gummybear is? :)

peanut says: sister please!

"red keys" and other fun facts

2009-04-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

monkey has a couple of interlocking rings that he has named "red keys" and likes to use to "start" his rocking horse. they do have other purposes however. such as they MUST be in hand when pooping on the potty, i do believe they hold pushing power for my pint-sized son. and of course, in hand when taking a nap.

when peanut poops in her diaper, he will run around the house yelling "peanut pooped, peanut pooped". tonight he was sitting at the table eating dinner when he informed me with a scrunched up nose "i think peanut pooped". she had not.

peanut loves to follow her brother from room to room and copy whatever he is doing at the moment. the most recently enjoyed moment was when i was telling monkey to "push" his foot into his sandle and peanut began grunting. i had completely forgotten we tell monkey to "push" when he is on the toilet. at least we know her hearing is good.

both of the kids have taken to sitting IN the fridge as soon as i open it. peanut started this, i assume because she was feeling to warm. maybe she just wants to lay claim to the food before brother does.

there's mor ei'm sure, but there is a little peek into our days for now. :)

my son has a green thumb!

2009-04-26T18:10:00.001-07:00

i do believe his grandma passed on some green thumbiness (oh yes, it's a word), through his daddy. i have never had a plant live. granted i've never tried seeds before, but every plant i have owned has quickly seen the other side. so imagine my surprise when i woke up yesterday morning to a liiiiitle green sprout on the tomato, and by mid-day THIS...

it looks like the tomato is ready to shoot up, and you can see one tiny little sprout on the sunflower. we shall see about the strawberry, but i have high hopes. :)

going orange today

2009-04-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

today our little stellan went into heart surgery. you can read all about how's it's been going and how he is doing by clicking on my picture above. to show our support to the mckmama family we threw some orange into our day and said a prayer stellan.

this picture is from a few days back. but i'm sure you can picture the peanut today, running around in pink/orange polka dots and flowers, whispy-blond hair flying in the wind. monkey enjoyed his orange stripped-shirt while begging for "orge" (orange syrup) in his milk. what the heck, it's for stellan right? :) as for the mommy? i'll leave the orange up to the kids, i haven't pulled that color off for a few decades.

more easter

2009-04-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

let the hunting...begin! playing with the plastic eggs from grandma and pampa

happy easter

2009-04-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

saturday morning-ish we went to grandma and pampa's house for a yummy brunch. grandma made biscuits in the shape of bunnies and a nice spread of other foods. i finally tried my hand at a quiche, it actually turned out okay. and though all of the four of us from our house got sick in our tummies (not related to the food grandma;), it was still very enjoyable. then sunday morning we headed to a friends church. i still can't believe we made it! with the long night and several fevers and throwing up the night before. :( but it was a wonderful service and once we got home we caught a few pictures before melt down and naps.well mostly before meltdowns after naps we colored eggs and had a hunt in the house. our rainy state didn't allow for an outdoor hunt this year but still fun.

so now i've shared...your turn.

thank you little einsteins

2009-03-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

it's been a long week, finishing with a long day. both kids have bronchitis (never sure how to spell that) and after dropping the daddy off at a shift he was able to pick up at work today. taking both kids to the pedi for a diagnosis and prescription. arguing with the pharmacist that my daughter does in FACT have insurance. taking lunch money to the daddy at work and venting about the pharmacist. coming home and changing the THIRD poopy diaper of the day for BOTH children (remember we now cloth diaper). doing five loads of laundry plus a load of diapers and inserts. a load of dishes. landing on the floor sometime around 4:30pm and being crawled on until 4:45pm when the daddy arrived home and rescued me. making dinner. and finally putting the kids to bed. it's been a long day. what kept me going, besides the love of my children and sheer will, was the thought of the fabulous bubble bath i planned on diving into later in the night and maybe never returning from.

as i began running my bath i realized i had nothing for it. no bubbles. no salts. nothing. but i am a mom, i shall not be deterred. i realized my kids have bubble bath. "rocket berry" bubble bath. i've had a long week, but it's friday and i smell like rocket berries.

happy weekend!

wordless wednesday

2009-03-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

birthday party pictures

2009-02-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

to my daughter

2009-02-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

happy FIRST birthday!

i love every morning waking up to your bubbly smile and rosey-red cheeks. i love that you miss your brother if you wake up before him. i love that you enjoy sitting in my lap and snuggling into my arms for hours. i love your chubby little toes, and how they cling to the floor when you walk. i love how you can't go to sleep without "lucy". i love that it when you chase down your brother and tackle him to the floor. i love your giggles. i love your tears.

i love you!

merry christmas

2009-01-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

ours landed a few days after christmas since the Daddy had to work all week. but it was wonderful, and really the kids had no clue it wasn't the exact date. :) we started a family tradition of a taco feed for dinner, which Monkey loved. but first we opened gifts and played with toys until the Mommy got off her butt and started dinner. :) hope your christmas was wonderful and hopefully as white as our was!

happy new year!

2009-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

hoping you are blessed and a blessing to God this coming year.

we have already been shown so such love this year with a house and mini van! would you believe that out of the scary events, God has brought so much blessing?

our truck had it's doors broken when a pair of drivers tried to miss each other on the road, and swirved into our car. the Daddy was about to take Monkey out of his seat when it happened, and only by the grace of God did they miss hitting them. the truck is considered a total loss. however the insurance covered the costs, allowing us to get set up in our new house! a friend of ours has been trying to sell for some time, but with the economy the way it is, they are unable. they have graciously offered the house to us for such a little cost. we were also about to buy a mini van from the Daddy's parents, which turned out the perfect timing as well. we will have another member joining the family sometime this coming august. :)

so with all the surprises we have been shown one very important thing, it's all in God's hands. which includes the timing and the details. it's easy for us to allow fear to take a firm place in our hearts when we see only what we can. the need for more money. the poor economy. the car that breaks down. but who are we to live with such small faith? hasn't our God who asks us to call him Father, breathed the stars into the sky?

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. Psalm 33:6 NIV

happy birthday monkey

2008-12-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

i can't believe you're two years old already! mommy, daddy and sister love you very much.

children's pictures

2008-12-01T21:04:00.001-08:00

home! 11/30

2008-11-30T20:43:00.001-08:00

we're home! peanut was diagnosed with a high white cell count and fever. you read that right, they have no idea what it was so she was diagnoised with symptoms. i'm realizing more and more how much we take for granted that the medical world has discovered all the sickies that exist. turns out, they haven't! we're continuing to keep on eye on her, but she looks like she's on the road to recovery. no more fever, no more refusing bottles. she has energy again, and was even smiling at the nursing staff as we left. we got home this evening and gave her a bath. that went a long way to bringing back our sweet little girl.

---
peanut is now sleeping in her crib, curled up to "lucy", and we have monkey in daddy's lap. bright red eyes, coughing and running a fever of 103.5. we gave him motrin an hour ago and his fever has not yet dropped, but we are in contact with our pedi so avoiding another trip to children's looks promising!

---

thank you again to everyone who prayed, called, email, commented, texted and comforted. God has blessed us with such an enormous amount of friends we call family. i hope you all have a wonderful week, and i'll keep you updated on monkey's progress. as of now it looks good, just like a couple of rough days ahead.

autumn in the park

2008-11-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

looking way too grown up

not me! monday

2008-11-17T21:22:00.000-08:00

i did not, after spending an entire day listening to my two year old yell and whine, begin singing the "Little Einstein's" song at the top of my lungs to get his attention. that would just be crazy, definitely not me!---------i most assuredly did not make a pot of coffee, drink half and then have the daddy make another pot an hour before the kid’s bedtime. I then did not drink half of that and still fall asleep in my long awaited bubble bath only five minutes in. sigh. Not me.---------when taking the kids to the park for pictures, i really, really did not allow peanut to "taste" the leaves just to get cute pictures. i will however post pictures of the park trip soon. just don't expect any of peanut chowing on dry leaves. nope, not from me!

long time friends

2008-11-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

it's an amazing feeling to hold the baby of a friend you've known practically, all your life. sarah and i have known each other basically since we could talk. friends, then mortal enemies as we entered our preteen years, then friends again as teenagers. :) you know, being girls.

sarah now has a beautiful son, jacob. today i was able to hold this adorable bundle of cuteness. i couldn't help but share. peanut was a bit slower to accept the switch-up of mommies. ha ha.

hooray for babies!

we can grieve with hope

2008-11-06T23:05:00.001-08:00

last week the daddy and i said goodbye almost as soon as we said hello. waiting in the arms of our Heavenly Father is another baby. i've been hesitant to share this pain and loss, i guess in a way i needed it to be ours for a while. i've started this post so many times, and every time i've deleted it. how can i possibly put into words what i'm feeling.

please grieve with us, and rejoice with us that we will some day hold the precious child we've lost. i will be gone from my blog for a short while, soon to return with loads of pictures as always.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.." Philippians 4:7

more halloween fun

2008-10-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

happy halloween

2008-10-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

from charlie brown and ladybug!

fabulous friday!

2008-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

peanut has started pulling herself up on things!

wordless wednesday

2008-10-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

pumpkin patch

2008-10-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

now on to carving...

chores

2008-10-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

what i should have been be doing... what i was in fact doing...

welcoming fall with cookies

2008-10-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

tempted to fling...and my simple fall project this year

posting hiatus

2008-10-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

planning to come back soon.

thoughtful thursday

2008-09-25T12:43:00.001-07:00

growing pains

2008-09-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

first teeth

graduating to a "big boy" bed

saying goodbye to paci

(we don't actually have a picture of this, but you can imagine it i'm sure)

a very girly sippy

2008-09-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

monkey has a good deal of sippy cups. blue, orange and blue, green and blue. his favorite are the "cars" sippies. they hold a good ten ounces of liquid so they are probably my favorites as well. a little less time spent during the day refilling. but these are very boyish cups. peanut butter was moved to bottles two weeks ago, and is really a champ at draining them. however, and i'm sure i'm not alone in this, i HATE washing bottles! so it was with great joy that i witnessed my precious daughter take some very diluted apple juice from her bright pink and purple cup! they say by your second child these milstones, though wonderful, do not hold the same thrill. "they" are way off. :) i just about woke monkey from his nap by jumping up and down singing "the sippy song".

so now sitting side-by-side with monkey's super cool "cars" cups, is a very girly sippy.

"Spoooooon!"

2008-09-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

behold, the tick! sister's tights + tired from church = silly

ten second rule

2008-09-08T14:22:00.001-07:00

we (his daddy and i) have been teaching monkey how to "dip". he's very careful with it and doesn't make much of a mess. in fact, trying to teach him how to use those tub paints was fun. he would get them on the side of the tub and then wash them off right away without playing with or mixing them. it took a little convincing that they are for messes. anyway, dipping. he's very careful and clean about it usually. so imagine my surprise when i took ten seconds to run up to take of peanut butter who was supposed to be sleeping and returned to this... i'm so proud of him.

seven months

2008-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

and two days...oops

adventures in breastfeeding cont...

2008-09-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

as you all know i was in the process of weaning peanut due to the many complications with nursing her. in a fantastic turn of events i was able to figure out the cause of the issues and remedy them. hooray! i will be able to continue nursing peanut for a while as i had wanted to in the beginning. the good thing that came from all this is that i am able to leave her with grandma for a bit once in a while and not end up in pain over it. so there is the news on the breastfeeding front.

as for peanut butter who will be SEVEN months tomorrow, she finally cut two of her bottom teeth and i believe is in the midst of working on the top two. she's of course sitting on her own as you can see by the blog below. i doubt she'll bother with crawling however and just go straight to cruising things. the kid truly hates tummy time. peanut has been eating solids for about two months now, and starting tomorrow will begin with teething biscuits and puffs. i still can't believe she's already at this stage!

and monkey, our TWENTY-ONE month old started off today with climbing right out of his crib! so much for that barrier, guess it's time to take the sides off and move him into his toddler bed. i mean what's the point of the crib now? he then turned the door handle and came on out into the hall. holy toddler-proofing time batman! monkey's trying all sorts of new things this week. his daddy and i, took monkey out for a day alone with mommy and daddy sunday while g-ma and g-pa watched peanut. we wanted to see how monkey would react to the pool at the YMCA since we plan to enroll him in classes this fall. he LOVED it! i'm so excited to start him on those. there is also a yoga "mama and me" class that i'm going to take him too. that should be some fun. other then that, monkey has finally cut all his teeth but his two year molars which makes for a much happier little man. however...he's has gone running head-first and full speed into the terrible two's. massive temper tantrums and screaming fits. oh hooray. it amazes me what sets him off too. like a door being open (or closed depending on the mood). or not being allowed that tenth fig newton because he may never stop pooping!

(i swear this shouldn't run together, but i can't figure out how to keep it from looking smushed. sorry)

sitting princess

2008-09-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

check this action out... i can sit!

catching the last rays of summer

2008-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

fair fun

2008-08-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

going to my very first ride...elephant ears with daddyand cotton candy with mommy.went to see the cows, but i yelled when she wouldn't let me touch them...so we left.face paintingsister mostly watched. until next time fair.

give me a B, give me an A, give me a T...

2008-08-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

now that peanut is basically sitting up (she still throws herself back, but whatever. i'm claiming it as a milestone.) anyway, now that she's "sitting alone" we can put her in the bath with monkey which shortens our bedtime routine by a ton. daddy had to work tonight until long after the kids bedtime so i decided to give double bath a shot. success! they loved it. monkey giggled basically the whole time and peanut butter lounged in her little seat. after bath they laid side by side for p.j.'s and bedtime lotion, then we did bedtime prayers and singing. they are both sound asleep and it's only a half hour past 8pm. what amazing children i have!

today my heart breaks

2008-08-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

i'm in the midst of weaning my precious daughter. it's been amazing to be able to nurse her for these past seven months. and though i won't be able to continue for a year or more which was my hope, i'm happy to have made it this far. it's time.

this is my current regimen: four doses of dicloxacillin a day for mastitis. five doses of acidophilus with bifidus a day to avoid getting thrush. still have thrush so i take four doses (four weeks) of diflucan. four pills of lecithin for a total of 4,800 mg a day. one prenatal a day. one vitmin c supplement a day. ketoconazole for topical treatment. and vicodin for the pain. I’ve had to cut out dairy because she has problems with it, but that’s not really much a problem for me.

i have two months supply pumped out so she’ll be able to continue on breast milk for a while after she weans. i'm pretty sure i've exhausted my resources. lol. i’ve been to my OB quite a few times, a LC twice, called the LLL and searched like crazy for a solution online. i’m always up for more ideas, and honestly i cry when i think about weaning. but i really can’t keep up with a toddler and soon to be very mobile daughter with this pain. thank you to everyone for your never ending support and encouragment! what an experience. :)

not really what van gogh had in mind

2008-08-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

maybe you've noticed, lately the super cool thing to do is take your own picture. well take thousands of your own pictures and post them. either on your myspace or facebook. maybe you haven't, i don't know. but being that my husband and i have a lot of teenagers and young adults that we're still involved in the lives of, i see this as a pretty common occurrence. it's actually very annoying. however, it has its perks if you think about it. you don't mind making the same face twenty times in a row to find "just the right one", because really who's looking? no one really knows how much make up you're wearing in real life, so you can cake it on baby. and of course what's a self portrait without a self-deprecating title below despite the hours spent finding that "super hot, omg look at my hair" picture. check out this stud. maybe this is just an old idea reinvented? although i'm not hacking off my ear, i don't care how fly i'd be. yeah, i said fly. you heard me. i like to think i'm not totally out of touch, i am after all only 24. however i guess becoming a mom and being married for so long has me way out of the loop. i still let my husband take my picture. or of course there's the total stranger you ask to take one for you. remember those days? apparently to many cameras found a new home with those willing strangers. now we take our own pictures, complete with the super white "flash" forearm. thank heavens for photoshop!

here's my issue, i can't seem to look the camera in the "face". i feel like it knows my secret and it's going to tell you i took it myself. nothing is a dead give away quite like this face...

mooooooo

2008-08-19T20:40:00.001-07:00

isn't it amazing that you can do something so fabulous and huge, and still feel like a farm animal? this gorgeous looking stash is all from july and one week of august! i've been forced to pump along with nursing due to the issues i had mentioned before, but something great has come from it. peanut will be able to continue with breast milk for a while after she weans. so i'm trying to be all thankful and yada yada yada...

monkey on the other hand thinks this is all too interesting. i had no idea he was paying such close attention until today. he also tried pumping peanut's tummy and daddy's arm. without success however.

daddy kisses

2008-08-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

something good

2008-08-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

today on something good it was asked how our husbands are trustworthy. "daddy" is the complete embodiment of trustworthiness. it amazes me what i can come to him with, all the secrets of the heart and confess them without fear of judgment. he stands ready with encouragement and love every single time. even in his desire to help solve whatever the issue is. my sweet man is and always will be a problem solver. but even in that, i can always count on him for an open ear and heart.

method to my madness

2008-08-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

i've been struggling for years to find things organic and biodegradable that won't totally kill the budget. thank you leonardo dicaprio for making it cool to "live green". i can finally not feel bad about using a a fresh sheet for every mess. they also make the baby wash/shampoo we use as well as my body wash. smells sooooo good!

six months

2008-08-07T10:49:00.001-07:00

and for a little comparison... one month old

world breastfeeding week

2008-08-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

i'm about to be long winded, and on a subject that makes many people uncomfortable. complete with pictures that might make you squirm. but it's very close to my heart right now, and in honor of the many women out there working so hard to provide what they feel is best for their babies, i wanted to share my story.

breastfeeding. ooooh, dirty word for some. and understandably so. in our culture when a women lifts her shirt to feed her baby, it's met with stares and glares. not much encouragment. i can remember the first time i decided to feed peanut in public. well who are we kidding, i'm not one to back away from a challenge, she was less then a month and i decided to do it in front of teenagers in a waiting room at the mall. HA! made them squirm. not that that is my intent, but boy was it fun.
when i decided i wanted to breastfeed was of course with my son. as most of you know, he ended up in children's hospital at three days old and with all the feeding tubes and wires, my hopes of breastfeeding were wisked away in three sleepless nights of crying and heartbreak. monkey wouldn't latch. nothing we did worked, and after trying desperately, i decided to pump and feed him for six weeks and then switched to formula. let me interject something here. i am so grateful that we live in a day and age that provides us with formula when we, as the mothers cannot provide of our own. i would never dream of forcing my "ideas" of breastfeeding on anyone. this is to support those who have already decided to. and if i can educate someone about the benefits, i will. happily. ask me anytime. but not today.
when we found out we were pregnant with peanut , i was once again ready to try nursing. i read up, talked to friends, and did my best to prepare myself. when peanut came she latched right away and my heart sang. any mother who has even for the briefest of moments, held their child close and nursed them will tell you, there is nothing quite like the bond you feel. i still feel that bond to monkey, and i nursed him for less then four days. peanut is a nursing champ, and i am blessed to have made it six months as of tomorrow. it's been one of the longest roads i've ever been on. i've fought through mastitis many times, thrush many times, pain, sleepless nights, and frustration. i have a glitch in my system that causes me to be prone to clogs. which causes me to be prone to mastitis. my doctor has given up and told me to quite. my lactation consultant has run out of ideas. even the lovely ladies at the LLL (la leache league) are lost. but i refuse to give up. it's what's best for my daughter.
when i realized today marked the beginning of world breastfeeding week, and i could say that i'm was a part of that...i can't explain the feeling. i desperately wish i could! i realize i've been somewhat bull-head about this, but i feel so strong now! i'm a mom, and i've done what only a mom can! nothing will change that, ever. i can't imagine how excited God must have been to create us with the desire and ability to nurse our children. knowing what we would feel when we made it a minute, a day, a week, a month, a year.
THIS is why we feed our children in public. we're not trying to embarrass you (unless your a punk teenager, lol) kidding. it's because we hear our child cry from hunger and we choose to provide love and comfort to them right then. next time you see a women stuggling to hide her boob while feed her baby, smile. you don't have to smile at her if it makes you feel uncomfortable. it's okay to feel that way. but smile, and know that what she is doing is something only an amazing, loving God could dream up.

a thing of beauty

my children

2008-07-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

hence the title

2008-07-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

i'm dying to buy this for peanut. savin' my pennies, counting the minutes until her first birthday. oh man, having a girl is so fun! if you click on the picture it takes you to the page. but beware, hours of time can be wasted on etsy! :)

family fun fair

2008-07-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

our church had a family fun fair last friday that we were able to attend. it was so much fun. we ran into some good friends of ours that have four boys around monkey's age and spent some of the time with them. monkey tried his first snow cone. went on his first horse ride (lead by dylan mc******). and jumped in a moon bouncer. i wasn't able to catch pictures of that because daddy had to run to the car for the camera and i had peanut on, but here are some fun pictures of our family fun. i love our church!

my kids are so photogenic

2008-07-18T01:17:00.000-07:00

wow, they look just like us!

2008-07-18T00:55:00.000-07:00

mommy

daddy

this is what i see...

monkey has mommy's mouth and nose, but daddy's eyes.

peanut has mommy's eyes, but daddy's mouth.

wedding pictures

2008-07-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

that last one just makes me giggle!

five years!

2008-07-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

it occurs to me that i have not updated in some time. well, a week. but that's a long time for an addict like myself. imagine that in dog years! anyway, on to the update. this saturday is a special day for us as we will be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary! woo-hoo! five years! can you believe that? we've actually left a "newlywed couple" and become just a "married couple". for real. well, at least we're not an "old married couple" yet. ;) although with two kids...haha. no, i refuse the title for another five years at least.

to "the daddy"~ my wonderful soul-mate, lover, heart, joy, prayer-partner, father of my children, encourager, and friend. i love you more then can every be expressed, no matter how many cliches i pack into this post. i look forward to holding your old wrinkly hand and grossing out teenagers with you.

i love you.

ooooo...pretty

2008-07-07T14:24:00.001-07:00

in the parade on the fourth, there were a group of women representing traditional African culture in the U.S. i’m always blown away by how gorgeous their head wraps are and i’ve always wanted to know how they do it. so i decided i’d learn. i had bought a scarf months and months ago that i’ve used once or twice, but i’m lazy and don’t tend to use it often. and that combined with the morning i’ve been having (or rather the night blending into this morning) i felt the need to chop off my hair because it wouldn't do what i wanted. knowing i was reaching that point, i ran to the computer and did some research. waddya know, i can learn new tricks. So now i have a way to hide my hair when i feel like cutting it all off....for a while anyway. :) it still needs some work, but hey i learned something new! non-child related. hooray! :)

happy 4th of july!

2008-07-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

we went to a parade and then IHOP! daddy had to work tonight so no fireworks for us, but we had alot of fun early in the day.

tried my first sucker

LOVED the bagpipes...it's in my blood

saw fire fighters

and got sprayed by jack! hi jack!

these guys were insane!

off to IHOP

what did you do for the fourth?

you are my sunshine

2008-06-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

my only sunshine. you make me happy... when skies are grey.

you'll never know dear, how much i love you. please don't take my sunshine away.

haircut part 1

2008-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

before

haircut part 1.5

2008-06-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

during the cut, watching cartoons.

haircut part 2

2008-06-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

tada!

summer fun

2008-05-19T13:59:00.001-07:00

dedicated to Jesus

2008-05-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

yesterday we dressed our beautiful babies, trotted up to the front of our church and before our friends, family and church promised to raise them to love Jesus. to be an example to them, and to hopefully show them the gift that is our Savior. what an awesome feeling. i'm not sure if you can see, but it's actually pastor bryce that did the dedication. a very special moment for the daddy and i, as he also married us five years ago! thank you to the friends and family that were able to make it out. and to those out of town, here are some pictures.

before and after church pictures.

Bettie Page or Betty Boop?

2008-03-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

I got a bit cut happy this morning and took a pair of scissors to my bangs. It was so therapeutic!

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

My son is always in action, hence the blurry. Oh the energy!

Is he shouting or giving kisses? :)

Where's daddy?

So this is love

2008-03-10T00:49:00.000-07:00

first peanut video

2008-02-19T01:48:00.000-08:00

two weeks old!

2008-02-17T15:11:00.001-08:00

It's been a very rough two weeks. More then I could have imagined. Not because of our beautiful children, but due to basically everything else. the daddy's surgery went well, though we've had a couple of trips to the doctor since with sinus infection scares. Breastfeeding went well until I got Mastitis which turned into a raging skin infection that sent me into a fever of 103.5 giving me fever blisters and what felt like a sunburnt face. After being diagnosed by the doctor I was put on an antibiotic that I quickly reacted to with hives and tongue swelling. After an antibiotic switch and hard work I am finally on the mend. Though not sure if I will be able to get peanut to relatch. So that's been the last two weeks for us. Did I forget to mention monkey's cutting his four eye teeth? hmmm.

So when I woke this morning (the fifth or tenth time I don't know) I was pleased to find myself surrounded by my beautiful family on a bright, sunny, Sunday morning. Nothing cures the gumpies like two bright-eyed children smiling at you and little chubby-armed hugs.

Meme

2008-02-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Kim, so here you go. Six random facts.

This meme asks me to tell you 6 quirky, random or inconsequential facts about myself. The rules for this meme are:

(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
1. I've tried and failed a number of times to learn the guitar. And despite being married to a guitar major, I cannot figure it out. So I leave it up to my man.

2. I hate peanut butter. Hate it. Cannot stomach it. So with all of my pregnancies I've known before I tetsed because I actually started craving peanut butter by the spoonfull. Yarf!

3. I'm terrified of raising a girl knowing the wild-child I was growing up. When the ultrasound tech told me Peanut was a girl, I cried. (though don't be fooled, I'm desperately in love with my daughter)

4. I can wiggle my ears, nose, turn over my tongue, and raise both eyebrows seperately. And yes, I practiced these as a child to be sure I knew how.

5. I'm deathly terrified of spiders and have actually passed out at the site of one.

6. I've shaved my head.
I don't know six people on Blog, but I'll tag as many as I DO know. :)

Holly
Aaron
Courtney
Elizabeth
Josh

United in life...

2008-01-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Divided on the field!

My PACKERS!

Vs.

The Daddy's Seahawks!

Behold the belly: part 5

2007-12-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

33 weeks

Birthday party!

2007-12-04T00:15:00.000-08:00

This passed Sunday we partied down for Monkey'sup-coming first birthday! It was low key, but very fun. Many of our dear friends made it out despite the snow storm that had swept through the night before and day of. Followed by of course RAIN! Monkey got to play out in the snow for a bit, followed by a fun day of decorating and star cupcakes. I can't believe a year has gone by since the birth of our baby boy. We love this little guy so much.

How does it taste?

String!

Are you SURE this is okay?

Well if you insist!

Thank you for my fun toys and books!

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

For Monkey's first Halloween, we went trick-or-treating with some friends of ours in downtown Snohomish. They have all the bussiness owners outside, often dressed up and handing out candy. Monkey couldn't have any this year, but he did make a nice haul for mommy and daddy. :) It was a lot of fun going around with our friends and their children, I just LOVE Halloween! Here are some pictures of our Monkey, and a few of his friends.

Family picture.

Grandma M and Monkey

Playing with Daddy.My girlfriends and I with our children (Fuzz not pictured :)

Happy Halloween...

2007-10-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

From Monkey and Morty!

Behold the belly: part 3

2007-10-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

24 weekssssssss.

Mocking the mommy.

Pumpkin picking!

2007-10-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

My first trip to the pumpkin patch. I even picked out my own pumpkin and covered my knees in mud.

On the way to the pumpkin patch.This one please. How tall am I?

sister is this tall. :)

Family picture.

Gorgeous face!Kisses for pumpkin.