It's a Boy!!

We are excited to meet Gabe Daniel this April!! (Gabe means "God is my strength.")
It is amazing to be able to see a picture like this when our baby is still being "knit together in my womb." It makes me think of Psalm 139 and how awesome our creator is!

Silliness

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A Picturesque Life...Of a Different Kind

I LOVE pictures. I love the art of photography. I love how a picture is worth a thousand words. I love how one image can evoke such strong emotions in a single glance.

















I love how a picture has the power to move people to action. It brings a distant reality like poverty or orphans closer to home.



















I love pictures of kids, how their innocence can be captured and time "stopped" in a single click of the shutter. Of course I love taking pictures of my own kids, because it gives me the feeling that maybe I am not "losing them" to adulthood so quickly.


















I also love reading blogs that have great pictures. It makes the words come to life. There are a few blogs I frequent where the writers are avid chefs, bakers, cake decorators, or crafters. Just seeing the photographs of a warm yummy concoctions hot out of the oven makes me almost drool!













Some of the blogs I visit are so visually pretty it looks like something out of a Martha Stewart or Victoria magazine. Other blogs depict activities with kids that are reminiscent of a childhood from the days of old. Let's face it - the beauty of these kinds of images brings inspiration! We live in a very visual society where we have to SEE everything. When we see something we admire, it motivates us to emulate that lifestyle, experience, hobby, or way of being.

Lately I have been looking around my house, especially after a first trimester of unproductive-no-cooking-constant-couch-sitting-no-cleaning-not-very-energetic-parenting-letting-the-house-fall-apart chaos, and realizing that my surroundings are VERY far from anything that is worthy of a picture. In fact, if I had to choose a picture that truly summed up what household life is most often like right now, it would be this:

While the disorganization that can result from a lack of physical health or energy, or simply having "too many irons in the fire" is bothersome to someone like me who innately desires order, when I'm really honest with myself I realize that this kind of thing should not necessarily be foremost in my mind. It is true that a chaotic household can be a symptom of things amiss (not prioritizing, wasting time on facebook/computer, being lazy or having a lifestyle that is too fast-paced) ...and my own conscience must answer to those things. On the flip side, a household or a life that looks perfectly "put together" and "picturesque" could just as well be a symptom and things spiritually amiss. Let me explain.


So often as mommies we focus on the cleanliness of our home and not on the cleanliness of our heart. We focus on the fashions we are dressed in but not being clothed in righteousness. We obsess about what we eat and drink, and not as much on being filled with the Word of God. Lately I have been strongly reminded of the following truth as it pertains to being a mom:


"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." - 1st Samuel 16:7


My "external life" could look picturesque but if my HEART is neglected then it is all for nothing.


Lately as I'm often tempted to bemoan outward appearances when life feels less organized, I have to shove aside the ever-present picture of household chaos and ask myself "what is the picture of my heart right now?"

Is it a sanctuary, a place of worship, or "a dwelling in which God lives by his spirit? " (Ephesians 2:22)


















... Or is it a desert and a wasteland?

"But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." Mark 4:6



Ultimately I would like to get to the place where I am more concerned about the picture of my heart than the picture of my household. The ironic thing is that when my heart is right before God my household is more likely to fall into place because my priorities are set straight!

So how can we tell what the picture of our heart is, especially when there is no digital screen to "peek" at a thumbnail of the image? It is more like viewing an old-school negative, where you can only make out shapes and forms but not colors or detail. Thankfully scripture gives us not just a few, but an abundance of tools to find out what our hearts look like, and whether or not it needs some serious "spiritual photoshop." God is the only one with the clearest picture of our hearts, but if we submit ourselves - the Holy Spirit can do some amazing touch-ups! Sometimes the discovery process however, can feel a bit like opening up that envelope with your 8th grade school photo inside... "I don't want to look! I know it's gonna be bad!"


There are countless verses that deal with the heart, but 3 that I want to share:

Matthew 12:34 "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." What I say throughout my day is a direct reflection of what is in my heart, and my first clue regarding the picture of my heart. Gossip or grace? Criticism or compassion? Complaining or thanksgiving?


Matthew 7:17-18 "Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." The fruit of my life is an indicator of the condition of my heart. Is the fruit of my life rotten or delicious?

This last verse reminds me that my heart is seen by everybody I come in contact with. It's important to remember that when Paul wrote this, letters were the only form of "social media," and much of the New Testament is comprised of letters. 2nd Corinthians 3:2-3 states, "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

This reminds me that the picture of my heart IS viewed by everybody I come in contact with, they see it by their experience of me. Is Christ there, or is he absent? Just for the sake of analogy, let me offer this paraphrase as what this verse may have sounded like if Paul wrote it under present-day technology:

"You yourselves are a picture, affixed on our hearts, known and seen by everybody. You show that you are a picture of Christ, the result of our ministry, printed not on archival-quality kodak paper with a color ink-jet printer but with the spirit of the living God, not taped into creative memories scrapbooks but as a memorable image in every human heart."

No pressure, right? :-)

When I consider these things... the laundry pile, what I'm going to wear to the Christmas Party, our family Christmas photo, the fact that we eat the same boring meals in rotation over and over, the fact that I just wore my sweats for the 6th day in a row... it all fades away. It's all external.

A heart that is loving, patient, worshipping, repentant, submitted, fruitful...representative of the Lord...

That is a picturesque life.

If You Give A Pregnant Mommy A Cookie

This little satirical story is dedicated to my dear sweet husband who serves me lovingly and graciously at all times, in every way imaginable - and even more so when I'm pregnant! (P.S. If you have never read the "Give a Mouse a Cookie" books you will NOT get this)

If You Give A Pregnant Mommy A Cookie

If you give a pregnant mommy a cookie,

She's going to ask for a glass of nonfat milk over ice to go with it.

After you give her the milk,

She's going to have to go to the bathroom right away.

When she's in the bathroom, she'll notice the scale and decide to weigh herself.

When she steps on the scale she will realize she's gained 5 pounds in one week and will start crying.

So she'll ask you to hug & hold her, and then she'll ask you for some Kleenex.

After she blows her nose she will realize that the Kleenex is scratchy, so she'll ask you to take her to the store to buy super-soft Kleenex with lotion in it.

When she's in the store, she will see the cucumbers in the produce section and add 10 of them to the basket. Then, she will need to get ranch dressing to go with them. Then she will see the ice cream and will add that to the basket too.

After you remind her that you went to the store for the Kleenex she will be ready to check out.

On the way back to the car she sees the Home Depot sign and that will remind her that the baby's room is not painted yet.

So she will ask you to take her there to pick out paint and buy 4 gallons.

When you get home, she'll ask you to paint the room. Right then.

She will sit and watch you for awhile, critiquing your painting skills until you ask her to be quiet or leave. So she will decide to go find a closet to organize.

After a few hours and many closets later, she is tired.

You'll have to tuck her in with her 10 pillows and kiss her goodnight.

She'll snuggle in, take an hour to get comfortable, and then finally fall asleep while you are still slaving away at the painting.

At 8 am after a full nights sleep, she will pop up and run to see the baby's room.

She will get so excited when she sees the fresh paint on the walls that she will want to celebrate!

So she'll shake you awake from a sound sleep and ask you to take her to Pancake House for a German Pancake with 50 lemons on the side.

So you drive her to Pancake House, and she eats the whole pancake.

Then she feels like she is going to vomit. Because she ate too much.

So you drive her home very quickly, and hold her hair while she does her thing.

She will announce that she feels a lot better, and will ask you for a glass of nonfat milk over ice to get the yucky taste out of her mouth.

And chances are, if she asks for a glass of milk,

She's going to ask for a cookie to go with it.

13 Week Ultrasound

Here is the photo from my 13 week ultrasound. I'm now 17.5 weeks gestation and will find out the gender in just a few short weeks! What do YOU think it is by looking at this picture?? Boy or girl, this kid is mellow because I am not feeling near as many movements or kicks (in fact not really feeling any yet). That is strange to me considering I felt and SAW Marshall's tiny movements at WEEK 13 (seriously, Jake can attest to that!) and he responded to music at 16 weeks gestation by dancing all over the place. Samara kicked me hard at 15 weeks. C'mon baby, I'm ready for you to start tap-tap-tapping!

Happy Harvest!

Last night we spent our evening at the Village Church Harvest Party and the kids had such a great time! There were a lot of carnival games, a bounce house, bouncy slide, rock wall, plenty of treats and goldfish to be won. (We brought home 2 fish and Marshall named one of them "Abraham.") This morning we found that they had gone to heaven overnight so we said a little prayer and sent them "back to the ocean." (flush)

Marshall chose a superman costume this year which he was very proud of, and Samara was a "Tomboy Ballerina." You see, I asked her if she wanted a bun and flowers in her hair and she protested on the grounds that "bees would come" and attack her if she had flowers in her hair. She also refused a tiara, and honestly her personality is a good mix of feminine and tomboy, so this theme was more fitting. She is holding a pink fishing pole in the picture in case you're wondering what it is :-)

Kindergarten Days

Marshall is having a great year at school! This is his school picture and I have to laugh at the bruise in the middle of his forehead! I guess I could photoshop it out, but it's kinda cute. :-)

Marshall is really benefiting from the intensive curriculum. He is tackling general ed. math quite well and seems to enjoy his math homework a lot. The writing is clearly less enjoyable to him (thus the big heaving sighs when we do writing homework) however he has really surprised me. The other day he said "Mommy, I want to write my name!" I said "Ok" and got a paper and a pencil. This is what he came up with, all on his own with no help!! I was floored! I actually did a little dance around the room and Marshall was so proud of himself.


Parent-teacher conferences were this week and Marshall is right on track where all the general ed kids would also be, in fact he is a little bit ahead. His teacher said he is right on the brink of being able to mainstream but not quite yet. Marshall tends to need a high degree of focus on what he is doing so a less stimulating environment and smaller class size is great for him. His school utilizes "Handwriting Without Tears" http://www.hwtears.com/ which I am going to begin with Samara soon. He has even started to do some inventive writing where they allow him to sound out words and spell them phonetically. In one of his projects he got to write a sentence about a book he wanted to share. He wrote "I am going to share...a Bible Book" and drew a Bible with a cross on the front. The teacher showed this to me in our conference and I admit I had to fight back tears! I don't have a copy of it yet but I will post it when I do.

He has made so much progress, it blows me away! God is so good!

Financial Peace University

As some of you know, my husband Jacob is a numbers guy. He works for a mutual fund company so he has a good understanding of all things financial & mathematical. He is also a great "people person" which has served him well in the role of management. One gift he has that I really appreciate however, is his passion for personal financial stewardship and his commitment and desire to help others learn sound biblical principles of money management.


Jake has been doing various workshops, classes, and individual financial counseling for about 5 years now, but just recently began teaching a 13 week course by Dave Ramsey called "Financial Peace University." It is a very comprehensive course that involves homework, in-class discussion and videos. It is a big commitment but those who finish it reap a lot of benefit. This fall marks his second round of classes and it is wonderful to see Jake helping others gain knowledge, get a game plan going to knock out their debt, and sometimes simply to gain hope that they can get out of a very difficult situation. It has been very timely especially in light of the recession. The curriculum itself is extremely motivating, and the videos entertaining! (No, Jake doesn't get compensated for pitching the class, nor is he a salesman of any sort, so just know that I say these things because we are both passionate about the cause). Here is what each week covers, in case you are interested:



1: Saving

2: Relationships and Money

3: Cash Flow Planning

4: Dumping Debt

5: Credit Sharks in Suits

6: Buyer Beware

7: Clause and Effect (Insurance)

8: "That's not good enough!" (Bargains)

9: Of Mice and Mutual Funds (Investment Jargon)

10: From Fruition to Tuition (Retirement and College Savings)

11: Working your strengths

12: Real Estate and Mortgages

13: The Great Misunderstanding (Giving)



For classes in your area check out: http://www.daveramsey.com/



On a family level, I can say that Jake definitely practices what he preaches, and it has been so from day 1 of our marriage! A big adjustment for me, but one I am thankful for.



You see, when we first got married, like most young couples we didn't make very much money! Certainly not enough to save beans but just enough for our apartment. Like any wife the first request I made after the honeymoon was "Let's get some couches!" Oh, I wanted them badly. I had my Grandpa's old yucky 70's couch and no matching furniture, we didn't even have a dining table. When Jake said "We don't have the money" I offered my logical solution - why can't we finance it? His answer left me absolutely distraught at the time. Not only did he say "NO," (with a kind tone) he said "We will NEVER finance any furniture, and if we can help it I would like to avoid a car payment and not EVER use our credit cards." Well, I did the math in my head and realized that meant I probably would not have any furniture or home decor for, oh, about 8 years. I was not happy.



This sparked a series of discussions that has gone on for about 10 years! They were really hard discussions at first, where I needed to hear his heart for our financial future, & what that meant in terms of sacrifices. Where he listened to my heart for a warm and inviting home to raise my children in. Where I needed to understand his desire to retire someday! :-) Also where we would find common ground about issues like debt, the importance of tithing, our desire to give to various ministries someday, and what it was going to take to get there. More hard discussions about changing certain behaviors, or needing to cut up my credit card. At this point it was all trial and error but at least we were open to change. Again, being a numbers guy - and persuasive at that - Jake presented me with some anecdotes and statistics about savings and the power of exponents and I was beginning to change my tune and see that he really did have our best interest at stake.



I recall our very first Christmas when we woke up with great excitement & exchanged Christmas gifts with each other. It was lovely. When we later learned that we both had not paid with cash but with credit, we agreed to take both gifts back and gave each other the gift of less debt. We were very happy with our decision and were beginning to see things in a different light.



The goals, decisions, and change of habits did not come easily or naturally at first. We had successes and also made mistakes. By continuing to discuss and set goals on a regular basis though, we eventually became of one heart and mind on what was required and where we were headed. We both became inspired, and our meager goals became more aggressive, even if there seemed no end in sight. Instead of me bemoaning the new couches I still didn't have, I was thankful for the one I had because it was something to sit on! We were working toward a bigger goal.



One of these goals was to eliminate car payments. At the time, it meant I had to get up at 6 AM to drive him into Portland to catch a bus to his work, ditto for the way home, even when the Oregon freeways were a glut of rain and accidents. We were committed to having one car for however long it took to pay it off. By the time we moved to California (still with our one car) people thought we were a little weird. No cell phones, PDA's, no home computer, nothing. Jake walked to work. We had one car for 5 years. When we finally paid it off, it was such a victory for us! We worked hard and stuck with our plan and we felt like a team. (Oh and by the way, I did finally get the couches I had hoped for -after 5 years of waiting & saving - and now at year 10 still enjoy cuddling with my family on them! Sometimes cleaning vomit off of them as well. Which is another perspective for "stuff" - I try to keep in mind that someday everything will end up at a goodwill or a landfill!)



The same kind of teamwork (and leadership on Jake's part) has pervaded nearly all of our decisions since then, from buying our first home to our yearly budget meetings and our goal-setting. It draws us together as a couple and not apart. We both made sacrifices early on and we are now seeing the long term benefits. We still don't make perfect decisions all the time but have come so far in our learning that the right decision is usually readily clear.





If this is far from what you feel like today then I really encourage you to get counseling or get into a class! If you take the FPU class, right away you will learn that the ultimate goal is to become completely debt-free, starting with non-mortgage debt and then working on mortgage debt. In a society that runs so counter to this, I know it sounds a little crazy. (Cue the cuckoo sound effect) But all it takes is a few statistics like the following and I don't need much more convincing. Here is an anecdote from the FPU class:



The average household has a car payment of $415. If you eliminated that car payment, and instead invested $415 every month into a mutual fund over the course of 40 years (say, from age 30-70), how much do you think you would have at the end of the 40 years?



The answer is 5 million



That calculation is based on one of the oldest (and may I add fairly conservative) mutual funds in the U.S. that has yielded an average of 12.04 % per year even taking into account the later part of the depression and the recent recession!



Last but most importantly, I must say that as a Christian the word "stewardship" holds a very particular meaning. Managing finances is not just about saving more or getting to spend more or accumulating more wealth. While that can be a byproduct of good stewardship it is more about everything belonging to God, and we are managers of it. When we keep ourselves from financial bondage we are able to give freely and tithe to the church. Our stuff doesn't control us, we control it.

_______________________________________________


If you are reading this and have immediate questions for Jake, don't hesitate to ask or call, he loves to help and can answer your questions or direct you to the right resources.

Fall Fun at Oak Glen

This weekend we had fun driving out to Oak Glen to take in some fall activities! We got to press our own apple cider, pick out pumpkins and see the animals at a petting zoo. It was a fun day! The kids only wanted to see the sheep and goats for about 1 second before they were clinging to my legs and crying "all done!" (Last year Samara got tackled by a goat at the petting zoo and she remembers it!) We are almost through the entire gallon of cider after just 3 days! Yummy!

Samara is 3!

We had a quiet birthday celebration for Samara's 3rd this year - her request was a pink cake (of course!) I tried to make white polka dots on it which ended up looking more like a bad case of chickenpox. I was laughing so hard at my creation I was crying! (Should have tried the fondant instead!) I renamed it "The great white pustule cake of 2009." Samara certainly didn't mind, and her birthday balloons said "It's a girl!" on them. They were the ONLY pink ones at the store. I guess she IS a girl, right??

She had a bit of stress over the fact that her candles would not blow out (we won't ever be doing the trick candles with her!!!) thus the photo of her looking quite distressed. We tried to assure her it is actually funny when they don't blow out, but she didn't buy it. Any distress faded away though when she got to open care packages sent by family members. :-)

In a geographic area (So CA) where some people take out small loans and hire event planners to put on their kids' birthday parties, we are trying to go a little bit counter-culture to this. There will be a time for a party, indeed - and hopefully when our beloved family members can join us. But until then, we're just trying to keep in mind that our kids need our love & attention most of all. Happy birthday my sweetie!

Phoenix Trip

Last week we made a quick trip out to Scottsdale, AZ - it was a business trip for Jake but in the past we've had fun joining him on his trips to Phoenix (when we can) so we can enjoy the hotel he stays at and the nearby fountains and parks. The last time we were there was almost 3 years ago after Samara was born, and Marshall spent about 5-6 weeks in Phoenix during his first year! It is always beautiful weather in the winter of course, but in the months of summer (or close to it) it can be VERY hot! This last week it was no exception as it reached the 100's+!

This time around our trip was extra special because Jake's brother's family (Seth, Falon, Josiah, Alethea, & Elias) just moved to Scottsdale! Ironically, they live a half mile from the hotel we stay at and we got to hang out with them and have lots of fun! The cousins had a blast together! We are glad to have family living closer now (even if it still is a 6 hour drive).

Here are some pictures from our week. Falon and I braved a day at the pool and Josiah and Marshall were brave little daredevils and went down a very big waterslide! They were so giddy I couldn't help but laugh at them. Marshall would have gone down 100 times had I let him. I also got to take Samara, Josiah, & Marshall down the lazy river in inner tubes and that was truly hilarious. Josiah was the little botanist pointing out all the plants, Marshall wanted to get really close to the waterfalls, and Samara was a little bit chicken and wanted me really close. Everybody thought they were triplets.

We also hit a fountain and then our last day there we went to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad park. There was a little train, carousel, and park and the kids really enjoyed themselves.

We were sad to say goodbye to our family and cousins but excited to go back soon. I must admit it was a nice respite (especially in light of our recent difficult camping trip). This is sure a different speed that the great outdoors... I'm afraid I could get used to the simplicity of living in one small room, having someone to clean it and launder your towels during the day, not having to worry about food, etc...when I arrived home to my laundry piles it was back to reality!

News!

We are excited to announce that we are expecting our 3rd child in early April! I am currently 11 weeks and feeling pretty well all things considered. (First trimester was rough but I don't vomit so count myself as lucky). I'm starting to get back to normal and happy to be at the end of the nausea/yuckies/other symptoms. I'm sure most of you are wondering how the lupus factors into all of this... the answer to that question is: I am still able to take my meds while I am pregnant because they are totally safe. This is good, because they really help me. I also have to see a high risk OB doctor all during my pregnancy and will have frequent appointments, ultrasounds, and tests. This is in addition to seeing my normal OB and the rheumatologist (phew!) Since I have already had 2 normal pregnancies I am lower risk but they do have to watch for certain antbodies in my system that can pose risks to the baby. Luckily, one of those antibodies is currently negative in my system (it was positive 6 months ago). My body is most vulnerable after I have the baby because my immune system starts getting active again. Luckily this time around we know what we're dealing with and how to treat it.
We will find out the gender in about 6 weeks and are excited to tell the kids if they will have a baby brother or sister. The kids know that "mommy has a baby in her tummy." We're thankful and also prayerful that everything goes well with my pregnancy!

First Day of School

Marshall started Kindergarten at a new school this week. It is a National blue-ribbon elementary school about a mile from our home that has a program for kids with special needs. Marshall's academic curriculum will be the same the the other "K" kids, but he will have more 1:1 assistance and speech therapy during the day. It is much more structured than last year, and just after one day of observing how the school runs (and reading the parent handbook) I can tell why Irvine school district gets high rankings . Of course when I read that there are no birthday parties, period, I said to myself "REALLY?" They are serious about no distractions to learning. That's fine with me though (A change from my own experience growing up where parents brought in sugar bombs once a month for their kids' birthdays) I mainly care that my son learns and feels like he belongs. He goes from 8:15 - 2:10 M-F.
He was so excited he could barely contain himself - couldn't eat breakfast - didn't even really want to hug us goodbye once that bus pulled around the corner! Ha! He headed straight for the back of the bus - Jake said "That's my boy, he must be a troublemaker at heart cause that's where they all sit!!" (Of course the mommy in me is scheming how to convince him to sit in the middle for safety reasons!) Marshall was excited to see a familiar face in his class as well.
I had to include the pic of Samara because it is classic of how her attitude was all day long. Sulking. Jealous. Forlorn. Poor little girl! I asked her to smile for the camera in front of the school library and that's what she gave me to let me know just what she thought of this whole business. She will have her turn, in time...:-)

Cuddles

At the beginning of the summer they were fighting like cats and dogs...


I think they've grown on each other just a bit, don't you?

Camping Trip

This year we made it a goal to go on a family camping trip to somewhere in California - we value the outdoors and want our kids to appreciate simple, quiet things (which is quite a change from So. CA and numbing entertainment our kids experience, aka Disneyland). We also want to make sure that they have an actual knowledge of how to camp and don't grow up with the assumption that all vacations have to be at hotels. Since we spend so much time at the beach we figured the woods would be a good change of pace.

So we decided to try a weekend at a campground near Hume Lake Christian Camp - a beautiful area that had been recommended to us by multiple friends and close to a place where we could go fishing. We knew it was a gamble even going because I was not feeling well, but I simply didn't want to miss the opportunity and so I sucked it up. We had a memorable time, to say the least! The place itself was absolutely gorgeous and we loved the Camp/Conference Center (it is a place I would be interested in sending my kids to camp someday, so it was good to check it out). Our camping experience itself was very difficult for many reasons, mostly beyond our control:

The Not-So-Good:

- An in-ground bees nest near our site and a girl who wouldn't keep her shoes on

- A campsite that was situated on a hill, hard to find level ground for the tent and heavy sweating when we set-up and tore down (mostly poor Jake!)

- I wrongly assumed there were public showers

- First night was FREEZING even though we were well-prepared with good bags and non-cotton layers. ("In the cold, cotton kills!")

- Marshall threw up the 2nd day

- Our site was smack dab next to a road - not good/safe for little kids and not very relaxing for mom and dad

- The first night our neighbors started arguing at 3:30 for a half hour loudly, woke us all up.

- The second night our other neighbors' teenager started belching and partying from 4 am to 6 am. The entire campground was livid and they were getting yelled at and threatened by other angry campers. They left the next day. So did we! After 2 nights of virtually no sleep we were done. Bye bye, camping! When we try you again it will be in an trailer, RV or lodge, at least until our kids are old enough to respect the fire, not step on bees nests, and know better than to walk around the campsite stark naked announcing their bowel movements to the whole campground! Oy, Vey!!

On a nicer note, we did very much enjoy...

Boating on Hume Lake and catching 10 little fish, Laughing at mommy getting "slapped" in the head by a wiggling fish, Smores by the fire, seeing the General Grant Tree and the giant sequoias, the stars, hearing worship songs echoing in the canyon, and Jake's super-special-steaming hot Nalgene he would put in my sleeping bag for me every night...a trick he learned in his survival class...mmmm, it was heaven!

(If you boil water and put it in a Nalgene and screw the lid on VERY tight, put it in your sleeping bag and it will stay warm for HOURS!! It is like a heating pad without the electricity)

All in all, I'm still glad we made the memory!

Marshall inside a fallen giant sequoia

Cool Root system

The General Grant Tree

Marshall's 5th Birthday

I'm doing a bit of catch-up here! Marshall turned five 3 weeks ago and the theme for his birthday was "simple." (LOL!) When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted (I was expecting a request for a dinosaur or something) he just said he wanted a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. I must say I was relieved since I have not been feeling well lately. So I added a Mickey candle to the top and called it good! We celebrated at home the night before and Jake took the kids to Disneyland on Marshall's actual birthday, where he got his birthday button and gift card! Here are some pics...

Surfer Girl

Samara attached the velcro band to her ankle just like she has seen all the surfers do and put on the life vest - she honestly thought she was going surfing!



Then she saw how big the waves were, and had second thoughts :-)

Just Me & My Dad

This weekend Jake and Marshall enjoyed a father-son fishing trip to the Bishop area (Rock Creek campground, East Fork river). They had a great time and Marshall caught the only fish of the whole trip! (Apparently the fish weren't biting too well.) They also did some exploring, roasted some marshmallows and read Mercer Mayer's "Just Me and My Dad" every night before turning in to their sleeping bags. They arrived home today dirty, smelly, and happy! I'm so glad they could make that memory together.

While I love the outdoors, I think someday when it's my turn to do a mommy-daughter trip with Samara it will be to beachcomb for shells or go see the Nutcracker. :-)

Bolsa Chica

I actually conquered a day at the beach with the kids by myself! (It is difficult because they like to explore in different directions). Here are pics from our fun day! We brought a lot of sand home with us as you could probably guess. :-)

Samara waiting in anticipation of the next wave...

The windblown one

& the sandy one

Village Hut

I love seeing ideas come to fruition which is why today is an exciting day! A few years ago I walked into our church's entry area where the kids are checked in, looked at the space and suddenly thought to myself "That would make a great village hut!" But since our ministry's theme had nothing to do with that I just filed the idea away for later. 3 months ago, our Children's Pastor Andy changed the name to "Kids' Village" and I got very excited - I approached him with a drawing and asked if he would be interested in a Village Hut for our kids welcome kiosk. He was all for it, and now a few months later it is a reality! God provided the right person to build it for free according to my sketch (Yay for Jim Ford at SJF construction!!), bamboo at a great price, and bam - it's done! I am so excited to see the kids' faces this Sunday and hope and pray that this is a very welcoming and joyful place for each family that walks through the door.

There are still some finishing touches left (like paint on the walls, logo, and bulletin boards, etc.) but it still looks very cool!

An empty space:

The idea:

The construction:

Finished product!

Ready to check in all of the precious kids at Village Church of Irvine! (The bamboo guy threw in some free pencil holders!)

The "Dirty Trail" Less Traveled

It was a glorious bike indeed... Yellow, HUGE handlebars, a banana-seat and a horn. For lots of honking. No helmet. That was before the days of helmets.

It took me on many adventures: To the Cutsforth's Thriftway, to the local Dairy Queen for a "Mister Misty," to Champoeg Park in Butteville (NOT BUTT-ville folks, BUTTE-ville, look it up), riding around town with my dad and out by the Dahlia farm I grew up next to. Champoeg was my favorite biking experience because it was like riding through "ferngully" with lots of hills and dips. Truly amazing for a kid with a big imagination. I thought I had conquered the world when my dad told me I rode 5 miles! Whoa!

As I grew up, riding my bike became a time just to get away and think, and a mode of transportation before I got my license. I eventually discovered the trails of Sunriver, and even did the Paulina Plunge with Jake when we were first married. Tame, really...I have never been a serious biker and probably never will be. (Unlike my mother-in-law who just completed a bike marathon and could whip Jake or I!) I have actually walked out of a spin class because I was too much of a wimp and I couldn't figure out how people could actually sit on that kind of seat. But despite my un-athleticism, I still enjoy biking (slowly) and admit that the wind hitting my face just feels... good.

I have not owned a bike in 8 years, but this week that changed! You see, two years ago when we first moved to Irvine, we had chosen our community based on it's "pedestrian nature." There are lots of places to walk and bike and that is fairly unique for a city in California which is essentially urban. So finally we realized time had gotten away from us... we still had not made "biking" a reality for our family and were anxious to do so. So with the addition of a bike for me and a trailer for Samara to chill in, we are set and ready to enjoy some family biking experiences! I'm so excited to pass on some really great memories to our kids (with helmets on!) and give them a good outlet for exercise and being in the outdoors.

Marshall and I went on our first ride a few days ago, and I had fun letting him choose our course. When we came to a fork in the road, I asked, "Which one?" as I motioned to the straight paved trail and then the dirty, narrow, winding trail. He promptly replied, "The dirty trail."

Ah yes, my son - we will take the "dirty trail" less traveled!

Shells Part 2: Textures, Colors, Patterns

Last night I couldn't sleep so I picked up my camera and my favorite objects of interest and started experimenting. I don't think I could ever grow tired of the diversity of shells, their design amazes me just as their Creator does! If you click on these pictures you can see the detail much closer, but I wanted to post them small so you could see all the colors and patterns together. So pretty!
In order (Accuracy of identification not guaranteed!) The specimens are much smaller than they seem b/c I used my macro lens:

Tiny green and pearly craft shells, Pink Urchin, Small Abalone, Purple Urchin, Limpet, Scallop (looks like a sunrise!), Purple Drupe, Small Turban, Mother-of-pearl inside a Giant Abalone, Japanese Babylon, Horse Conch?, and a mini sand dollar (1 inch).

Surprise!

Shell Pics

Practicing my macro-photography skills on shells from my collection... (in order) A Precious Wentletrap, Sea Urchin spines, a Turban, a Sharks Eye, Sea Fan, Nerites, Green mother-of pearl (on another Turban), Cowries, and Coral.

L'Engle Poetry

I just had to share this poem which I copied into my journal over a decade ago... It's by Madeline L'Engle, from a book called "Weather of the Heart."

ACT III scene ii

Someone has altered the script
My lines have been changed
The other actors are shifting roles
They don't come on when they're expected to
and they don't say the lines I've written
and I'm being upstaged
I thought I was writing this play
with a rather nice role for myself
small, but juicy
and some excellent lines.
But nobody gives me my cues
and the scenery has been replaced.
I don't recognize the new sets.
This isn't the script I was writing
I don't understand this plot at all.
To grow up
is to find
the small part you are playing
in this extraordinary drama
written by
someone else.

Family Photos

We recently had our family photos done by Will Parris, a good friend of ours whom we know from our days at University Praise (now Sojourners). (His wife Jessica took over my role as Children's Minister when I had Marshall and stepped down.) He is a very talented photographer and artist - a totally fun & easygoing guy to boot - and I'm very happy with the results! I think it definitely captured our love for the beach and some of the fun/crazy side of our family. We started the photo shoot dry, and ended up entirely sandy and wet by the end! LOL!
Check out more pics here (Click on P.S. blog):
http://www.parris-studios.com/#

He knows the number of hairs on our head...

... and the number of freckles on our nose!

Aliso Beach Firepit

Here are more pics from our day at the beach with the Gramenz Family! We had a great time getting wet and roasting smores.

Big Orange Balloon

Paul Gramenz caught this amazing photo of Samara while we were waiting to ride the OC Great Park Balloon. Stunning!

Friends & Fun!

This week my childhood friend Jane and her family (Husband Paul, kids Elijah, Katelynn & baby girl Gramenz on the way) are staying with us and we've had so much fun together! Jane and I have known each other for 30 years. Her husband Paul just finished his medical residency and they are moving back to Oregon... we are glad they could come visit us in the midst of all their transitions right now! The kids had a ball at Disneyland and we all did pretty well despite the heat. Check out the "Then and now" pics at the bottom. Cabbage patch dolls were a little easier than what we have now! LOL! (But so worth it!)
More pics of our week still to come...