LIfe.

I am sitting here at Ambers house, we are "hanging out" by both laying on the couch on our laptops and doing seperate tasks.  I was just telling Amber how it's funny how productive I feel getting all my computer stuff done even though if I was doing this same stuff at home I would feel like I was wasting my day away when I could be cooking, cleaning, or doing yardwork. It's all about perspective. 

I love that Becca just posted about dairy and gluten free and I am posting ice cream and cereal. And oh man did they taste good. Baby craves this stuff and this momma indulges. 

A few iphone pictures from the trip to San Juans.  I loved getting to hang out with my family and I smile every time I look through pictures.  Daniel and I at the lavender farm, Paul and my new boat ;), at the top of our "hike" and baby bumpin like crazy.  

On Sunday Paul gave me his wedding ring so that I could take them to the jewelers to get the white gold replated.  I hate dropping our rings off but love the end result.  It was fun to wear his ring for a few hours. :)  And I had on the pearl necklace he gave me a few days before we got married and the white coat I have wanted forever but talked myself out of because seriously, who can keep a white coat clean?  I finally got it for our anniversary at the outlets this year.  At target on Sunday I was really only going to get my mom some dish soap (we love the meyers stuff and we make it into foam soap) and some facewash.  But those candy corns and candy corn oreos were calling my name at the checkout.  The candy corn oreos are super sweet, but I love to have one or two after dinner as a special treat.  

I finally got a new spice rack also!  I have been wanting one for quite some time since mine only took up a little over half of the shelf space and all the other spices were thrown in at random, but never wanted so spend money on one.  Well, at bed bath and beyond I had a 20% off your entire purchase coupon so I decided to splurge on a new spice rack. Best $11 I have spent in a long time.  I guess waiting forever after you want something makes you appreciate it that much more.  I still need to make a few more labels for the bins in that cupboard but overall am quite happy with how it turned out. 

Some of the wrapped Christmas presents.  The rest showed up today and I will wrap them either today or tomorrow, it feels so so good to check that off my list.  The cats were loving all the string and boxes I was using to wrap.  Boxes are "cat traps" and they work quite well. ;)

My lunch has been expanding and shrinking all at the same time.  I have started packing more items but smaller quantities because that is how I have been eating lately.  I eat breakfast when I get to work at 6:45, snack of yogurt and granola at 10ish, lunch at 1ish and then dinner around 6pm and sometimes a snack around 8pm.  

I got some new succlents while in the San Juans and I love them!  They have a happy home in happy new pots on an awesome piece of furniture that was my grandmas.  All those towels and gloves were hers as well.  I love how a blank corner of my house turned into one of my favorite corners. 

The end.  I am off to go swimming and hopefully vacuum my house before the hubby gets home.  I hate how the cats drag litter everywhere, I feel like I vacuum nearly every day off! Soon it will be cold and I will wear slippers everywhere and wont be able to feel the litter...and maybe I won't be as paranoid about how "dirty" it feels. :)

hello, sunshine!

I am happy to have some energy today.  And for the sun!

Yesterday, I was sooooo sluggish.  It seriously felt like an extreme feat just to climb the stairs (which I seemed to have to do A LOT yesterday, or maybe I just noticed more?).  For some reason, my leg muscles were extremely tired and I just could not wake up.  Perhaps because I didn't sleep well, and then was up early that morning with the kids.  And it was kind of rainy and dreary out (although, I won't lie, I enjoyed the rainy day being cozy at home, except that the kids were a little stir crazy).  Either way, I was so happy when Jeremy got home and even happier when I got in bed that night.  I was tired.  Also could have been because I made 12 pints of applesauce from the apples we picked on our old tree and canned them (which I have never done before).  Glad I did it, but PHEW, it was a bit of work.

So, I have been on a mostly gluten free/dairy free diet.  Our family has actually been totally dairy free now (at home) for two months.  I have had eggs and other grains, but then we started limiting our grains too, because of some other research I have been doing.  I have been feeling amazing, but I still feel like I have a long way to go to figure out a good balance...but I was craving some bread real bad the other night.  So, I texted Jeremy while he was at work and said, "LETS GO OUT!" and we went to Panera.  Shea and Hailey split a grilled cheese sandwich, and we got a demi-loaf and a bowl of brocolli cheddar soup to share.  And a huge cookie.  Oh my, what a splurge this was for us.  And we enjoyed it THOROUGHLY.  Going out has become such a special occasion now, that Shea is incredibly well behaved and extremely grateful and sweet. Of course I ruined my diet, but it was one of the most enjoyable family dates we have had.  Not sure if it had anything to do with my energy level the other day or not, but it was sure worth it.  I always have to remind myself that although we are trying to eat what we eat intentionally, we really are not trying to live forever, and people are so much more important than what we eat, which makes it that much more enjoyable when we eat something we don't normally, and especially when we share it with others.  I have just become so obsessed with it, because of the time I am blessed with right now.

Today was our second week at Preschool.  I went and prepared most of what we were doing the night before, but then right when we got in bed I received a message saying that another mom was joining us with her daughter.  I wasn't expecting them to show up for a few weeks, so I was thankful when another child didn't come because I didn't have to prepare an extra set of our activities for her!

It's fun, but always a little interesting to figure out the details.  There is one boy, Thor, he is a JOY to have in the classroom.  He is eating up every moment and loves being in school.  Then there is the new little girl, Lucy.  She reminds me a lot of Hailey, only older.  Very independent and able to do a lot for her age.  She is just young, but she does a pretty good job of paying attention.  And then, there is Donavon.  It took only one week for him to get comfortable and say "no" to everything and start talking back to me.  Shea and him do not get along.  At all.  Donavon hit or kicked Shea about 4 times today.  Now, I know every kid does this, so it's not like that is impossible or unexpected to deal with.  I was really glad to see that Shea didn't hit back, though.  He did yell at the top of his lungs, so the next step will be learning to use words or just walking away, but not hitting back was a huge step.  I even saw him about to hit and then quickly pull his arm back and stop himself.  I guess its about going in stages to eventually have him able to solve conflicts on his own without my intervention.

I talked to Donavon's mom, and I am going to start a "happy heart" chart next week, where they earn stickers for their good behavior, and I will probably be a little more strict about "talking out" in circle time.  It is a little tricky with all the mom's there.  Communication is so important, because I don't always know how much they WANT me to discipline or if they want to jump in.

Shea actually does pretty well during school, other than having a fit about sharing every once in a while (but I find that if I offer a reasonable solution, things usually resolve themselves quickly).  Hailey is all over the place!  Last week my MIL watched her, but she wasn't around this week, so Hailey was just constantly wanting to be a part of everything.  She wants to do school, too!  Its cute, but distracting, and hard for the other moms to help because she is one head-strong girl and knows how to use her voice.

Anyway, I'm glad we do it, and I'm glad I'm home now for the week.

And now, of course, pictures!  These are Hailey heavy today.  Can't get enough of this girl and the crazy fun stage she is in!  Shea also, seems to be maturing a lot lately.  He is still hyper at times, but he is also becoming much more self-controlled and sensitive lately.  Last night, we sat on the couch and he told me ALL about the wife he is "asking God to make for him".  Oh girls, I wish I could have captured that moment in a bottle to open whenever he does something that upsets me.  It was precious.  He had so many details and he just wanted to keep telling me all about it.  I hope I can always have such wonderful, open communication with my children.

Hailey at breakfast.  This girl LOVES to eat.  She loves to sit and take her time and eat every single last bite of her food.  It is so fun to have her at the table with us.  She teaches us to slow down.

 I'll put the rest "after the jump"!

Beautiful San Juan Vacation

I reach burn out status at work on a regular basis, but all it takes is a short vacation to revive me, and that is exactly what this trip to the San Juans did.  I met my parents in North Bend on Tuesday where Paul dropped me off because he had to go to class on Wednesday before he could join us.  

We had amazing sunsets every single night, and I got to take some great silhouette pictures with some very cooperative family. :) 

On Wednesday we tried to pick the activities to do that we thought Paul would enjoy the least, since this is the only day of activities he would miss.  We went to the lavender farm and man on man I have never smelled stronger lavender in my life. 

My mom and I wanted to read about the process of lavender distilling and the process to make essential oils but this little barn area about knocked me out with the lavender smell, we hung around for a few minutes but that's all we could take, I could taste the lavender! 

After the lavender farm we headed to town for a little shopping. Originally we were going to get Daniel a bike to rent so he could bike around the island but it turns out they had a ton of cute shops in a one block radius.  I found a ton of cute stuff for the baby (and then added it to my amazon wish list instead of paying full store price for it all).  I did get a few succulents and this cute bird as well as some grey and white striped paper straws and my mom got the baby the sweetest and softest kitty stuffed animal.  These pictures are all from my camera, but I have some pictures from my phone I will have to upload later. 

On Thursday Daniel hiked all around the island while Paul, my parents and I went to the sculpture park and then on a "hike".  This hike was really a walk, and seemed really easy when I did it 5 or so years ago, but lets just say 650ft elevation change in a one mile with 20lbs of pregnancy weight a belly that is squishing my lung volume that hike was anything but easy!  Good thing I had Paul to push me along. :) 

More sculpture park.  This was one of my favorite pieces.

Paul put up with 3 minutes of pictures taking and I was able to snap a few keepers.  These were all taken with my camera set on a table and using the remote control.  Every time we take pictures of a couple I think, only a few more months of this and then we will have a little one to pose with! 

I kinda love him. 

Daniel snapped this with my camera (and yes Becca every single picture I am wearing a different pair of pants from you :)  ).  I love how it captures how chill life is.  We have time to lay around and fiddle on our phones simultaneously.  I know this won't last for long. 

We got home Saturday evening.  On the way home we stopped at the Asian grocery store and got a cart full of fruit and veggies for $30, it was amazing.  When we got home I spent the next 2 hours unpacking and cutting up and washing fruits and veggies. 

Sunday morning I woke up around 7:30, laid around in bed for a while and finally got up around 8:15 or so and showered and got ready for errands, church, and pictures of course! 

24 weeks and a cantelope sized baby. :) 

Eric and Eleanor wanted to join in on the picture taking. 

Errands on Sunday were as follows. 

Safeway

Fred Meyer

Costco

Break for church

Ross

Target

Joanne's

Home for a quick lunch

St Vincent de Paul

Gap

Banana Republic

Eddie Bauer

Fuego

Levi's 

Boys and girls drop off 

And then home to order the rest of the Christmas presents on Amazon. 

Yes, I have finished our Christmas shopping, minus one thing I need to order after I finish this post.  I didn't want to wrap presents with a huge belly and I didn't want the stress of the holidays while being full term.  This much prepping will enable me to enjoy the holidays in full! 

And here is the belly compilation.  The 24 week shot was taken in awful lighting and I need to edit the picture so it doesnt appear that my belly is glowing, I will do that before baby is born. ;)

Paul just got his tdap and flu shot today and it's my turn next.  Love that my hubby is more prepped for baby than I am. :) 

this week's snapshots

I have been loving the fall weather.  Yesterday, Jeremy got off early because it was so rainy (nice to spend time together, not great for job) the rainy/slow season is definitely start to set in!  Jeremy's parents agreed to watch the kids for a couple of hours, so we got to sneak away on a little date.  We went to the thrift store, sifted through some different books at Barnes and Nobles and then sat at Panera drinking some coffee and chatting for a little bit before heading back.  We haven't been on a date sans kids in months!  It was so nice to get away.  When we got home, I didn't feel like making dinner, so we splurged again and went out to Mexican.  We shared some amazing vegetable fajitas (never thought of putting squash in a fajita before - so delicious!) and the kids had some quesadillas.  We don't buy dairy other than eggs anymore, so having cheese was a super big treat for the kids.  Shea would not stop saying "Thank you!" and in his prayer at bedtime he said, "and thank you that I got to go to the..." 

turning and whispering to me: "mommy, whats type of rest-er-naut did we go to?" 

Me: "Mexican."  

Continuing in his normal voice: "and thank you that I go to go to the mexican resternaut even though it had skulls on the wall and they were scary.  amen."

ha.

But, I did feel like cooking that morning, so we had this nourishing soup for lunch!  I filled my cast iron pot with 8 cups of vegetable broth and added in a few small potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, red lentils, and split peas and some other seasonings.  After everything was soft, I put it through the blender and added some curry powder and a little coconut milk to make this delicious bisque!  SO good.  I also made some gluten free flax meal crackers to go with it.  My first try...they were OK.  Next time I want to make them a little bit crispier.  We had the soup again today, only I cooked up some black beans in cayenne pepper sauce and added them.  sooooo good.  I am so happy it is soup season and I am looking forward to having pumpkins and other squash to make soups from soon!  Makes meal planning so much easier.  And I could eat a thick soup like this every day of my life, I think.

Shea after our first day at school, gobbling down his food.  I am amazed that he now likes celery after not wanting to touch it for so long!

I am trying to use up my fabric scraps, so I started making a rag rug.  I have never tried it before, but it's basically just crocheting a big circle out of strips of fabric instead of yarn.  I decided I am going to make it into an ottoman/beanbag type cushion for Hailey, and then I will probably make one for Shea too.  I've been wanting to make something like that for a while, but didn't want to buy heavy weight fabric for it.  This stuff is super strong, a fun texture, and I get to use up all my fun colored scraps!

And, we just got back a little while ago from my second early birthday gift....it is still wrapped in saran wrap, so the picture isn't great (plus it needs to heal up still), but I am ecstatic about the way it turned out!  Jeremy's aunt just opened up a tattoo parlor on Bainbridge Island, so she did it for free (wasn't expecting that!). It was super fun to chat with her and her assistant, as she is just starting out.  Jeremy ended up having the day off again, so he walked the kids around the island while I had it done, and afterward we went down to Blackbird Bakery (one of my favorite bakeries on Bainbridge) and got some treats for us and the kids.

That's all!  Happy weekend, ladies!

23 weeks. I have a viable grapefruit in my belly.

Baby turned 23 weeks today, and I am more excited about this milestone than the others because this means little one is viable.  Little one could live "on its own" outside my body. Would it be healthy to be born this early? No. But baby could survive and that makes me quite excited.  Here are a few pictures I took today.  I realize in the first two I don't even look that pregnant, but the 19 pounds I have gained have gone somewhere...so it all must be documented.  

So like I said before Paul is out of town all week on a hunting trip.  I have been doing quite well holding down the fort myself but I have missed him quite a bit these last two days off.  Yesterday while doing the grocery shopping I decided to buy myself my all time favorite snacks.  My first pumpkin spice latte of the season, the fake cheese dip that probably contains no real cheese (and the chips to go with it of course) and a caramel apple.  Today while running a few errands I bought myself some sour patch kids.  And when Paul comes home I told him we have to go out for 50 cent ice cream cones.  That would make a week where I got every single one of my favorite treats. :) 

When cleaning out my grandma's apartment my mom asked if I wanted any of these huge frames. I said I would take everything anyone else didn't want, I knew I would find a use somewhere in the house, even if it took a while.  Well yesterday while walking upstairs I realized that I had some very big blank spaces, perfect for two of the frames.  So I got to work hanging them to make sure they would look good.  The pictures inside were quite faded from years of being hung so I used my silhouette to make some new things.  Not sure how I like the "love knows no bounds one" it may be to black and white/stark for me, but it works for now.  I love having artwork up!  Now I need to put something on that dumb shelf that I can't reach at all.  

Becca encouraged me to strengthen my abs, as she said it helped during labor.  I have been swimming 4 times a week for a few weeks now (I cheated by a day or two last week I can't remember) but it is sure helping.  Little one is starting to take up more room, but my abs are holding tighter than they were originally.  Linea nigra is starting to appear, but if this is the darkest it gets that would be ok with me. :) 

My grandma and her buddies back in the day. How precious is this picture?! I am totally in love. 

Speaking of love, how cute will it be to take pictures of my little one in front of this love sign?  I got all sorts of excited thinking  about it! 

And last but not least, dead grouse! These boys are having a blast hunting.  I couldn't have asked for a better trip for my hubby before we start in to super planning mode for this baby and get closer to entertaining the possibility of moving for his job, and even if we don't move he will have a new role as manager, so things will change.  So glad he got to get away for some much needed guy time. No shower for 3 days at the time this picture was taken, so glad pictures arent scratch and sniff! 

Have a good night ladies! I am off to bed to watch some Greys Anatomy before snoozing!  

Ps I just had a wonderful 3 hour visit with Amber.  We hadn't seen each other in almost a month even though she lives 4 minutes away. It was so good to catch up! 

fresh fall air.

I am enjoying this glimpse of fall we have had this morning.  I have been waiting for it.  Yes, I love being at the beach and wouldn't mind a few more afternoons soaking in the sun with the kids, but fall is by far my favorite time of year and it can never get here soon enough.  The rain has been comforting.  The cooler air is lovely and I was so happy to be able to be cozy in my boots and lighter fall sweaters today.  I am tired of being hot and sweaty every day and the house is the perfect temperature.

This morning was our first day of Preschool.  It was designed to just be a short “meet and greet” and get used to the classroom type of day, so I just put out some manipulative/puzzles, had some other fun things out for the kids to play with and did a short circle time and craft.  It was a very different dynamic than what I was used to last year.  I had three students last year, two of which had been to school before, and no parents in the room.  Today, I had two parents, two babies, and three preschoolers.  Next week, there will be up to 6 preschoolers and 5 babies.  And Shea is the oldest and the only one who has been to class before.  The age of the children is also younger.  There will be three two year olds, one three year old, and two four year olds.  I definitely have to plan out the time to have the right amount of movement and sitting and not too long doing any one activity. 

It will be a fun challenge though!  I’m thinking about blogging on my mommy blog about it so I have a nice documentation of it for the year.  Especially because I haven’t seen many examples of groups like this, so maybe it will be of some use to someone somewhere.

Anyway, I think it went well, except that there wasn’t much planned so kids got a little restless, since it went a little longer than I had originally planned.  I think it will be better next week when the entire time is structured and planned out though.

I already told Angela and Amber, but we found out our interview for the church planting position is on Saturday, September 28^th (my birthday - so bound to be a go well, right?) and we are sooooo excited about it.  Originally, we weren't sure if this was really something we wanted to do or not.  The more we are researching the model and having conversations about it (which is basically constantly), the more everything in this movement really resonates with a deep longing in our souls we have felt for years.  And the more we look at where we have been and the way God has changed us in the past 6 years has really prepared and led us to this point.  Maybe, just maybe, we finally will find our home in ministry.  I don’t necessarily mean this position.  This could even not last for more than 3 years (pessimistically), but we have learned so much about ourselves, our calling, our dreams, our gifts, the things we need to work on, and so much more in a relatively short amount of time since applying for this job.  I can’t imagine how much more we will learn after the interview – whether we get the job or not – and even up to that point.

That is all for today.  I have so much Preschool planning and cleaning around the house to do.  I am having  a hard time catching up on things with the kids, but I have purged so much stuff in the past few weeks, piles are slowly disappearing.  I have condensed my wardrobe down to half it's size.  Jeremy and I can officially share a small closet without things CRAMMED in there, and I am trying to get us down to one dresser (that might take a while).  I have no idea why I have so many options of clothing, I feel like it is so excessive and I don't wear half of them anyway.  It feels so GOOD to de-clutter...I cannot even explain.  And simplifying the amount of things we have is simplifying my to-do list by a great deal.  Shea helped me get rid of three grocery bags of toys, too!

I am also so thankful today for bringing home lots of fresh fruit and veggies from the local market.  We have been living off of weird concoctions of whatever I could make the past few days, because we didn't go shopping on the weekend and I have been trying to minimize our trips out during the week.  I finally had enough errands to run today to make the trip worth our while.  I even splurged and got myself an extra foamy rice milk latte.  mmmmm.  And the kids were very well behaved (read: not pulling, smacking, or screaming at each other or me).

Baby Bump

This week will be a weird one, but I am oddly excited for it.  I guess this plays into "living in the moment" and every moment can be a date day or a special day.  Paul just left on a 6 day hunting trip with two of his buddies.  They will be in Wenatchee/Leavenworth area, lots of time without cell phone service.  He has been so excited for this hunting trip, even packing 4 days ahead of time so he would have a few days to remember if he forgot any little stuff.  His excitement makes me excited.  I am so glad we have a stable, happy relationship that allows us to be separated for 6 days, yet feel like we are falling more in love as we do it.  Guys need guy time.  And as for me? I am excited to clean the house and have it stay clean. I am excited to only have to make my lunch.  I am excited to never cook dinner (I prepped a bunch of food yesterday). I am excited to pick up extra shifts and not feel like I am missing out on time with my love.  And all my excitement stems from his, because all those little tasks, I love doing for him, but everyone loves a little break now and then! 

And now for self timer, DSLR shots. :)  

Baby seems to be moving so much more these days. My belly feels more toned as I have been working out more in this 2 weeks than the rest of the pregnancy.  Little papaya and soon to be grapefruit (then a cantaloupe at 24 weeks!) I love you so much! 

The lighting was perfect in baby's bedroom for these shots.  I often forget to use my "nice camera" as Paul and I both call it because of the convenience of our phone cameras, but I love how clear, crisp, and bright everything is with the ds

Paul had to work 11-8 yesterday and I really wanted to have breakfast sandwiches, but we didn't have english muffins.  So Paul said if I went to the store he would make breakfast.  Best deal ever.  I got myself a donut and caramel macchiato while I was there and came home for a wonderful (yet quite unhealthy) breakfast cooked by my love. 

After he went to work I laid down on the couch for what was supposed to be a few minutes.  Then Eleanor came along and convinced me to take a nap.  Two hours later I finally got my booty off the couch and did some food prep in the kitchen.  I never got hungry after that crazy big breakfast but was so glad I had made a smoothie and put it in the fridge because I know the importance of eating small healthy meals for the baby's sake.  Over the next few hours in the kitchen I cut up watermelon, peaches, papaya, grapefruit, cucumbers, and lettuce and zucchini that I made multiple salads from.  Then I made sandwiches for Sundays lunch because I knew I would want to hang out and enjoy my last few hours with Paul instead of doing stuff in the kitchen.  Then I decided I wanted to make some split pea soup for the week and realized I had no split peas, but I had red lentils so I made this recipe. I read some of the reviews before making the soup so I made a few changes.  I used 1lb 4oz of red lentils (all that I had), 2 tbsp of cumin, no cayanne (I would have used some if Paul was going to be home this week to eat it with me), no cilantro (I can tolerate it but def not my favorite flavor), and only 1/4 cup of lemon juice.  I also adjusted the chicken stock accordingly for my extra lentils. I told Paul what I made and he said "yuck", then I told him it was for dinner and he said "oh, I hope it tastes good then!).  The first words out of his mouth after his first bite were Yum!!  So I would say it was a success.  Then to top off my hours of work in the kitchen I made and froze 12 burritos that contained homemade pinto beans, taco meat, cheese, and sauteed peppers.  I love having food prepped, especially because I never know how tired I will be come the evening when dinner time and lunch packing time rolls around. Also, it is my goal to use as much food as I can from our freezers until I know if we are going to have to move for Paul's job or not.  We have quite a bit of food stocked up and I figure I will have give away what I can and throw out the rest if I don't start using it now and we end up moving!  Plus, you wouldn't believe how small our grocery bills have been these last two months!  

Oh and that random picture of Eleanor glaring?  Paul and I were laying on the couch (hours before he had to leave) and the baby was bumping around like crazy so he had his hand on my belly to feel little one.  Then Eleanor jumps on my belly and crawls under his arm to lay on his chest.  I started laughing at her and she stared at me all creepy like while I was taking pictures. 

I just hung the ultrasound pictures in the nursery with some of the awesome ribbon Becca sent me for my birthday and some mini clothes pins.  I love how it turned out!  Oh, and Eric follows me EVERYWHERE these days.  Don't know what he is going to do when there is a baby in that crib! 

That's all for now! I pray you ladies are having a blessed week.