We are so EXCITED!!!!

The sun is shining!  It is a beautiful day and the temperature has reached 60 degrees.  And get this, we are going to have a high 0f 70 degrees on Saturday.  The weatherman informed us that this will be the first weekend day of 70 since October (we reached a freak 70degrees on a Tuesday a few weeks ago).  So those of you who read our blog and live in a warmer place...does this help put things into perspective of why we are so excited for warm days?

So what do we do on a warm day?  We go to the park.  The girls just love the park.  They both have no fear.  This translates into lots of bumps and bruises and even chipped teeth but on this particular day all was good.

Selah was throwing out a few "hellos" to the other kids in the park while hanging out in the swing.

Selah loves the slides.  Again, no fear.
This is the slide she went down all by herself.
And this slide? 
She thought she would walk up it.
And so she did.
Ahhhhh....thankfully Sofia wasn't getting into too much trouble so I could keep my eyes on Selah for the most part.

We love the park (and momma loves the naps they take after the park)!

Another blessed Easter!

What a glorious day it was! A beautiful sunny day.  A day that our Lord had made.  A day where we joined with other believers for a Easter Brunch before coming together in worship through song and scripture.  Voices were lifted up as the "Halleluia Chorus" was sung.  Hands clapped in celebration of those that were baptized.  And hearts and minds were encouraged as scripture was taught.  

HE IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

Easter Family Activities

The Saturday before Easter we enjoyed some family activities.  Here are some of the things we did.

The girls took part in the community egg hunt.  It was a chilly 35 degrees and the wind was blowing.  There were 8000 eggs and probably about 1000 people in attendance.  

Here we are waiting for the hunt to begin.  We waited about 30 minutes for a 3 minute hunt.

Once they blew the horn Sofia was off and running.  She ended up with 7 eggs.
Selah took her time and picked up one egg at a time.  She ended up with four.
Of course, what is a community event without face painting?:)

At home we opted to make some other kinds of eggs then the traditional dyed ones.

First up, jell-o eggs.  Yummy!

Then we made some rice krispy eggs that were dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.
We also made some krispy bunnies and some baskets with eggs.
Of course, we had a ton of the plastic eggs for a family hunt.  The eggs were filled with crayons and stickers.  A few of them had chocolate.
But the activity to remind us what Easter truly is about:  a Lego CROSS!!!

Family!!!

We love when our family comes to visit!

Kevin's twin sister, Kerri, along with her fiance Todd and his two girls Hayley and Jordan were here for the first half of the week.  We had some fun times playing games, eating, and searching for the perfect place for Todd and Kerri to get married this summer.  We found it at a local forest preserve.  

Then the latter part of the week, my sister Kelli and her kids Caleb and Hannah came to visit.  It was a fun time as well.  Lots of activities (details in next post), attended Good Friday Service together, and had a family Easter dinner Saturday night before they had to head back to Michigan.

Of course, all pics were taken by Ashley.:)

Our girls!

Love. Laughter. Joy. Craziness.

Silliness. Love. Love. Love!!!

Glory Baby

About four weeks ago I took a pregnancy test pretty confident that it would be positive.  It was.   The due date was the end of October.  We were pretty joyous.  A third child.   Wow!  

We've never been ones to hold back on sharing  but for some reason we thought we would wait until I was about eight weeks along.  You see, we've lost a baby before.  I miscarried between Sofia and Selah at 10 weeks.   But I've always remembered something my dear friend Roxanna said to me.  "Let people rejoice with you and if something happens, let them grieve with you."

I am very thankful that a couple of weeks ago we shared with family.  Then this past Wednesday we shared with our church family via the Weekly Prayer List.  This list post at the top the names of expectant mothers in our church by month.  Thursday morning we were going to share with our friends and family by e-mail, facebook, and blog.

Thursday morning, however, brought a different kind of news.  I woke up that morning to some spotting.  I knew.  You see, on Monday I hadn't been feeling well at all.  I was very nauseous.  I couldn't get out of bed at all.   Thankfully my sister Ashley is with us and took care of the girls.  I remember thinking, oh boy, I hope the rest of the pregnancy isn't like this.  But come Tuesday, I was fine.  Now, on Thursday, I knew my body had begun something on Monday.

So the process began.  I went to the doctor's for them to draw blood.  Friday morning the doc calls to say my hormone levels are very high.  I went in that afternoon for an ultrasound.  They couldn't find a heartbeat.  

My heart stopped for a beat as well.

But my heart and Kevin's heart keeps beating.   We are so thankful to be loved by God.  We are so thankful for a community of family and friends that celebrated with us, prayed for us, and who now grieve with us.

His plans and His ways are so perfect.  I told Kevin that the doc kept saying, "Remember, this is not your fault" and the whole time I was thinking, "I know it isn't my fault".

My dear friend, Keri W., reminded me of this beautiful song, "Glory Baby" by Watermark.  Here are some of the words.

Glory Baby, you slipped away

As fast as we could say baby, baby

You were growing, what happened dear,

You disappeared on us baby, baby

Heaven will hold you before we do

Heaven will keep you safe

Until we're home with you 

Sweet little baby, it's hard to understand it

Cause we are hurting, we are hurting

But there is healing, and we know we're stronger people 

Through the growing, and in knowing

All things work together for our good

And God works his purposes

Just like he said he would, just like he said he would

We have two glory babies.  Probably the boys of the family.:)

Love to all.  

Mary Poppins!

It is March 18.  Sofia and I had been awaiting this day for almost three months.  You see for Christmas, daddy gave us tickets to the Broadway in Chicago production of "Mary Poppins!".  And yes, I have to say, it was SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!!

As any musical, the stage show varies from the movie.  The story line along with song order was changed up a bit but it didn't matter.  We both thoroughly enjoyed it.  Sofia and I agreed that the "Step in Time" number was our favourite.  This song was sung by tap-dancing chimney sweeps.  The show ended with a awe-inspiring flyover of Mary Poppins.  

Here we are just before we left for the matinee show.

The theatre was in downtown Chicago.
Memories!
Sofia kept saying, "This place is so beautiful, mommy."
After an hour drive to the theatre and a three hour show, this was how Sofia spent the drive home.

Oh!  I almost forgot.  As we were standing in line to pay for our parking ticket, "Mr. Banks" came walking by.  He stopped, asked Sofia her name, and thanked her for coming to the show.  He also told her he would say hello to Mary Poppins for her.  Pretty cool!

Our Social Butterfly.

This past Saturday was quite busy.  Yes, daddy and mommy had some things to do but the busiest person in the family was Sofia.

Here is Sofia as she was getting ready to head to her first event of the day...a Tea Party.

Mrs. Putman (holding the camera) and Miss Sarah hosted Sofia, Rebekah and Sarah.  Sofia enjoyed the yummy sandwiches and zesty pickles, the funny stories told by little Sarah, and felt so grown up when she got to take a sip of grown-up decaffeinated tea.

Later that afternoon Sofia attended her first non-family birthday party.  Joy, who was turning four years old, had a princess party.  It was so sweet.  All the girls wore princess outfits and the cake looked like a castle.  Unfortunately I have no pictures to share.

The last event of the day was attending the church rollerskating party.  Another first.  Of course she loved it.
She especially enjoyed skating with her daddy.

Whoosh!  She was a busy little girl but a nice and tired little girl come 8 '0 clock.

18 months!!!!

As of this past Tuesday, March 10, Selah is 1 1/2 years old.  Oh she is a growing and very active girl.  She had her 18 month check-up this morning.  She is 31.5 inches tall and 21 pounds.  

We celebrated with her first bubble bath (and probably her last because of her eczema).  Sofia had fun showing her how to put bubbles in her hair.

Selah is in that "undressing" stage.  This picture caught her taking off not only her footie p.j.s but her diaper as well.  Thank goodness it was dry.:)

Smiles are hard to come by when it's camera time.  Thankfully she shares them freely with mommy and daddy.

We love you Selah!!!!

The A,B,C's.

Sofia was 18 months old when she first started singing "The ABC's".  She has always loved letters.   I mean, she LOVES letters.  She loves to spell, and now she enjoys reading simply because of letters.

 

A couple weeks ago in her Play N Praise class (3-5 yr.old choir at church) the question was asked, "What is your favourite love song?"  The teacher told me that Sofia answered, "The ABC Song".  Her friend Charlotte was quick to remind Sofia that that is not a love song.  To which Sofia said, "But I LOVE the ABC Song".

So here she is trying to impart her love for the ABC's by having Selah watch one of her favourite videos...HERE COME THE ABC's by They Might Be Giants.

By the way, there are some fun ABC songs on this CD/DVD.  "The Alphabet of Nations" and "E Eats Everything" are a couple of our favourites to sing and dance to.

Miles from ordinary

Keri is at a retreat this weekend, so I thought I would blog something while the kids are glued to Caillou.  From the list of commercial slogans below, I think "Miles away from ordinary" is the one that best describes my wife.  

So, which commercial slogan is the best fit for your spouse?  If you don't have a spouse, then someone significant in your life. 

1. "Your world.  Close at hand" - AT&T

2. "Changing everyday" - Toyota

3. "Miles away from ordinary" - L'Oreal    

4. "Like a rock!" - Chevy

5. "It's the real thing." - Coca Cola

6. "The King of Good Times" - United Breweries

7. "A diamond is forever" - DeBeers

O Eye Teeth!

"O eye teeth, o eye teeth, wherefore art thou?"  

As of December, Selah has all her teeth EXCEPT for her four eye teeth.  Come mid-January signs of teething (Selah's signs are very noticeable) began to show.  Unfortunately the teeth did not.

The above picture is Selah's "grin/grimace" these past couple of days.  The spaces where her eye teeth will take residence are swollen and very red.    Last night was a rough, restless night for both baby and mommy.  Thankfully Selah can now communicate she has owies in her mouth which helps mommy know how to take care of her.

So alas, we cry out.  Eye teeth, eye teeth...please come NOW.

Aren't these cool?

Check this out.  Sofia is eating her dinner with chopsticks!  

Pretty cool, huh?  And aren't they adorable?
My dear friend Wendy and her family enjoy Asian food.  And of course when eating most Asian foods you use chopsticks.  Well, Wendy's daughter (then 18 mos.) wanted to use chopsticks like her mommy and daddy.  So Wendy got her a pair of training chopsticks and was sweet enough to also get some for Sofia and Selah.

Thank you!!!  We love them!

God's Provision.

This past week we were gathering our important paperwork to take to our tax guy.  In doing so I was reminded of God's great provision to our family this past year.  

For the first time since 1988 I will not be filing a tax return.  Have we gone without?  I answer, gone without what?  Food?  No.  Shelter?  No.  Family time?  No.  

My return (reward) is the joy of taking care of my husband, my girls, and my home.  God has provided for us materially but He has also provided for me the heart and desire to be a wife and mommy.   

"Lord, thank you.  And may all glory and honor be given to You."

"She knows," so she says.

Today at lunch Sofia told me that she knows lots of things and then proceeded to tell me what she knew.

"I know God."

"I know Jesus."

"I know my neighbours."

"I know coca cola isn't good for babies or big girls."

What do you know?

Aunt Ashley is here.

You can tell simply by the quality of picture that Aunt Ashley is here.  Ashley is the photographer of the family.  She will be staying with us for awhile as she tries to put down some roots here in the Chicago area.  Welcome Aunt Ashley!

Ice, ice, baby!

Our lake has been frozen for quite some time.  In the past 60 days the temps have reached the 40s only 5 times.  We had a couple of days around 30 but for the most part it has been below freezing with many days dipping below zero.

About a week ago on a cold, sunny day this California gal along with her daughter, mom, sister, and niece took a step of faith.  Seriously it was a step of faith because not one of us had ever walked on a frozen lake.   We had no idea what to expect.  Is this ice really that solid?  

A neighbour who was icefishing said the ice depth is about 9 inches.  Okay, then it must be safe.

So we did it.  We walked on the lake!!!!  Truthfully we didn't see much of the ice because the snow on top of the frozen lake was quite deep.  But for all it's worth I have now walked on a frozen lake.

Sofia is jumping off the dock "onto" the lake.:)

Sofia, Mommy, Aunt Kelli, Gramma, and cousin Hannah.
And yes, Selah was inside the nice warm house with Daddy snuggling with her bear.

Gramma came for a visit.

Yesterday we said goodbye to Gramma after a wonderful 10 day visit.  Gramma and Papa Bill live in Oklahoma.  We weren't able to travel to OK for the holidays so Gramma came up our way.  Here are some pics.

Gramma arrived just in time to experience some of the coldest days on record.  The actual temp one day was -17 with a windchill of -36.  Brrrr.   It took some extra time to bundle up before going out.

Sofia loved to snuggle with Gramma.  She slept in Gramma's bed everynight and thought that was pretty special.  Selah, on the other hand, doesn't sit still very much.  She would simply run around and when going by Gramma she would tap Gramma's knee and smile.
Here is Gramma making hand cookies with Sofia.
This is the rolling out of the dough.  The pics got a bit mixed up.

We really enjoyed having Gramma visit.  Mommy loved the extra help, Daddy enjoyed the conversations, and the girls simply loved being loved on.

I guess she was hungry.

Yesterday evening as I prepared to cook dinner Selah was hovering around my legs.  That's normal.  Nothing new.  It was a little after 5 p.m. and she was hungry.    A few minutes later I looked over and she was up on a kitchen chair leaning on the table.  Again, nothing new.  At least she wasn't up on the table.

Now, I really didn't think I had turned my back for that long but next thing I knew, I turned around and Selah was in her highchair.  What?!?

Yes, this is where I found her.

She had indeed crawled up on the table, made her way across to her highchair and lowered herself into the seat.  This pic shows where the chair was in relation to the table.  Note the pulled out chair on the left.
After getting into the chair she tried to put her bib on and said to me, "Yum-yum, mama."  Code for "I am hungry".
Dinner couldn't be served soon enough for Selah.  

We have to get it.

Yestersday morning I turned on the t.v. for Sofia to watch Dora while Selah took a nap and I worked on a project for church.  Things were going great.  I was grooving and my powerpoint was actually coming out okay.  Only to be interupted by this very important message.

Patter, patter, patter.

Sofia comes running up the stairs and begins to tap me on my shoulder.

"Mommy, mommy.  I have to tell you something."

"Okay."

"Well, you see, mommy."  She sighs and shrugs her shoulders as if preparing to tell me something oh so serious.  "We have to get it."

"Get what?"

"The Snuggie.  The snuggie is perfect because it keeps you warm and cozy AND you can read, talk on the phone, type on the computer, and eat a snack if we want to.  Okay, mommy?  We have to get it."

"Uh, snuggie?  Well, let's see how our blankets work out first."

Note to self.  When working on computer project keep the t.v. on PBS.  There are no commercials!!!!  But if any of you really want one of those snuggies, just click here and soon you can stay warm and eat your snack all at the same time.  :)

What triggers you to pray?

Sirens.


Sirens of a fire engine. Sirens of an ambulance or a police car. Or, in our neck of the woods, sirens warning of a tornado are sounds that trigger us to pray.


This began when Sofia was around 2 years old; she inquired about the sounds that she heard while we were driving, or, on the first Tuesday of each month, when a neighboring city tests their emergency siren. The explanation of sirens being sounds of warning journeyed into having an understanding that sirens could also mean that people were hurt or in trouble.


So, now, whenever we hear sirens we pray. We pray that God will take care of those who are in need; that God will provide the help for those who might be sick or hurt.


But then for me as mommy, this is no doubt one of my greatest triggers to pray: MY GIRLS!!!

The tactics have begun.

We have a specific routine we do with Selah just before putting her in her crib each night.  We pray with her, give her a pacifier and blanket, then sing "Jesus Loves Me".  Following the song we lay her in her bed and she puts herself to sleep.

But now that she is so grown up and all of 15 months old, Selah has decided to begin the "stalling" tactics.   She started doing this about a week ago.  Is this really supposed to happen at such a young age?  Take tonight as an example.

Tactic #1:  Selah only gets her pacifier and blanket in the bed so just as I gave it to her, she threw them back into her crib.  

Tactic #2:  Selah then began to say, "Yum, yum."  This means she wants something to eat.  She had just had some toast and milk so mommy wasn't falling for this one.

Tactic #3:  Selah then began to say, "Poo-poo" and point to the changing table.  Nope.  Sorry little girl.  I just changed her poopy diaper minutes before.

Tactic #4:  Selah pulls out the "Please, please"  while pointing to her bedroom door.  

Oh, so conniving.  Oh, so sweet.  But it was night-night times.  So I simply started singing "Jesus Loves Me", laid her in her crib, said "I love you" and left the room.

Selah is sound asleep.