week late EASTER!
May 1st, 2011 |
I really can not believe how fast this week has gone by! I had good intentions on putting these pics up last week…better a week late than never!
Last Saturday I took the girls to the Easter egg hunt at our community center. Raven was up early, so we I walked around so Hazel could take a little nap in the stroller. We ended up getting to the hunt very early! For some reason they had the young age group go last, and there were no eggs left to be found by the time we got to the hunting area. Thankfully, someone very nice from the neighborhood who we have seen a few time shared some of their eggs. The girls are still young enough not to notice, but next year I might just plan our own egg hunt.
While the girls and I were hunting for invisible eggs, Matt was at home putting up bunk beds!! Yeay! Also, the nukie fairy came! We collected all the nukies and put them in the mailbox for her. She needed to get the nukies for other little babies who need them. Just in case you didn’t know.
…and then the big day! Easter at Qwest field!! (for those of you who don’t know, Qwest is the field where Seattle’s football and soccer teams play! It was kind of a big deal.)
The whole experience was amazing! There were about 18,000 people there and about 680 baptisms (only 200 something were scheduled…that’s a lot of spontaneous baptisms!). Check out that line and the 20 baptisms tubs up front.
These two….
I just can’t get enough of these beauties! …and the girls too! heheh, just kidding! I’m just going to pat myself on the back for a moment. I made these dresses for the girls this year…and I have fallen in love! They are a bit big, but that only means that you’ll be seeing a lot of these beauties over the next couple years. Too bad the girls don’t stand still long enough to get a good picture.
Anyway, Happy Easter a week late :)
saytome
April 30th, 2011 | dialogues | Lisa | Raven
While on the potty…
R: God sees me when I’m naughty.
M: You’re right! Who told you that?
R: God did.
Thankful she has a relationship with God!
(bon)fire
April 20th, 2011 |
One thing I miss most throughout the winter is a nice big fire! We don’t have a fireplace, so we only do fires in the summer on the deck or when we go camping. What I really want is a nice big bonfire on the beach…on Lake Michigan…with all of our friends…on a warm summer evening…and maybe a little night swim…but this will do for now.
The first fire of the year!
It’s not really a bonfire, but more like a little campfire on the deck. It’s big enough to roast marshmallows and that’s all we need.
The girls were SO into Daddy who surprised us with the wonderful treat! We may only see him one night this week, but Daddy made it a good one!
Hazel has now had her first marshmallow! She wasn’t sure at first, but once she realized its like candy she wanted more!
Hazel waited so patiently while Daddy cooked her up another treat…and Raven roasted her first marshmallow (with assistance from Daddy of course!).
Roasting marshmallows is serious business.
We are totally itching for summer of here…but in case you didn’t notice…we are all still bundling up whenever we go outside. At least it wasn’t raining so we could enjoy our faux summer evening! …And just like most days when we give Raven too much sugar…the night ended with a lot of crying…and crawling away from me trying to take her picture. This Momma needs to laugh at tantrums every once in a while. Otherwise I would be the one crying and crawling into the house…and I know nobody wants to see that!
Tulips!
April 19th, 2011 | Hazel | Lisa | Matt | Raven | SPRING
This past weekend we went up to see the tulips! This was a first for us, so we didn’t really know what to expect. And as much as we prayed for sun, we still got rained on. Although we did get a good 5 minutes of sunshine, which we enjoyed thoroughly!
Family photo in front of the windmill. Its right behind/above us...you'll just have to trust me on this one.
I think the girls had fun running around in the rain and mud. It’s hard to tell when they have such mood swings…but I think it was mostly fun!
Daddy's Girls!
We tried and tried and tried to get a cute pic of the girls, together, with the tulips, looking at the camera, smiling….this is what we came home with…
Yes, the last one is a picture of Hazel falling in slow motion into a mud puddle ditch…
But don’t worry, she got right back up! She does have a big sister to keep up with. Also, this would have been such a cute one of Raven and the tulips…just like one I had imagined getting in my daydreams of adorable pictures of our girls and the tulips…if only she would have let me put that cute little braid and ponytail in her hair. Sigh. I can’t imagine where she gets this stubbornness from.
Overall, I think it was totally worth it! It was a fun family outing, and we all needed a little fresh air and some color and vibrance in this dark dreary spring we have been having. Now moving on to brighter daydreams of warm sun (emphasis on warm), swimming pools, parks, zootunes, camping, and so much more!
Happy Birthday Matt!
April 13th, 2011 | birthday | Lisa | Matt
Matt’s birthday was on Monday, so over the weekend we had a little celebration! Everyone with kids got babysitters and we all headed out to the Eastside! We all got a groupon for a ropes course (see pics below) and a brewery tour (no pics below). We all had a great time facing fears, playing outside, drinking yummy beer, and hanging out!
the course
the crew
the birthday boy!
transfer 1, transfer 1. squeeze check. check. transfer 2, transfer 2. sqeeze check. check.
Some of us were more scared than others (I felt like I was going to faint before I got up there….my palms sweat with the thought of heights..yikes! The things I do for love!), but we all had a great time!
cat woman
action
I think Matt liked his “gift” …and the rest of us liked it too!
full house
April 4th, 2011 |
This past week was a busy one for us! Although we had a spring break from BSF, we kept ourselves busy with other things…playdates, walks around Greenlake, hosting our church group, hosting our church band party (!), the Children’s Museum, Tot Bop, and bouncy houses with all of our neighborhood friends! We love having a busy schedule (even if girl #1 has about 10 accidents in one day, refuses to nap, pulls the mattress and the sheet off her bed, and flails her body all over the house while I am trying to get the house ready for a party….deep breaths).
Our favorite night of the week was definitely hosting our church band party. A part of our family home vision was accomplished on that night! I loved having a full house. I loved how everyone made themselves at home in my home. I loved how everyone stood/sat around eating really yummy food! I loved how Raven showed the other kids where all the toys are (she is quite the hostess). I loved how we all sat around in the living room singing songs. I know it might sound a bit weird…like an old school church camp sitting around the fire singing kumbaya, but when the Holy Spirit is present…I feel it, and it doesn’t matter how silly it might seem to somebody who doesn’t understand. I feel blessed to have had so many people in our home…and honored to be able to host such a fun gathering.
…here is a glimpse…
On a side note: Matt and I invited two of our neighbors to join us for our Easter church service at Qwest field. Both declined. One has to work. One is simply not interested (made clear by the squirming and changing of subject immediately after asking). We are still praying they will come with us.
Things we are looking forward to this week :
A haircut! A hot date! Signing up for swim lessons (summer WILL come soon!)! BSF. Tot Bop. A birthday party. A ropes course! And possibly another Children’s Museum run.
hi.
April 1st, 2011 | Hazel | Raven | video
we just wanted to say hi to you all!
(warning : this gets a bit loud at some points)
her voice
March 24th, 2011 | Mom | reflections
Every Tuesday morning, as long as everyone is healthy, we load up the car and head to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). It has been an amazing time for me to be filled and to really know the Bible better. This year Raven is in her class and is learning so much. One of her favorite songs is:
“Good morning, God. This is your day. I am your child. Show me your way.”
She taught me this song, and I love it. I love how she is already teaching me more about what my relationship with God could be…and should be.
The group that I go to is all women, women ages 20 something to 70 or 80 something? Its a wide age range and I love it. We go to a young church and don’t see many grandmas or great-grandmas. There is so much to learn from older women that I often just don’t think about. As you may have guessed by now Bible study is very much on the formal side…which is pretty much the opposite of my church. At church we have bands with guitars and drums and newly written songs. At Bible study we have time constraints, participation rules…and hymns. I really do love the hymns. The way they sound. The memories that they raise up from deep within me…standing in the pew as a little girl trying to follow along with the harmonies as my mom dragged her fingernail across the page so I didn’t lose my place. As I get older I am now paying attention to the words more. They are actually pretty moving, and I’m surprised that it has taken myself this long to realize this. Praising God for His patience with me. :) Sometimes I just stand there and listen. It just gives me chills to hear a sanctuary full of women of all ages singing praises together and putting all differences aside. We literally can’t talk about where we go to church…there are things we must leave at the door…and I actually like it.
This past week we sang “When I Survey The Wonderful Cross” (listen here).
This is a classic. Its never really had any special meaning to me before, but I decided to just take a moment and listen. …and then I heard her. I heard Mom harmonizing in the song. I mean, I’m sure it was just the other women in the group singing her part, but I heard her. Or the memory of her. I’ve heard her voice a bit since she went to heaven…but every time I hear her, I get chills. I just know she is singing praises in heaven. I am embracing this brief moment in life where I feel close to her…where I still know her, and her voice. Its good to be living in the grace of our Heavenly Father!
deep breaths
March 18th, 2011 | Hazel | video
Imagine this lasting for a week.
…and this is my life. We found out earlier this week that she has pink eye….and she is also getting all four molars at once. Let’s just say that she’s not handling it well. And when Raven was crying and complaining about me making her go to the bathroom, I asked her why she was complaining. Apparently she is getting her molars too. Not really…that happened years ago, Raven. It is noisy over here.
I am just sitting here during naptime taking deep breaths. The goal is to keep my sanity. I am praising the Lord that today is Friday…and I am heading for the hills this weekend! So thankful for my Mother-in-law for coming this weekend to help with the girls. So thankful for my husband who works so hard for our family. So thankful for the women’s retreat this weekend. Deep breath. Just a few more hours until Matt comes home.
sick sick
March 14th, 2011 |
I’m getting sick of us being sick. Hazel is sick again. We thought for sure we were past this season of sickness…moving on to sunnier days, warmer weather…and margaritas (for the adults, smoothies for the kids), and lots of playing outside! But not yet, she is contagious and we are stuck at home. Pray for health and sanity!
sledding
March 14th, 2011 | Hazel | Lisa | Matt | Raven | snow
we definitely have spring fever over here since our trip to mexico…but we decided to take our first and likely last trip to the snow this season. (matt and i went skiing on new years day, but this is the first time we took the girls out to the snow with us) we didn’t last long…that just seems to be how things go with two little ones…but it was lots of fun! we don’t have a sled, so used a swim floaty mattress thingy…it worked pretty well! brought back lots of childhood memories for me, and i’m so glad to be doing these things with my family :)
toys
March 14th, 2011 | Hazel | music
hazel found a new toy…the harmonica! …and we love it! a musician in the making!
today is the day…
March 3rd, 2011 | Hazel | video
for this!!!
lots of this!!
SUCCESS!
March 2nd, 2011 | Alma | Eliana | friends | Hazel | Lisa | Matt | Raven | vacation | video
Leading up to our trip, I honestly thought we might not be going on our much anticipated trip to our beloved Sayulita. Hazel had a ear infection a week before leaving. Raven had pneumonia two days before leaving. The power of prayer (and powerful antibiotics) got her feeling well enough to fly….and although we were all sick before, during, and still have runny noses and coughs after…we had a great time!
Raven had been talking about Mexico for weeks (“Is Mexico over there?” pointing left), and we loved the build up of excitedment! (This is the way I typed it and I decided to leave it this way…it just seems appropriate :))
Day 1. at the beach!
sand chairs made by daddy!
Day 2. at the beach!
…and swimming with the daddys! (the water was too cold for the mommys)
swim lessons for the big girls
daddy swim for the little girl
Day 3. more fun in the sun! …and carnival!
jumping on the trampoline!
Day ?. The rest of the days are blurred together…all I know is that is went way too fast. Here are other highlights from the week…
family photo
group photo
the Daddys with the kids
…and there were a few peaceful moments like this…
It’s sad that we will not be going back again next year, but Sayulita will always be a special place in our hearts (we love the beach and the food and the sea glass and the smoothies!)…and we will be back again someday!
yessssssss!!!!!!
February 19th, 2011 |
We talked to the Dr. earlier this evening, and she said as long as Raven is looking better…we are clear to go! YEAY!
Now we need to pray for safe travels and well behaved little ones. So excited for sun and warmth!
Enough with the drama and on with the fun!