Thursday, February 28, 2013

November

November was one of my favorite months of 2012. For the 1st time in I have no clue how long, the entire side of my family got together under one roof for a few days. All 5 siblings along with all 4 spouses and 8 kids made for the perfect Thanksgiving. 
 You throw in the Oregon coast which will always hold a special place in our hearts as one of mom's favorite places, and the fact that my Rylin turned 7, and you forget about the 8+ hours of driving each way and you have a very ideal Thanksgiving weekend.


 Lincoln loved the fact that we went to Lincoln city and informed us that he was "the boss of this place" since it was named after him.
 I can never get enough of Kaitlin and Ian's happy boys! Love and miss my sweet nephews!
No Hetland get-together is complete without board games. We played a ton, including a Dominion tournament, which I still think the bracket was somehow rigged :)

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Quick Catch-up

Well, once school began last January, my "free time" quickly disappeared. I had hoped to catch up on the blog over summer, but as it's quickly coming to an end, it's obvious that didn't happen. Summer has been fun, semi-busy & I'm going to attempt to do a quick re-cap.
In June, Lincoln turned 4. He had a Spiderman party at the gymnastics place & totally loved his day!



Kacia was on a swim team for the 1st time. She learned a ton, burned insane amounts of calories, and thoroughly enjoyed it! 


 My brother Tim came for a visit, which was a blast! My kids LOVE company- especially company that allows them to wake them up by jumping on the bed and building a zoo with stuffed animals in our living room complete with a map for visitors.

We once again battled the heat by going to the aquatic center a few times a week. It's a great way to break up our day and proves to have something for everyone.



 We surprised Kacia with an early birthday gift and I took her to the American Idol concert. We went and spent the entire day in the "big city" and had fun just the 2 of us.


We also enjoyed camping quite a few times this summer. The little tent trailer we got at the end of summer last year has proven to be a great investment! 



Both girls played baseball through the Jr. Giants program. Going 4 times a week and sitting on metal bleachers in our heat may not have been the greatest idea I've ever had, but they had fun- especially since they got to play with their cousins.


Well, summer is quickly wrapping up... Lincoln has his 1st day of preschool tomorrow, I start on Monday and the girls start next Wednesday. Life will once again become more structured with crazy, rushed mornings, but we are excited to see what God has in store for us during this next year!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Something Funny

Well, I am officially a student- again. So thankful that after attending class on the waitlist for 2 weeks, I finally got my slip signed and my name added to the roster. It has been an adjustment to learn how to prioritize my time, and how to study/retain information again. One month down and I feel like we are settling into it & beginning to get into a routine. I'm excited, I'm enjoying what I'm learning, and am encouraged that we are pursuing the right road. But there are moments that I look at the parking permit stuck to the windshield of my minivan and wonder "what am I thinking?" And then something happened on Wednesday that was just too funny.... As a class, we are starting to settle into our regular, 'unassigned' seats, and after sitting in the same spot, next to the same people for a few weeks now, the girl next to me finally asked "Were you a long term substitute teacher?" Through our conversation we came to the realization that I had indeed been her 4th grade substitute teacher from February to the end of the school year! How crazy and strange to now be students together! Obviously, she looks much different than she did 11 years ago, so I didn't recognize her until she said her name, but then it all connected and I was once again reminded that my town is a very small place and God has quite the sense of humor!

Monday, January 02, 2012

2011

I thought I would do a little recap of 2011, more for my own benefit, than for anything. It is amazing how much I forget of what our day to day life looks like as we move from one stage to another. I am realizing how different life is now from just a couple of years ago! No more diapers to change, no drooling, toothless smiles looking up at me, and gradually less and less total chaos! We have moved on from the stage of "keeping the baby alive" to "training hearts and attitudes". And not to discourage those of you who are still in the baby stage and looking forward to things "getting easier", but I have to admit that I think this stage is way harder! Maybe not physically- as I do get more sleep now than I used to, but most certainly emotionally and spiritually- as I'm seeing how much my parenting needs to begin with my own walk with the Lord. My kids are far from perfect, but their parents are also! Anyhow, here's a little to remember about each one during the last year.

Lincoln- My Super Hero! Lincoln truly has proven this last year that he has some supernatural powers working for him (our great Lord!). Lincoln began 2011 with a vocabulary that could be counted on my hands. Every word came out with great effort and was never combined with another word. But now, my little guy is a talking machine! He literally talks my ear off all day long!!!! There are still moments where he gets frustrated- where a thought is faster in his head than he is able to process and spit out. But those moments are getting less and less, and he works through the frustration and never gives up until the thought is out! He is even singing some songs, which shows that the words can come out without delays in between. We thank our great God for walking with us through this, and for allowing my son to be able to voice his many, many, many thoughts! A couple of weeks ago, while waiting for the girls in the school pick up line, he had been talking nonstop for at least 30 minutes, when I finally said, "Lincoln can you just be quiet for a minute? Mommy needs to think!" To which he replied "Why you ask me to be quiet Mom? Jesus give me my words and I need to say them." I can't really argue with that! He loves super hero stuff, and still enjoys anything Cars related. He loves to dance, to annoy his sisters and to challenge me with questions far too deep for a 3 year old. "Mom, how Jesus be born in manger if He made everything?"



2011 marks the year Rylin began to read. She loved her small preschool class which taught her so much, and she was super excited to begin Kindergarten and go to "Kacia's school". She is a little firecracker, who loves to be in charge. She has a huge personality contained in a tiny little body! She is super social, loves to try new things, and is a great encourager. She still is not the best sleeper or eater, but we have learned that maybe these are things she will not 'outgrow'. She is busy, and must keep her hands always doing something. She loves games, puzzles, cooking, and basically anything that is an activity that must be done with others- not alone. She loves sports, had 2 great soccer seasons this year, and excelled in cross country. But make no mistake- she is a girly girl! She lives in dresses, and loves to have her hair curled and styled and 'needs' accessories with her outfits. (This morning, as I was waking up, she was planning her outfit for her eye appointment this afternoon!) She is strong, determined, a natural leader, has a contagious laugh, and is one of the happiest people I have ever met!



 Kacia. What to say about this young lady who is growing up waaaaay too fast? Somehow there seems to be a big change between a 2nd grader, and a maturing 3rd grader! She is no longer a little kid! She is a silly, funny, girl who continues to develop a very 'odd' sense of humor! She, unlike Rylin, loves alone time! She is a bookworm, and makes reading an expensive habit with the speed in which she finishes a book! She is very independent and loves opportunities to show this- summer camp, sleep overs, etc. She does not like attention, but allows herself to truly be herself with her friends. She is a very loyal friend, and is an excellent "big sister"- very protective over her siblings. She is creative, loves writing stories, and making crafts, friendship bracelets, crocheting scarves, etc. She has also developed a love for watching FoodNetwork, and has recently decided she would like to be a chef- as long as she doesn't have to eat anything she doesn't like :) This girl challenges me because of our similarities, and yet blows me away with her compassion, empathy, and concern for others. She has a memory that both amazes me and scares me!



Kevin and I celebrated 12 years of marriage this past year. He continues to be both my best friend and greatest partner in all of life. We are in this together, and I couldn't imagine walking through it with another. With each passing year it seems that marriage just keeps getting better!! Kevin continues to work very hard for us, and God continues to bless his faithful work, as he has now entered his 7th year in real estate. He also enjoyed playing on a couple of men's baseball teams this year, which I have to admit are a little more exciting to watch than softball. He has also taken his passion for flyfishing indoors, learning how to build his own flyrods, which I must say are impressive. He also continues to "de-stress" on the golf course, and is enjoying bringing the kids (one at a time) out on the course with him. We have also made a decision to pursue something that has only been a "thought" for the last few years. I may (or may not) be returning to school. It has been 10 years since I graduated college, and honestly, I never had plans of returning- until the last 6 months. After doing a lot of discussing, praying and research, we have decided that it is 'now or never'. I need 3 science classes to meet the prerequisites for the nursing program. And we have decided to go for it... until God closes a door or changes our hearts. I am currently waitlisted for 2 classes, and greatly hope to get into one for this next semester, but only God knows and time will tell. I have to say I am both excited and scared out of my mind to be a student again, I'll keep you 'posted' on things....


Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Stockings Were Hung...




Kacia helping to read the Christmas story
Their gifts to one another

 Kacia's new Toms. (This girl loves shoes... It's perfectly good and healthy for moms and daughters to share passions, right? )





 Rylin was so surprised and absolutely ecstatic to get an American Girl from Grandma & Grandpa!
 All the cousins in their matching jammies from Aunt Vickie and their dolls in their matching jammies made by Grandma!

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas. It began on Christmas Eve with our traditional out to dinner with the Goldens, Christmas Eve service and gifts to one another. Somehow, even with a photographer around on Christmas Eve, we managed to take no pictures!
Christmas morning was just the 5 of us, filled with a lot of excitement, a lot of paper & boxes everywhere! Later, Kevin's parents and sister & family came over for even more excitement, paper and boxes!!! Kevin made an excellent meal with prime rib and crab & it was a super fun day! Great day, great gift giving, great smiles and great memories!

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

More of November

The girls love going to watch plays! So when they saw that Annie was going to be performed at Michael, Allie & Alex's school- they couldn't wait! I think Rylin loves to go for the candy at intermission and I think Kacia is simply amazed that people choose to get up front and perform without being embarrassed! The next play will be the The Best Christmas Pageant ever at church- which they are super excited for!
Kevin and Bre did so much for the Thanksgiving meal, that the girls and I decided to go see Arthur Christmas during Lincoln's nap. I love starting off the season by seeing a Christmas movie, and I love that they are totally game to indulge me!

Rylin decided to draw a turkey on everyone's napkin, so as we were setting the table, and putting out the food, she patiently continued to decorate :) We had a great and relaxing Thanksgiving. Allie did much better at taking pictures, as these are my only 2, unless you include the video of the original Thanksgiving meal performed by Bre and the kids! For the sake of the teenagers who were kind enough to participate- I won't post it on the world wide web :)

Rylin Turns Six!!!!!!

It's hard to believe this beautiful, crazy, happy, smart, kind daughter of mine is 6! She is just a little bundle of joy with a laugh that is truly contagious! She loves people, school, wearing dresses & sugar, hates eating dinner, and will not be ignored! She is a strong and enthusiastic girl who adds so much spark to our home! We thank the Lord for His amazing gift of placing her into our family- I simply can't imagine what life would be without her!
We had her party at the Sweet Spot, where the girls get to decorate cookies, cupcakes, eat gelato, and go home on a huge sugar high! It was a blast, and she greatly enjoyed her day with her friends!




1 Plate + 6 Screws= Surgery, Again




November 1st began with Kacia's long overdue surgery to remove the hardware that was put in her arm almost 2 years ago. We knew it was necessary, she knew it was inevitable, but no one was looking forward to it! But let me just say- my girl was a trooper!! On the 31st, her and I spent quite a bit of time looking over verses regarding anxiety and trusting in the Lord- she is afterall, a bit like me and tends to think too much when trying to go to sleep. The verses worked great and the Lord truly calmed her heart, and she went right to sleep! The surgery went well, she woke up slowly (and was quite entertaining), and after getting through the nausea that first day, it was hard to keep her down! We thank God for His protection, and for leading us to a great surgeon who did a wonderful job of minimizing the once huge scar!

Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Life in October

The month of October brought some of our favorite houseguests: Kaitlin, Reid and James!!
I'm so glad we were able to join in the celebration of the marriage of Daniel & April Crabtree
So last summer we watched a lot of Swamp People on Netflix, and Kevin talked about being Bruce for Halloween.... I never thought he'd actually do it! Needless to say, our church body was also a little surprised when he showed up like this for our Fall Festival!


Our kids have been enjoying their first year in Awana. Crazy hair night was a lot of fun.
And October also brings the opportunity to visit one of the kids' favorite places- the Pumpkin Patch. Lincoln and I first toured it with a group from our church, and then a couple of weeks later, we joined Rylin's kindergarten class also. It always proves to be a great time and Lincoln seemed to especially enjoy the animals and the corn cannon :)
Well, that was October in a nutshell... Can't believe we are in November!