The Burns Fam

2011

2012-01-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

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....

The Stockings Were Hung...

2011-12-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

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!

More of November

2011-12-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

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!!!!!!

2011-12-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-06T12:39:00.001-08:00

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!

Life in October

2011-11-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

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!

Santa Cruz Vacation

2011-10-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Right after Kacia's birthday, our family escaped to Santa Cruz for a great family vacation. We enjoyed beautiful weather, the waves, sand, shells, the boardwalk and simply a lot of time together!

This was one of Rylin's favorites, the mini drop zone...

Lincoln's favorite...

Lincoln's LEAST favorite...

Kacia's fav

We enjoyed a great bike ride along the coast, and even stopped to watch a group of dolphins

It doesn't get much better than a bonfire at the beach, listening to the waves...

The famous Mystery Spot, which is still a mystery even after visiting

A marine discovery center the kids and I visited while Kevin enjoyed golfing

Then I attempted to take them bowling, which was interesting...

All in all, a great time was had by everyone! So thankful we were able to escape school and work for a week together!

Eight.

2011-09-21T21:42:00.001-07:00

Eight. That is how old my daughter now is. Eight. That is how many years I have been blessed to answer to the name mom. Eight. Where did it go?

Well, Kacia had a super fun, (& possibly a little hectic,) puppy-themed party with her girlfriends from both school and church on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. We did some face-painting, made doggy bags for their take-home treats of puppy-chow and chocolate covered scooby snacks, made dog-tag necklaces, ate watermelon in the shape of dog bones, enjoyed pretzels and chips from dog bowls, etc. (my list goes on)! As you can see, I may have gotten a little carried away with the theme... but that is nothing new :)

All in all, Kacia had a dog-gone good time, and we enjoyed celebrating with a house full of wonderful girls God has placed in her life.

On Sunday, her actual birthday, we went to Starbucks for her favorite breakfast sandwich before church, then to a movie in the afternoon, and finished with a family party at our house celebrating both Kacia and her cousin Lili.

Eight. Eight wonderful, incredible years full of loving an amazing, creative, kind, compassionate, silly & fabulous daughter! I am truly blessed!

School is in session

2011-08-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

The girls just completed their 1st entire week of school. They got a taste of it the week before-going only Thursday and Friday. Kacia has entered the 3rd grade, which amazes me! And my Rylin finally got to start kindergarten! She has desperately wanted to go since her 5th birthday last November. Getting 2 lunches made, 2 kids dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed, and correct things in their backpacks has made our mornings a little more hectic, but hey, after that- it's just Lincoln and I for 6 hours. Day one, he asked by 10 o'clock if it was time to go get them, but he's adjusting quickly and I'm loving the one-on-one time!

Summer fun

2011-08-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

So the kids and I visited the city aquatic center atleast twice a week during the summer months, sometimes more. It works really well for the ages of all my kids; Kacia has the pool to jump and do somersaults in and what not, Lincoln has the large play structure to explore, and Rylin could juggle between the two. With summer heat, water is practically a necessity, and this has been a great tool to get us out of the house and off the couch.

We also discovered this summer, that our kids can camp! This is huge to us, because this has not been something I have wanted to attempt if sleep was going to be an issue. But they all did great in the tent. In fact, if you ask Lincoln what his favorite part was, he'll say sleeping in his sleeping bag in the tent. We first spent a great and relaxing weekend with friends. We enjoyed the lake, fishing, and getting dirtier than I thought possible. Then we went back the next weekend with Kevin's extended family. I failed to charge the battery in my camera, but here is one picture of Linc doing his 2nd favorite thing- s'mores. I think I may see a tent trailer in our future....

Roadtrip!

2011-08-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

So with the assistance of my fabulous niece, the kids and I went on a roadtrip up north to see the family. It was a great week spent with people we love so much!

We made a stop in Oregon to see my precious friend Suzy and her boys!

This is me and my 3 kids conquering a hotel experience just the 4 of us. You should have seen us on our venture to the ice machine, I'm sure we were quite entertaining!

Reid loves to wave hi to the camera. Oh this boy is simply too cute!

S'mores at the Crabtrees after rootbeer floats? Why not, it's vacation right!

Me and my WA siblings at beautiful Alki

As you can see, we had fabulous weather!

Aquarium souvenirs...

It was so fun to share a day on Lake Meridian with my kids, a place so full of memories for me, 4th of July's, sunny Sunday afternoons with friends, etc. Plus, it was quite funny to see that Rylin was up for tubing before her typically fearless sister.

Mt. Rainier still takes my breath away! Nothing against Shasta, but this mountain seems to just fill the sky.

We went to a fun & interesting park, and we turned this stage into an entertaining game of charades and song performances, etc.

There's so much I loved about our trip and so much that is not captured in these pictures. I was a little skeptical about taking my kids (who typically hate car rides) on such a long trip without Kevin. But I'm so thankful he encouraged me to go, and that Allie was willing to come and be the one in the car passing snacks back and forth, helping on bathroom stops and so much more, and that all the family made time to simply hang out with us! We love you!

July Activities...

2011-08-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

So with the heat that comes with July, we have been spending a lot of time at the lake and the aquatic center, but on the days that we don't find water, the girls still manage to create entertainment...

They love "surprising" me with decorating the patio table and then serving me lunch. They have me sit down, read their menus (which offer yogurt, string cheese, coffee & goldfish) and then wait on me. It's quite precious.

This day reminded me of when Bre and I would attempt to play superheroes with Tim.

The 3rd & 4th grade girls from church have enjoyed getting together and learning new skills this summer. There was a sewing project, paper crafting project, baking, and then we just did flip flop decorating and pedicures yesterday. It's also been a good tool to discuss our roles as young women. Why we cook for our families, what the Bible says about fashion and vanity, etc.

Kacia also learned how to crochet this summer, which meant I first had to learn in order to teach her. Thank goodness for youtube! This was her 1st project- a scarf for her doll.

We went on a wonderful hike up in Lassen. It was a fun day getting away from everything except one another. This was one of my favorite days!

This is the hot spring lake- it was a little stinky. But it was great to know our kids could all "hike" without being held and without whining!

Playing Catch Up...

2011-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Summer has been flying by!! Here's a few pictures from our CRAZY June. We went straight from the last week of school to summer camp for Kacia, to prepping for VBS, to Lincoln's bday and weekend in Sacramento, to VBS, Kevin went to Resolved while we finished VBS then had 2 sick kids, and then boom- June was over.

For VBS this year, our church was transformed into Nazareth. Lincoln was so excited when he got to come in and join the fun! He visited the Carpentry shop where he made a toy wooden sheep.

Everyone loves games- especially when it's hot and they involve water!

Kacia at the wool shop, where they made felted soap.

The dye shop- a favorite for my girls, tie-dye bags.

At the Sacramento Zoo, we were able to meet up with our friends the Gibbs, which was a real treat. I can't believe how much their boys are growing!

This is from the front of our hotel. We were able to walk across the bridge right to the ballpark, and we were also directly across from Old Town, which is always fun to tour.

We loved the Rivercats game, the junk food, and the fireworks. (As a bonus, I got to see my favorite A's player, Mark Ellis, who I knew would be getting traded soon, so it was fun to see him play one last time!)

We say goodbye to the 2's...

2011-06-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, my baby is 3! Lincoln turned 3 on the 17th, and we didn't really have a "party" in the normal terms because we had planned to take Lincoln on an overnight adventure to see the Sacramento Rivercats. However, the more we talked about going to watch a baseball game, the more Lincoln made it clear that he wanted to play in a baseball game. So we had pizza, opened presents (which was quite entertaining! - I have never seen a kid open presents so quickly and so passionately!), enjoyed cake, then walked across the street to the school and "played" a game of baseball. I use the word "play" loosely here since aside from the teenage cousins, the rest of the players were ages 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 & 2. But my boy had fun!

Lincoln loves life! He talks with such great expression and passion. He is enthusiastic about what he loves: baseball, Cars & family. Oh how he has me wrapped around his finger!

Mixed Emotions

2011-06-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

So over the last 2 weeks Lincoln and I have been busy getting ready to transition his speech therapy from one organization to the local school district in preparation for his 3rd birthday. Then this week we got the results of his many tests/evaluations and I have to say I am mixed about the outcome. Lincoln does not at this time qualify to get speech therapy! My boy excelled on all of the tests, and she mentioned more than once "you have one very smart boy there!" (Yes, a proud mama is bragging a bit!) I am greatly relieved that he does not fall in the 7 percentile of speech, thus qualifying him for therapy, and yet, as a mom I know that he is still in need of some added assistance. I would like him to use more sentences to express himself then just 2 or 3 words. And I would love for him to be able to sing an entire song and not be intimidated by the amount of words back to back in a song. And yet, I am beyond thankful for the progress he has made in just one year. When Lincoln turned 2, there were 3 words that people could understand "mama, dada, ball". And now, one year later, my boy has a lot to say! Granted, it doesn't flow out of him the same way it did his sisters, but I no longer worry about the fact that it will all eventually come. Lincoln desperately wants to communicate and I am so very proud of him for all the hard work he has put in. Now, in regards to the decision to continue with speech therapy privately, Kevin and I have more talking to do, and much more praying....

Unbelievable!

2011-06-02T22:27:00.001-07:00

So most of my readers know that my sweet Kacia broke her arm Christmas 09, and last year a plate & screws were put in so that the bones would grow straight. All of this happened during the only 2 month time period she did not have medical insurance. Due to this, she was denied our family coverage last year. However, we were hopeful that with the new healthcare reform, we could once again get her covered, since no child is supposed to be denied. We were just notified, that she has again been denied the same coverage that we have, but yet can receive her own plan, with significantly less coverage, and, this is the topper- for more than the rest of the family's cost combined! Who knew a broken arm could cause so much trouble? So now we have to weigh the costs. Do we just add-on to our existing hospital bills, pay for the reversal surgery, and then attempt to add her on, hoping that she can get normal coverage once the surgery is taken care of?Our do we bite the bullet, and pay a RIDICULOUS amount now so that she is "covered" each month? Ahhhhh, decisions, decisions and just one of the joys of self-employment!

Memorial Day

2011-06-02T09:58:00.001-07:00

So knowing that summer is coming and Kevin is going to be stuck working, we decided to quickly escape with the kids while we could. Sunday we drove to San Francisco, where we met up with our friends Paul, Bethany & sweet Lucy. We explored Pier 39 then walked to Ghiradelli Square, which is always a must for Kevin when we go to SF. It was packed, but we had great weather, so that was a pretty good trade. Monday morning we enjoyed breakfast with Grandpa Burns, then headed to the A's game. Lincoln loves to watch the A's on TV and always cheers for his favorite player Coco Crisp. The game was no exception, any time Coco was up, Lincoln would start cheering, "Go Coco Crisp!". He'd foul it off, and Linc would say "Almost Coco, almost!" Well, Coco along with the A's didn't have a great game, but my kids had fun and ate way too much junk food! As we were driving away, Linc was talking about Coco, and his no hits. Then decided he needed to call him and give him a pep talk. He told us, "me call Coco" then with his imaginary phone (hand) he gave Coco a good talking to about base hits, and homeruns. It was priceless!

Lincoln was quite happy at Ghiradelli!

Kacia's hair is blowing in front of cute Lucy, but that's the only picture I got

Yes, we opted for the value deck, and we were up there pretty high! Kacia was quite funny booing against the "Stankees" as she called them, oh her sense of humor right now is too silly!

Cats & Dogs

2011-06-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Kacia's class performed the play Cats & Dogs, which all 2nd grade classes do each year. She is not a fan of being on stage (do you think she's a bit like her daddy?), and has only recently decided it's okay to sing at church, so as you can guess she was not too thrilled about being a part of the play. But she did a great job, participated in the singing and motions, and actually looked at the crowd instead of her neighbor the entire time (like last year!) Plus, she is one cute puppy!

(Alex remembered all the lines and songs from when his class performed it!)

Kacia with one of her closest friends. They've been in the same class since kindergarten, and we are keeping our fingers crossed for 3rd grade!

Kacia with her very sweet and awesome teacher!

My Pixie

2011-06-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

(I was quite proud of my sweet action shot with my very ordinary camera!)

Rylin and her team, the Pixies, had a great spring soccer season! The highlight of the season for her was most definitely when she scored a goal on my birthday! She had been telling me that she would score for my gift, but we were all totally shocked when she actually did! I'm quite certain no one was more surprised than her. The enormous smile that never left her face was proof that she was positively ecstatic, which brings great joy to a mom. She truly loves playing, always has a great attitude on the field, and has already asked me multiple times when practice will start for the fall season.

[As you can tell from this warm-up drill shot, my daughter is on the petite side... Who'd have guessed the smallest pixie would belong to me:) ]

Rylin's Surprise

2011-05-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who know my dear, sweet, spunky Rylin, you know that she is in a hurry to be just like her sister! Due to this, she has been telling everyone about her "loose teeth" for quite awhile. Initially, none of the teeth felt loose to me, or anyone else that she convinced to stick their fingers in her mouth, but gradually one began to loosen. She has been desperately wanting that tooth to come out, but it has never really felt all that terribly loose to be honest. However, on Monday afternoon, when Kevin and I arrived home from our weekend trip, our little 5 year old stood in the doorway greeting us, with the biggest smile ever! And there it was- an open space where once that loose tooth wiggled! She laughed and giggled in Rylin style as I grabbed her and hugged her and whispered not to show her daddy. Kevin hated it when Kacia lost her first few teeth, and I knew he wasn't ready for Rylin's precious little smile to start changing as the signs of growing up become very evident! But apparently when you attempt to open a sports top water bottle with a fairly loose tooth, the tooth can sometimes surprise everyone and just pop right out!

Weekend Getaway

2011-05-24T18:30:00.001-07:00

So a couple of weekends ago Kevin and I had the opportunity to join some friends and get away. If you know Kevin, you know that WHENEVER a chance arrives for a break- he's all over it! So he & the other 2 guys planned the whole thing and the ladies just enjoyed the ride. It was the most relaxing trip we've had in a long time! We had never been to Napa/Sonoma/Windsor/Healdsburg before, and I had really no expectations. It was beautiful!! The rolling hills, the symmetry of the fields, the variations of the vines, etc all made up for an absolutely beautiful scenic tour. Matt, who is from there and once owned a wine tour company, arranged for us to borrow the open jeep/range rover thing and experience the area in style, (albeit a rather chilly style!) I failed to get more than a couple pictures, but they couldn't really capture the beauty anyways. We enjoyed long, relaxing meals (at restaurants that had all been previously picked out by the husbands), explored new, quaint towns with fun town squares, and visited a great spa. All of this combined with awesome time with my husband and our dear friends equalled a fabulous weekend!

Easter

2011-04-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures from our Easter activities. We always try to do all the silly egg stuff before Sunday, so Sunday can be all about celebrating our Risen Savior. Lincoln was a lot of fun this year because he got so excited to participate in everything- which made somethings more challenging- like using the Resurrection Eggs to go through the Easter story with the kids. But his enthusiasm over the empty egg at the end symbolizing the empty tomb was worth the difficulty! He especially got excited for the egg hunt on Saturday, and kept asking "mom, egg hunt now?" (Yes, we are so excited about the progress he is making in his speech!!) We had a full house on Sunday with both my sister Bre and Kevin's sister Nikki plus their families, and our 'nearly' family members Zach & Megan. We had a total of 9 kids 7 and under, and 3 helpful teenagers. We were very traditional- and enjoyed an Easter fiesta with fajitas :) We are so thankful for the precious gift of family & friends, & even more so that the Lord has so graciously given us all saving faith so that we can celebrate His amazing sacrifice and resurrection together!!

Getting ready to hunt some eggs with our good friends- the Schneiders

Taking a quick break for a sample

So I have to admit that with all the busyness of hosting on Sunday, I failed to get any pictures of the kids before they changed into play clothes, so the other day I had the girls put on their Easter clothes so I could snap a picture, but I didn't feel the need to change Linc.

Seasons

2011-04-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Rylin had her 1st soccer game of the spring season today, and something struck me as we were pulling out of the parking lot. I watched as a mom set up her stroller, packed in the diaper bag and put the baby into the stroller- and suddenly I had flashbacks of Kacia's 1st (and only) soccer season. Lincoln was 3 months old, Rylin was the age Lincoln is now, close to 3, and Kacia was 5. This morning I got myself and all 3 kids to the soccer park by 8:15 (Kevin was able to go to Oakland for opening day) and as I watched this lady struggle to gather all of her stuff, I was so thankful for the season of life I am in for this season of soccer. No diaper bag, no strollers. Kacia held Lincoln's hand as we walked, Rylin carried her own gear, and I just had to manage a chair & snacks. Wow! What a difference a few seasons make! I loved Kacia's soccer season and wouldn't change anything about the hectic craziness of making sure the baby was neither too hot or too cold and was fed before we left, and the 2 1/2 year old had enough snacks to stay entertained and somewhat contained, but there was something very peaceful and easy about our morning today. And I got to actually watch my little Pixie and her teammates play a super fun game! I didn't remember to bring the camera today, but here's ones from the Fall 2008 season...

Let's Get Ready to Reffle!!!!

2011-04-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Lincoln has a new love, which is a new thing in our home, but quite common in many- Lincoln loves to wrestle, or "reffle" as he says it. I love watching how animated he gets, as he tries to convince Kevin or I to drop everything and wrestle. (He has been told not to wrestle his 'fragile' sisters). He even got Allie to wrestle once when she was babysitting, after she was able to decipher what REFFLE!!! meant :)

This is his "blue baseball shirt" that he practically lives in. I'm quite certain 90% of the pictures I have of him at this age are in this silly shirt. He has a ton of baseball shirts, so I'm not sure what it is about this one that he loves so much, but he pretty much wears it every other day. I insist that we wash it on the off days, but as soon as the dryer goes off, he excitedly comes running up to me "blue baseball shirt done!" I haven't decided yet whether or not I am allowing him to "win" and wear it so much because I just don't want to fight over it everyday or if it's because in all honesty, it's just a shirt and we stay home most days- so what's the big deal. That is a thought I'm still mulling over... but for now, and today the blue baseball shirt rules

Thoughts on Motherhood

2011-03-29T13:06:00.001-07:00

So about a month ago, I was at a thing for church, and we all had to answer the question, "What is your favorite thing about being a mom?" This is a question that has stuck with me, and I have continued to ponder it. I think the reason why it's so hard to answer (aside from the fact that it was asked at 7pm on a Monday!) is because a lot of times I don't "feel" like I'm totally loving it, which of course brings on loads of guilt and this never ending question "What is wrong with me!!!???" But as I've chewed on this, here is what I've come up with:

1. I do love the cuddles and hugs. I love that with every scraped knee or harsh word by a friend- they come to me. I love that Rylin will come up to me randomly and ask me to sit with her on the couch because she "needs my cuddles". I love watching them play together- and actually like it! I love sneaking in the girls' room when they are sleeping and seeing them snuggled up to one another. I love their excitement and enthusiasm over even the smallest thing.

2. But in daily life, the 12 hours that mean the most- being a mom is WAY harder and selfless than I ever imagined. I'm not sure if my mom just made it look easy, or if I was completely in my own world, but I feel like I had no clue what I was getting myself into. It is draining and dare I say it- sometimes suffocating.

2. I hate discplining ALL day long. I hate how it wears me down. I hate repeating myself. I hate feeling like I'm hounding my kids to do or not to do the same things everyday. There are days when I feel like all I do is correct them, which can't be true because I know there are not days when all they do is the wrong thing!

3. The thing I love the most is also the thing that I struggle with the most- being a mother is one of God's greatest tools in sanctifying me! It is far easier to address their sin and discipline their issues, than it is to handle mine. And yet, it is in this journey that I see my sin the most, I see my need for a Savior in a whole new light, I see how I fall short, which is in no way enjoyable or fun! But is it necessary- yes. Is it molding me and changing me- I hope so.

4. I love being reminded that my unconditional love for my kids is also a hint at God's unconditional love for them and me. There is no one on this Earth that loves my kids more than I do, and there is nothing they can do to change that, which, knowing that my love for them is miniscule in comparison, it so greatly magnifies God's love. But on the other hand, my kids also daily live out a portion of this unconditional love for me. No matter how many times I lose it, am too harsh with my words, too impatient with my responses - they love me. They want my kisses goodnight, they wipe the slate clean, and at the end of the day (at least for now) I'm still their favorite person!

Being a mom is the hardest thing I have ever done, and yet it has rewards that I cannot even start to hit on. But it also has this incredible pressure, for each day passes and I can't get it back. I must invest in them, I must do the work, I must not be lazy in these young years if I desire for them to be people who will glorify the Lord. Yes, they are ultimately His, and yes, He will work in them despite my failures, but still I must be faithful. Faithful to daily seek Him, faithful to rely on Him (I can't do it on my own anyways!) and faithful to follow His instructions.

And here's some pictures of when it snowed back in February (I had just packed all the snow clothes and heavy coats a few days before!) We went to Bre's because she actually had enough to make a snowman. This is because you deserve some pictures if you read this long post, and if you didn't read it- at least you can see the 3 little ones I love more than life itself!

Busy Month

2011-03-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

So it's been a month or so since my last post and life has been, well, too busy for blogging. We have officially moved- a big thank you to our friends and family who graciously helped! My kids have been sick, gotten better, only to get sick again. (Kacia's teacher said 10 students were absent on Monday!) But instead of boring you with all the details of our daily life, I wanted to share a clip of Rylin reading!!! This preschooler is one excited cookie to show me her new home reader each week. We are so proud of her and so happy for her, as this has been a skill she has desperately wanted to participate in. I cut the video to make it a little shorter to not bore you- or later severely embarrass her- including her making a face at a snooping sibling & nose picking :)

3

2011-02-03T20:46:00.000-08:00

So 3 seems to be our number. No, I'm not referring to kids, although that is our number in that category as well. But 3 also seems to be the amount of years we spend in a house. Yep, it's moving time! There are once again boxes invading our rooms as we prepare to pack it up and move across town. I have to admit I like the adventure in moving- although a different house in the same city seems to be as adventurous as we get! I love to see God's hand orchestrating all of the details, watching and waiting for Him to direct us, and then rejoicing in His incredible provision. I love being forced to sort through all of our stuff, purge, organize, and downsize. And if I'm to be totally honest, I love having a new canvas to decorate :)

KK & Baby

2011-02-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

Kaitlin, known around our house as Auntie KK, flew down with Reid for a great visit. I simply cannot get enough cuddles and smiles from my sweet, happy nephew! And of course, I love it when my sissy comes to town!

We enjoyed a fun sister night out! (Thanks Pete & Allie for holding down the fort!)

This boy loves to smile!

Kaitlin curled Rylin's hair, and well, Lincoln's speaks for itself :)

Gotta love cousins!

Seattle

2011-01-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

Kacia and I went on a spontaneous road trip up to visit my siblings a couple of weekends ago. It is always weird to be back in my "hometown" as it no longer feels at all like home. There are new things and changes everywhere, but then there are also the familiar sites that bring back a flood of memories. I had a wonderful time spending one on one time with my girl, and it was such a blessing to be able to spend time with people that I love so much, yet rarely get to see. I was able to enjoy a yummy dinner at Tim & Sabrina's place (which I had not seen before); was able to show Kacia a little bit of Seattle; had great girl time with Kaitlin; loved on Reid; visited Mars Hill with Kaitlin & James; and so much more!

Lincoln's first sentence...

2011-01-12T13:22:00.001-08:00

So most of you know that last August Lincoln was "diagnosed" with speech apraxia. In a quick explanation, it's a motor skill disorder that affects him in the area of the brain sending signs to all of the parts needed to spit out a word- the tongue, jaw, mouth, etc. His comprehension was through the roof, but his ability to communicate via speech was way below what was desired for his age, thus we began speech therapy twice a week. All of that to say, he is doing well and growing his vocabulary almost daily.

When Kev and I were in Mexico, we called the kids and Kacia was excited to tell me that Lincoln had said his 1st sentence. Apparently the battery to my van died in the school parking lot, so Lincoln said, "help mom." After that we began really working on building two words, bye dad, more please, etc. It still is not super natural, and there is typically a significant pause in between as he processes, but more and more, he is putting two words together on his own.

Then yesterday, he decided to spit out 3 words in a row!!! What were they you ask? Well that is the odd part to my little story, my son did not chose to say I love you, or me want juice, no, nothing normal, instead he said "baby cow die" over and over and over again! You see, by Rylin's school there is a field of cows, and recently two calves were added to their number. So Kacia didn't see the calves and asked me if they died. I assured her they had not, either we just didn't see them, or maybe they sold them. Lincoln however, chose that moment to repeat his sister! And when he is learning something new, he repeats himself incessantly, so all the drive home, he's in the back saying quite proudly "baby cow die, baby cow die," etc. Does a 2 year old understand death, no. Did we see both calves today, yes. Does that change it to Lincoln, no. I tried to get him to say "baby cow no die," but maybe 4 words is just too big of a leap for now! All I can say is this little boy has my heart!

Snow Deprived

2011-01-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

So my kids were given a great New Year's gift- snow! (well kinda) Knowing that they would want to go outside as soon as they saw it, I waited a little bit until I told Kacia to open the blinds. They were ecstatic! Knowing that it would be gone real soon, we managed to find enough clothes to sort of work and we headed outside in our pajamas before 8am. It was practically gone, but they had a blast attempting to make snowballs. The last time we had snow in our yard was 2007, when Kacia was 4 and Rylin had just turned 2. Kacia still remembers how her and Ian made a snowman. I'm guessing they will always hold New Years Day 2011 as a great memory!

I know it looks like a pathetic amount of snow, but hey, when are used to none, a little is pretty exciting!

Christmas 2010 (For you-Kaitlin)

2011-01-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pictures from our Christmas 2010

I love Rylin's face on this one! This is the gift the girls picked out for Lincoln- it's a Cars game where you have to stack Luigi's Tower of Tires with a Mater hook.

Kacia wearing her new boots from Rylin

Lincoln wanted to "help" everyone open up their gifts but adamantly refused to let them help him with his. He was quite funny this year!

One of the greatest gifts I've ever received!!

It was so fun to have "boy" toys this year. This car track was quite entertaining for all of us! Look at Linc's face :)

My boy on his new bean bag chair, actually he was jumping off the bed onto the chair until I came into the room :)

Tim- this pic is for you! The guys have played A LOT of Dominion this last week!

Allie had on new boots that made her WAY too tall next to her aunt!

A great day was had by all!

December Happenings

2011-01-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

December is always such a busy & fun month, and this year was no exception! Here's a few highlights from my very favorite month:

Lincoln joined in the baking fun. He had a blast trying to sneak cookie dough in his mouth and covered himself in flour.

Kacia was very funny this year about "traditions". I think because she is actually getting to the age where she is remembering things from years past, she reminded me of many things that she viewed as traditions, thus requirements. Including, the above, which is getting a holiday craft from Michael's the week of Christmas when they are all atleast 50% off.

This was the first year that I felt all 3 kids were old enough to not destroy my mom's nativity scene. I remember how this was very special to my mom since it was her dad's, and she would tell us that each year when she would slowly and thoughtfully put it out, which only makes it even more special to our family.

We also had a sleepover with the girls' cousin Alayna. These 3 ballerinas had a blast performing countless shows for me.

Riviera Maya

2010-12-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Kevin and I just returned from a fabulous trip to Playa del Carmen, down in the Mexican Riviera. We had wanted to celebrate our 10th anniversary last year with a trip, but things didn't work out, which meant we had to go this year :) We had a truly great time together, and with our dear friends, exploring a new part of the world & admiring our wonderful Creator's creativity. We appreciate Kevin's mom and her willingness to watch the kids, and the help Breanna & Nikki offered her. It had been 6 years since we had spent an entire week without the kids, and I'm hoping it won't be another 6- but it's definitely too early to ask :)

This was one of my favorite restaurants, and Kevin's 1st Lobster dinner.

Me & a sea turtle

Lobster dinner #4 on a beach in Cozumel.

One day we explored some Mayan ruins.

Megan & I at the bottom of Coba...

... and the view from the top.

We also visited a "theme park" that was built through a huge cave system.

We enjoyed some crazy ziplines...

an amphibious vehicle...

and rafting through the coolest cave I've ever seen.

We had to jump on the opportunity to hold squirrel monkeys, knowing the kids would love it!

We had thought our Dodge Attitude was a pretty sweet rental in Playa, until we rented this awesome car in Cozumel. The guy called it the "Mexican Ferrari" :) At one point in the day, the guys had to reattach the bumper with some sticks!

This is the view of the beach from our resort. Not too shabby, huh :)

Rylin Turns 5

2010-12-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe our little girl is 5! We discovered that one benefit to a b-day so close to Thanksgiving is that she will most likely never have school on her special day. We had a large, loud, crazy and super fun Hello Kitty party at our house. She invited all her friends and siblings for the afternoon. She had an absolute blast.

That evening Grandma & Grandpa along with the Goldens came over for Birthday dinner. And since it was Rylin's day- we had strawberry french toast for dinner! :) She wore her new pj's and a special hair do that Kacia created from one of her gifts.

Rylin has embraced being 5! She asked me on her birthday when we get to go see the teacher so she can start Kindergarten :) Rylin at age 5 has a joy about her that is indescribable! She lights up a room with her bright blue eyes, is full of enthusiasm & excitement, loves people, loves to share, loves to stand her own ground, is the world's best cuddler, is exploring independence in avenues that she wants to, always has something to say ( & say, & say...), still dislikes food and sleep. We feel privileged and blessed beyond words to be her parents, and continue to seek the Lord for guidance & wisdom as we attempt to raise her up in the love of our Savior.

Been awhile...

2010-11-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

So I have been a bit of a blogger slacker lately, but life seems to be flying by at high speed right now. Lincoln is now wearing big boy underwear! He is super excited about this and is doing quite well considering that when we first began, he could only tell me through sign language. Now though, he has mastered the words "poo" and "pee" so it's getting a little easier. Every time he goes, he does the Tiger Woods fist pump and says "Yesh!" or "Yeah!" followed by "lolli?" (meaning I prefer a lollipop but any candy will due.)

Kacia was Silvermist (the water fairy and good friend of Tinkerbell's) for the Fall Festival.

Lincoln was, of course, a ball player.

Rylin had the flu on Halloween, so missed out on dressing up, but she did however, wear her Tinkerbell costume today to Bible Study since she had missed the opportunity to wear it to church before. I love her free spirited nature!!!

Kacia's school does a Living History day for the 2nd grade classes each year. They all dress up & do a handful of activities like churn butter, cross stitch, whittle soap, and learn games that pilgrim children used to play. She had a great day and loved it!

Can't believe it's the middle of November already!!

More than Surviving

2010-10-31T17:01:00.001-07:00

It was one of those moments that I will probably always remember. Kevin and I were slowly walking down the hall to our hotel room feeling exhausted and defeated, watching Lincoln run full speed (& loudly) down the long corridor (although he's been told numerous times to walk quietly) and the girls are somehow simultaneously racing and arguing over who's turn it is to open the hotel room (much like they had moments ago argued over who's turn it was to push the elevator buttons). I look up to him and ask "Are we going to survive parenthood?" He offered no overwhelming assurances at the moment, because it was in that pure exhaustion that he could offer me no promises. The point is I know we will. I know that these years will "fly by" just like everyone who has experienced them warns us. They encourage us to enjoy them while they're little, to love every moment because before we know it, they'll be all grown up. But if I'm to be honest- there are days it is really hard to live in light of that wisdom.

For the last month Lincoln has been going to speech therapy 1 to 2 times a week. I have to admit, the first session I sat in silence and asked myself "really, this is what I'm paying for?" You see, all he honestly does is play. But as the sessions have gone on, I'm noticing that everything is very intentional and purposeful. As she plays with him, she is constantly repeating a word or sound. She rarely asks Lincoln to mimic it, but rather just keeps on playing making sounds. Soon enough my son, who always very stubbornly, adamantly and emphatically typically responds with an "uh-UH!" when asked to repeat a word, slowly starts to imitate her. This got me thinking about parenting. Do I parent my kids in the same way I normally play with Lincoln- just doing it, going through the motions, or do I parent with intent and purpose?

Are you seeing the link? I don't want to just "survive" parenting, (I want to enjoy it!) and I want my kid's lives to show intent and purpose. This is good to say and all, but living it out takes more work, more effort. It's not just discipling the issue, but getting at the heart. It's about taking the time to figure out what's at the source, and how to treat that- not just the surface. It's about working on my own walk with the Lord. Ephesians 5:1 challenges, "Be imitators of God, as beloved children." I need to work on this so that I can say like Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:16 "Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me." My kids will imitate me- that's a given- but what will they imitate? Will it be my lack of self-control, my tendency to be quick to frustration, or will it be patience, kindness, a controlled tongue? Because most days the first 2 are what they see more of. You see, I'm currently knee-deep in the trenches of motherhood (somedays completely over my head!). Even as I write this, I'm sitting next to Rylin who has the flu and couldn't go to the Fall Festival. She interrupts me every 20 seconds with a completely unimportant question and she has apparently successfully caused me to "smell like throw-up" as Kacia mentioned to me when she hugged me goodbye. This is my life right now, I'm never alone (not even in the bathroom), it's never quiet, and I feel like every word I say falls on deaf ears. I have a daughter who is passionate and a bit type A. If a book she has read numerous times somehow gets a tiny rip in the spine- it's the end of the world! I don't know how to handle the overwhelming drama. She shares some of my struggles and is quick to anger and wears it on her face. I don't know how to respond to that. I have another daughter who's enthusiasm for life is incredible and totally exhausting! She currently has a tremendous fear of being alone and frantically calls out my name if she can't see me. If I'm in the laundry room and don't hear the first set of calls, she comes running down the hallway in sheer panic, tears in her eyes, looking for me. I've told her over and over again that I will not leave the house, but I need to be able to roam our home without informing her of my every move. I don't know what to do with that fear. And then I have a two old with limited speech but unlimited energy. And he's potty-training. This one doesn't need much more explanation. You see, most days, I look to the clock to see how much longer until bedtime. I look to the clock for relief rather than the Word. If I'm going to parent in a way that gets to their hearts- I've got to work on mine! I want to end each day knowing I showed my kids that I love them by intentionally parenting them rather than just "making" it to 7:30. I will survive, but the question is- will I take the time and effort to do more?

Retreat

2010-10-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Suzy, joined us for a 2nd year. It's proven to be the best way to spend time together, and we are all so thankful she is willing to drive a little farther to meet up with us.

(I think we must be standing on a slope, I mean I know I'm short, but really??!!)

Our committee being a little silly with fruit from the centerpieces.

I love Women's Retreat! I look forward to it every year and every year it goes by too quickly!! This last weekend was no exception. The fellowship was wonderful, the games and shopping fun, the testimonies of my friends giving God glory for the work He has done and continues to do in their lives encouraging, and the challenges from the Word- incredible. So much to chew on as I sift through my notes, so much to work on, the conviction both overwhelming and yet welcome. I could make this a long post, with all the thoughts going on in my head, but instead I'll leave it with a verse that's been on repeat mode in my head: James 1:22 "But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."

More Disneyland...

2010-10-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

So this is my problem with being on facebook, and maintaining a blog. I realized I posted our pics from Disneyland on fb, but didn't document them here- which is more for me and the ability to quickly look back on certain years/months to remember what my kids were into.

So here's a few pics for those of you who are not on fb, and here's a few highlights I want to make sure to remember:

Kacia loving all the 'big' rides, but then leaning over and telling me in the middle of Indiana Jones, very matter-of-factly but not overly scared- "I HATE this ride." (She did decide later in the week it was fun, if you didn't look at all the spooky decorations). Kacia convincing me to go on Tower of Terror even though I don't love it, and then sitting at the top and wondering to myself why I was totally freaked out and she had the biggest grin on her face.

Kevin being so happy that he could share Space Mtn, Splash Mtn, Terror, etc with the girls and they liked it and wanted to go on them. Kevin actually staying off his phone and laptop for the majority of the week- something completely foreign to us!

Rylin practicing in the hotel room how to make herself taller after being told she was too small the first time she tried to go on Soaring. Then stretching so much she made the attendants laugh, and they let her go. She came running out to Lincoln and me- "Mom, I flew! I was flying right over you!!!" Rylin surprising me with her bravery and desire to go on every single ride she was tall enough for. Rylin trying to figure out what was real vs. pretend, "Is that real mom?" repeat, repeat, repeat (& hearing my realist Kacia answer her sister, no that's just a costume, etc.)

Lincoln being extremely hesitant at EVERYTHING in the beginning. It took him at least 2 times on most things to be able to relax enough to like it. Lincoln loved the Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, Teacups, and Bugs Life. He and I went on teacups 3 times in a row while the other 3 went on the Matterhorn. He's really hard to resist when he holds up his finger signaling to me "one more?" with his big, hopeful grin. Then he, Ry and I went on the caterpillar "chug chug" (train) 4 times in a row, and every time he laughed and told the caterpillar "no, no" when he burps at the end. (We went on that ride at least 15 times total, even the girls had it memorized and there's like 3+ different speeches Heimlech gives!) Lincoln wanting to like the characters, but honestly very scared of them. After they walked away he would do his sign for high 5, telling me he wanted to give them a high 5, but refusing to actually do so when they offered it. Loving, however, the princesses, and needing to make sure they always held his hands for the pictures.

A truly fun week with my family! What a blessed wife and mother I am!

REALLY??!!

2010-09-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the video I took of the kids as we revealed our big surprise- Disneyland. We had checked out of our hotel in Huntington Beach, and they were under the impression we were heading home. I started taping hoping I could catch their reaction when they saw the park out their windows. But on the drive to the hotel, you could not see Disneyland at all, so rather than complete excitement, their reaction is more shock. I love Kacia's "yay" at the end because it lacks much enthusiasm and is instead, our daughter doing what she does-processing. She is trying to wrap her brain around it all, before she gets too excited, she wants to be certain it's not some mean joke. Even after I turned the tape off, and we got out of the van, and are standing in front of the Grand Californian- all I hear is "Really mom? This is really Disneyland? We're really staying?" Then- the excitement erupted and they went completely crazy in the parking lot!!!

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Kacia started 2nd grade last month and is thoroughly enjoying her teacher and class!!

This girl has been waiting for so long to start school!!! She is our late November birthday so she has to wait one more year for Kindergarten, but she was busting at the seams to go to preschool! Monday night she got up at least 4 different times in the night/early morning to remind Kevin and I that she was going to go to school in the morning. When it was finally time to wake up, she had a permanent grin from ear to ear!! So, so very excited for the adventure that was waiting for her!

Family Day

2010-09-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

So typically by mid- August I begin to hate my husband's job and hate the fact that he has to work so hard, (which also, selfishly effects how hard I have to work). I get tired of going to bed while he still works away, I get tired of the weekends full of work, the whole 8-5 Monday-Friday starts to sound really good to me. But God has continued to bring business to him, and Kevin continues to thoroughly enjoy his job, so although in moments of exhaustion I question our decision to pursue self-employment, honestly I don't think he does. All that to say, on Labor Day, Kevin took a half day and we escaped up to Burney Falls for some much needed family time. We had a good afternoon together and all I can say is that I see a longer family vacation on the horizon!!!

(It's amazing how all of the bickering that I heard all morning at home just disappears when there is new scenery!!)

When you are a Burns - no activity is complete without ice cream!

Kacia Turns 7

2010-09-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Kacia's 7th Birhday! It is so hard to believe that my baby is now no longer a baby, toddler, or a "little" girl. She had a super fun day! We enjoyed our morning together the 5 of us, then went to a local park for her party. We did a "Ramona" themed party, since she loves those books and LOVED the movie. We played a relay game taken from different parts of the books/movie involving bunny ears, rain boots, capes & goggles, heavy suitcases, painting cars and squeezing out an entire tube of toothpaste. The afternoon was spent with Kevin at the aquatic center while Lincoln napped, then the evening involved going to dinner for Kaitlin's birthday and of course- ice cream cake. A great day celebrating two people that I thank God for everyday and love so very much!!!

Can you sense the excitement as she opened her new DS?!!!

The new reading seat is quite popular and has produced more than it's fair share of arguments! I see 2 more bean bag chairs in our future!

Birthday girl complete with her crown and t-shirt from Auntie KK

My 2 Two Birthday Girls!!!

A bittersweet night since this was followed by having to say goodbye to Ian as he prepares to leave for Afghanistan. But what a cute family they are!!!

Totally Obsessed!

2010-08-22T20:51:00.001-07:00

I never expected my 2 year old son to have such strong opinions about his clothing. But Lincoln, is completely and totally obsessed with balls! This is a love that has not needed any convincing on our behalf, but yet has completely and totally evolved out of his own free will. The free will which he loudly proclaims every morning when I go to dress him. The boy refuses to wear a shirt without a ball on it. He just points at his closet yelling "ball ball!" Therefore, I have been on the hunt for clearanced ball themed shirts, like the one above I got for $2. It's one size too small, which means after a few washes it'll be a belly shirt, but for now my guy is happy, and currently sleeping in one of his baseball shirts! :)
Whenever Rylin's soccer bag is out, he pulls out the cleats & shin guards and insists on wearing them. It is not uncommon for these to be on before 8 am (& they stay on until naptime!)
He also loves to wear Kacia's tball shirt. I think he sees it as a 'real' baseball shirt, since he also refuses to play catch with his own glove now, only Kacia's will do- because it's 'real'. My boy is silly, fun, stubborn, opinionated and determined! He seems to have a one track mind, one that is quite different from that of the two year olds we've experienced in our house before! :)

Soccer Time!

2010-08-16T16:20:00.001-07:00

These were taken a couple of weeks ago at Rylin's very 1st soccer practice. This girl has been waiting since we signed her up last spring for this day to come! She has always been a great cheerleader for Kacia- always excited to be her biggest fan, and always super encouraging. But all summer long we have heard "I can't wait for fall because I get to do soccer and go to school!!" Not that this is technically fall (it's currently 106) but nonetheless the season has started and she is so excited (and deserving) to have the spotlight. Kacia was a good sport and even made her a sign for practice :) This reversal of roles is good for both of them, and fun for us to watch.

It is also neat as a parent to watch the differences of our kids and their approach to new things. Rylin is quite different from her sister, and proves this once again on the field. She shows no signs of being timid, but rather as her coach says "she's a little tiger!" She doesn't so much wait for instruction- but just goes for it. She is by far the smallest on the Pink Panthers, but I fully expect she will hold her own, and run and run and run those skinny little legs to total exhaustion!

Jr Giants -(a little irony I find funny for this A's household)

2010-08-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

With the cleats, bat bag & oversized hat, she looks like quite the athlete before she even gets on the field!

She's probably thinking "please don't hit to me, please don't" But the first 4 batters hit it right to her, and she did a nice job of fielding and even made an out

Here's her best friend Sawyer in the catcher gear. Why is that necessarily for t-ball? Anyhow, I think he was happy to be catcher, but I was just thinking, "wow, I'm hot on the bleachers, can't imagine how hot Sawyer must be!"

So if you know either Kevin or I, you know that it is no secret what sport rules in our house- baseball!! So needless to say, when Kacia reached the age to play t-ball- there was great excitement as we started this new stage of life- the stage where we sit sticking to metal bleachers baking in the extreme Redding heat! Kacia's season is almost over, but I finally remembered to bring the camera and document our little athlete. She has come along way in the short season- considering that the first inning of the first game, Kevin had to yell from the stands to put her glove on the other hand. :) She now will actually go after a ball rather than stand like a statue, has made a few nice plays, she is progressing in her throwing skills, and seems to always somehow make it safely to 1st base. We love watching her, and she seems to really enjoy playing. She told me after the first game that she was a little nervous at the beginning when she saw how many people were in the stands, but she convinced herself she could do it, and told me "it's way more fun than soccer!" (She's not a big fan when it comes to the amount of running soccer involves!) Rylin on the other hand, could not be more excited that her very first soccer practice is tonight!!

Brookings

2010-07-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

Last week we joined our church for Family Camp in Brookings Oregon. I will spare you the long post and give you the highlights. Kacia loves the waves! She can run in and from them for hours. She also loves to explore the tide-pools with her dad. Rylin on the other hand is still scared of the waves, but loves to walk along the shoreline with a hand, and enjoys playing in the sand and looking for shells. Lincoln did not consume as much sand this year, which was awesome! He pretty much loved all of it- the waves, the sand, the shells, the sea creatures, and the ability to just run and run! He was so funny when we were first driving there and he woke up from a nap and we were driving along the 101. He looked out and saw the sea and starting clapping and pointing. Then when our view was obstructed with trees, he pointed his finger and told them angrily "no, no!" Then clapped again when he could once again see the Pacific. It made me wonder, what exactly was he excited about? He had no clue yet what fun was awaiting him there, he just loved what he saw!

Silliness

2010-07-21T15:27:00.001-07:00

My 1 picture from the 4th of July before the camera battery died :)

The rest of these are from when the fam came to visit in June to meet Reid, and of course, hang out with the rest of us too! My kids love it when company comes, and it somehow brings out a little bit of extra silliness!

(Olive we all miss you!!)

Thanks for making the long drive James, Tim, Sabrina & Olive! We had so much fun being with you and miss you already!

8

2010-07-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Friday marked 8 years since my mom went home to be with the Lord. Eight. Eight years since I have held her hand or stroked her hair. Eight.

There are days when 8 seems so long, and I think "How can it be 8 years already?" But mostly I think, "Only 8? Really? Because it seems like forever!"

Think about how much has changed since she passed away. I went from being a young bride, to a mother of three. Kaitlin & James were the ages then of Michael & Allie now. Michael & Allie were a little bit younger than my oldest daughter is now. Breanna went from being the mom of toddlers, to teenagers. Tim went from being a college student to, oops- still a student! (Just kidding Tim :) I couldn't resist!) He is married, has not only his degree, but his masters and is working on his phd. James went from a small, quiet boy, to a strong, confident, young man. And Kaitlin, my mom's baby, is now taking care of her own baby! Life does anything but stand still!

I found it quite fitting that I was able to be in one of my mom's favorite places over the weekend- the Oregon coast. How she loved the ocean! Each time we go, Kevin knows that I like to escape by myself and go and sit in the sand, reflect & pray. So my opportunity arose when Lincoln fell asleep in the car at a difficult time. I dropped the rest of the family off at our friends' campsite, and I went and parked in front of the sea. I sat in my car, staring at God's incredible portrait of power, might, creativity, beauty and control, and I cried. It has been years since I have cried over the loss of my mom, but staring out there, the tears started to fall. I looked at that beach, and I could pick the exact spot that she would've parked her chair. I could see her sitting there in her visor, burying her feet in the sand and laughing at Lincoln as he ran from the waves to the sand with such determination and enthusiasm. I could see her playing in the waves with Kacia, and looking for shells with Rylin. Sometimes I wish so much that she could know my kids, experience life with them, and even more- that they could know her. But I know that my God is good. I know that He is perfect, I know that He has His reasons for taking her home, and most days that is enough. But looking at the waves, remembering so many vacations and memories I shared there with her, I simply missed her. I know that I will always miss her, but I also know that I can always rest in the fact that she is enjoying eternity in Heaven with her Lord, and someday, because of the blood of Christ, and the grace He has shown to me, so will I. So thankful to God for the mom that He gave me, and so incredibly thankful for the Son that He gave for us!

A Sinner Saved

2010-07-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

"Behold the Man upon a cross, My guilt upon His shoulders,

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there, Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished"

-How Deep the Father's Love for Us

I love this song. I love it because it always gets me thinking! Thinking that I know I take the cross of Christ for granted. Thoughts that I am too callous regarding His love for me. I have always believed in the Lord. I cannot remember a single day of my life that I have not been aware of the fact that God created the world. Man is born a sinner. Sinner needs salvation to reconcile oneself to God. Sinner cannot do this on his own. Sinner needs a Savior. Jesus is that Savior. Jesus bore my sin on the cross, died that I might live. I have always believed these truths. But I think one thing that I miss is true passion. Passion of what I have been saved from. Yes, knowing Christ my whole life has "saved" me from various sins. I have never been drunk or high, I respected my parents, I don't cuss, I wore a white dress on my wedding day in every way, I have been faithful to my husband, etc..... I was in many ways a very ideal baptist. The sins we see as "major" in our finite minds- these sins I was saved from committing and have also been saved from the guilt that they carry.

But I think one of the big truths that I have missed lately- is that I wasn't just saved from doing those things- I have been saved and forgiven by the sins I commit daily, hourly, multiple times in a minute. I am a sinner, and I need a Savior. My sin is just as detestable to God's holiness as any other's. The sins of discontentment, fear, pride, worldliness, greed, selfishness, impatience, anger.... The sins that the Savior hung on the cross for, the sins that I need to hate. These sins, I wash over, I disregard, I ignore. I don't hate them enough to realize how big His love is. I don't appreciate the cross the way I need to.

I have been reading a book by CJ Mahaney entitled "Living the Cross Centered Life" and wanted to share something that may encourage you as it did me (that is- if you've made it through this very long post)

"As we watch Jesus pray in agony in Gethsemane, He has every right to turn His tearful eyes toward you and me and shout, "This is your cup. You're responsible for this. It's your sin! You drink it." This cup should rightfully be thrust into my hand and yours. Instead, Jesus freely takes it Himself... so that from the cross He can look down at you and me, whisper our names, and say "I drain this cup for you- for you have lived in defiance of Me, who have hated Me, who have opposed Me. I drink it all... for you." This is what our sin makes necessary. This is what's required by your pride, by your selfishness and my selfishness, by your disobedience and my disobedience. Behold Him... behold His suffering... and recognize His love."

Praying for a deeper hate of my sin, and a greater, more passionate love and appreciation for my Savior!

2 Silly & 2 Cute

2010-07-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures that capture Lincoln at age 2. He is busy, fun, silly, and loves to play!

This face says it all! "I'm cute and I know it!"

Playing dress-up with the sisters, and constantly taking his diapers off. I later found him trying to put on Rylin's princess underwear :) Sorry, buddy you have to talk more before I'll even think about potty training you!

Posing with his fantastic Hair Stylist!

Lincoln loves Reid! He always wants to hold him, so we offered one of the girls' dolls. He was thrilled to hold it, tried to swaddle it in a blanket, and offered a pacifier- but when the doll would not "keep" it in it's mouth, it ended up in Lincoln's!

My boy is one happy little monkey! We're are so blessed to have him in our family and we are loving age 2, even with the challenges it brings :)

Lincoln Turns 2!

2010-07-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on posting! June was absolutely crazy with the end of school, Baby Reid, VBS, birthdays, and lots of fun visitors! But here's a few pictures of Lincoln on his birthday. We did a zoo party since he is fascinated with animals. Can't believe my baby is 2!!!!

"Golden" Medal Graduates

2010-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Golden Five

All of the cousins minus Reid, who was eating, & somehow to a newborn, that was way more important than posing for my camera! :)

Michael receiving his medal for Male Athlete of the Year!

Allie receiving her medal for maintaining a perfect 4.0!

This last week we celebrated the twins' 8th Grade Graduation! (Man, if my kids grow up as fast as these two, I'm in trouble!!) I'm so proud of them! Not really for the graduation part, although that's nice and all, it's really the young adults that they are growing up to be that I am proud of. They love the Lord, love others, are fun yet responsible, smart yet not know-it-alls, leaders in their school, and genuinely fun teenagers to be around. They are shining lights, radiating the fruits of the Spirit to those they come in contact with. We love you Michael & Allie!!!!

Baby Reid

2010-06-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

Leaving for the hospital...

This is what we've been up to lately- loving on Reid Avery Watkins! We just can't get enough of this little cutie! I'm so proud of my baby sister who has taken on the role of a mother with great grace, strength and selfless love! And we praise our Lord for Reid's safe arrival and for allowing all the details to work so that Ian could be here for it all! Congrats Ian & Kaitlin!

Balls, Bathing Suits, Bikes, Bugs & Baby

2010-06-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is Lincoln's new "bat bag". Since he never wants to be without a ball or bat right now, we got this out yesterday and you can't tell, but there are 5 different balls underneath the glove.

He was so happy to be able to carry everything all together!

He actually wakes up from naps saying "b- ball" and insists on kissing them all good night. Obsessed?

He came running down the hallway the other day attempting to wear Kacia's swimsuit. She did not like that too much, but he was quite proud of himself!

Rylin on her new bike! It was raining on the first day, so since the tires were still clean, she was able to master her new skill indoors.

No, she never made it to 30 stars, but that is different story for a different post. But this is one super excited & grateful 4 year old!!

Kacia's 1st grade class performed Going Buggy for us. It was a cute show, and quite funny to watch how embarrassed she can get up front! :)

She wasn't thrilled to be a "damsel fly" - I suppose she was hoping for something a little more glamorous. But I think she's the cutest fly I've ever seen!

Here's my kids with Auntie K K and their baby cousin. He will be making his arrival any day now so we had to document the belly that greatly intrigues Lincoln. He tries very hard to "find" the baby we tell him is in there! Can't wait to meet him!

A Conversation With Rylin

2010-05-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

Being that this is primarily a tool I use to remember my kids at various stages and the silly things they do- here is a fairly typical conversation with Rylin in the car (my car is NEVER quiet!!!)...

R: "Mom, when I grow up I want to be a pi... " (didn't hear the rest of it clearly- she is after all, all the way in the back of the van talking over the music and Lincoln's chattering)

So thinking she said 'pilot' I respond "Oh, you want to fly planes?"

R: "No, I want to be a pirate!"

M: "Oh, and what will you do as a pirate?"

R: "I will drive ships- pirate ships, and look for lost treasure."

M: "Okay, that sounds fun."

- She moves on to another topic, sings part of a song, and I think we are done with the pirate conversation. At least 5 minutes pass-

R: "Mom, do you know what pirate treasure is called- BOOTY!!!!" At which point she erupts into her contagious giggling, then Lincoln joins in laughing (although he is entirely clueless as to why he is laughing).

So thank you to the Berenstein Bears and their book about looking for "pirate booty" on their vacation trip to the beach- my daughter now has quite high and rather unusual aspirations!

Flip

2010-05-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

I got a Flip for Mother's Day! Here's our first attempt at a video. It's a few of the highlights from our weekend: cotton candy, the final out of Braden's perfect game (complete with screaming by Kevin) and a sample of car rides with Lincoln (that average hearing the words "mama" and "dada" a minimum of 50 times a minute). Enjoy!

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we joined Kevin's parents and took the kids to San Francisco. On Friday we did the SF Zoo, followed by Fisherman's Wharf and of course Ghiradelli Square. Saturday, we met up with Kevin's Grandpa for breakfast, then all went to an A's game. This was our first attempt at all going to an MLB game and the kids did great! Being that this is one of Kevin and my very favorite things to do, we were happy to see that our family is getting to the stage of being able to enjoy it with us. On Sunday, I made the decision to just let Kevin and his dad go to the game, knowing that my son was pretty much done with the crazy schedule and no-nap thing. This later proved to be a bad decision since Braden made history and threw a perfect game! But after throwing myself a pity party, I was able to be happy that my husband was able to witness something that has only been done a total of 19 times in all of baseball!! (We were even able to spot them on tv multiple times when they re-aired the game.) All in all, a very fun weekend, beautiful weather, fun city, and great memories with our kiddos! (They even slept in the hotel- which is HUGE for our family!!)

The girls were so excited to each get their own bobblehead!

What am I supposed to do with 5 bobbleheads??

It was all about the cotton candy!

Look Dad!

The kids had seen cotton candy at the zoo and pier 39, but we told them to wait just one day and we would get it from one of the vendors yelling "cotton candy! get your cotton candy!" They made it all the way till the 7th inning stretch on the snacks we brought, then it was all about that sugary fluffy stuff!

My 3 monkeys!

Lincoln is at the stage where he totally LOVES animals! This was such a fun day for our little guy! He was so excited to get so close to those big bears! "ROAR, "ROAR"- in his words

The girls don't remember previously going to any zoos. I think the last one we went to was the San Diego Zoo when Rylin was 1 month and Kacia nearly 2 1/2. They found it just about as cool as Lincoln did!

The cute baby gorilla...

Lincoln pointing at the cute baby gorilla :)

Times are Changing

2010-04-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

So it hit me the other day when I started the bath water and my son ran into his room, stripped off all of his clothes and came and stood by the tub, excitedly chatting his chibberish and pointing at the running water- that my son is not so much my baby anymore. He's a little boy! He's going to be 2 in June and he is starting to do 2 year old things, like mimic everything his sisters do! He tries to join them in performing their "shows" of singing and dancing, he successfully dressed a barbie doll the other day, he attempts to play Simon Says, and pretty much shadows them a good portion of the day. Of course, he does his own stuff too. He loves our slide/fort right now and he collects all of his things- his blankie, his baseball tee, ball and bat, shoves them all in there, and then proceeds to move them from the top of the ledge to the underneath part over and over again. He still enjoys getting into cupboards and making messes, but he is also learning the art of playing.

Last Saturday it really hit me that times are truly changing as I sat in a movie theater with my husband and all 3 kids! We attempted to take Lincoln to his first movie, and he did fairly well. He loves animals, so we went and watched Disney's Oceans. For the previews and nearly an hour of the movie, he happily sat pointing at the animals on the big screen while diving both hands into the popcorn bucket. As I watched him shove both of his fists into his mouth, I was utterly amazed at the family God has blessed me with! I also silently laughed to myself when Lincoln attempted to pick up the bucket and drink the popcorn, and then chuck his napkin at the poor guy in front of us. Times are changing, burp cloths and bibs are a thing of the past and I so look forward to growing with our family! We later enjoyed a family bike ride as Kacia was able to ride 3 1/2 miles on her own while Kevin pulled the other 2 in the trailer. I get excited just thinking about how as we close this door of "babyhood" and enter a new phase, it means that our family is going to be able to enjoy doing things together- all 5 of us. ( I have to focus on the positive, otherwise, I get a little sad- but hey pretty soon I will get my babyfix from Kaitlin's little guy!)

This One Hurt!

2010-04-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Tooth Fairy's Amazon order finally arrived and she received the 2nd book she has been wanting!

The gap on the bottom is from the tooth she pulled out on Easter. I tried to not get too close since the top gap is still very fresh!

Losing this tooth hurt a little more than the others- not for Kacia but for us! There is just something different about losing a top front tooth! That big hole in her mouth just screams "I'm growing up and you can't stop me!" I am so glad she has eased us into this losing teeth process a little by starting off with the bottom teeth. This now marks her 4th baby tooth that we have said goodbye to, and there are still 2 more that are loose!

Last night she got out of bed and asked Kevin to see if it was ready. After having already been told more than once to stay in bed, he told her he would try in the morning. So about an hour passes and my daughter comes out totally thrilled holding her tooth. After rinsing and checking the mirror, she went and sat on Kevin's lap for a little while. Being my "know-it-all" she has to add, "See Dad, I told you I thought it was ready!" To which he replies, "I know. I just didn't want it to come out. I want to superglue all your teeth so they never come out!" This brought about an interesting conversation about what it would look like if adults still had all their baby teeth. Obviously, she kinda missed the point- to Dad, the teeth symbolize growing up, so maybe if he can stop the teeth, he can stop the growing up part too!

Survival

2010-04-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Survival- this has been my goal the last few days. Horrible sleep + cranky miserable toddler= just get through the day.

I hate days like this. I hate feeling so tired that it takes all my self-control to not just yell all day or break down in tears. I hate feeling like the day is about making it to bedtime rather than rejoicing in the gift of a new day. But this is where I find myself.

Lincoln has ear infections, which has caused him to wake up a ton, Rylin has an annoying cough that wakes her up even more than usual, which when you put the two of those together, it means I'm getting up 12+ times a night. I am completely and totally sleep deprived. And yet today, I'm finding myself in deep thought (which is kinda scary) and I'm desperately trying to be a mom that is not relying on my own strength- because let's face it- I'm out, and is rather continually looking to my Lord for strength. It's a somewhat harsh reality- but I really do believe that God in His complete sovereignty purposefully puts me into survival mode to get my attention refocused on Him. I so want each and every day about bringing glory to my God and Savior but it seems so easy to get lost and caught up in the day to day chores.

So today I'm thankful. Thankful that God continually breaks my pride down so that I can again find my roots in Him. (I'm also thankful for caffeine and the antibiotics which should start working in the next couple of days for my sweet, snotty little guy!)

Blankie Boy

2010-03-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

So this past week I got the Spring Cleaning Bug. Unfortunately Lincoln got a different bug. My desire to go through closets, clean walls, organize cupboards, scrub everything, weed flowerbeds, etc was placed on hold. My little guy had a fever and he just wanted to be held. So I got cuddles with my blankie boy and stared at everything that needed to be done. Hopefully now that he is feeling better, my bug will stick around another week so some productive work can take place! But even if it doesn't- I know that snuggles are way more important than messy closets!

10 Down- 20 To Go!

2010-03-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

So most of you know that Rylin has never been a good sleeper! At 4 1/2, we are feeling a little defeated in this area. You know the term "slept like a baby"? Well this has never, ever been said about Rylin- not as a baby, a toddler or a 4 year old. The girl is a super light sleeper, she has a tiny bladder, she cries while sleeping for no apparent reason, she sleep walks into my room, and she loves to climb in my bed to snuggle. I feel like we have tried nearly every theory in credited books to teach her to stay in her bed. We have tried discipline, we have tried ignoring her, we had her tonsils and adenoids out, and yet the girl still comes and wakes me up an average of 3 times a night.

We don't get it. We're frustrated. But at this point it is what it is. And so we have turned to bribery! Last spring we told her that if she stayed in her own bed and did not wake me up for 10 nights she would get a scooter. It took a really long time to get to 4, (we're talking weeks!) but the rest were nearly consecutive. She eventually got her scooter, and we were hopeful that this new habit might stick around. It clearly did not!

So in January I told her that if she stayed in her bed for 30 nights she could get her own bike- rather than use Kacia's old one. She got super excited, and still is. Yet here are nearing the end of March and she just got star number 10. The girl is ecstatic that she only has 20 more to go! Clearly the mind of a 4 year old cannot grasp how long it will take her at this rate! I was hoping that like last time- once she had done it a few nights, she would be able to do more, and it would eventually become a habit. This clearly has not yet happened! But maybe our daughter will get a bike by her birthday- by her 6th birthday that is!

Kacia's New Obsession

2010-03-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

Kacia is absolutely obsessed with reading! So as far as obsessions go, this seems to be a pretty good one! It all started last week. Kevin & I went to her conference at school, (at which the teacher informed us that she is "perfect"- she honestly said that word more than 3 times, at which Kevin and I said she is most definetely not perfect, but at least she can behave well at school!) and then we stopped by the book fair on our way out. We got her a little princess chapter book and Rylin a new Fancy Nancy book, and then headed home.

It was about 4 when we got home and gave the girls their new books. Kacia sat and read that book for hours! I am not exaggerating! We had to take a break for dinner and for Girl Scouts, and when we returned she wanted to read more, she even hid the book under her pillow at one point (sneakiness is clearly not perfection!). She was disappointed that I made her go to bed before she finished it, but I assured her that 7 chapters was a lot of reading in 1 day, and she only needed to read 3 more tomorrow in order to finish the book in 2 days!

She took the book to school, and by the time I had picked her up, she had finished the book and started it over. She read the book twice in 3 days, at which point I was finally able to encourage her to pick up a different book!

I have to say that I am loving this new skill! It is such a quiet one!! And when she wants to go in her room to read, Rylin wants to too! It is absolutely wonderful!

So she has one very, very loose tooth and 3 more that will be getting close, so she is hoping that the Tooth Fairy may want to bring the rest of the books in the series and the Tooth Fairy thinks that is a great idea (and just got done ordering them from Amazon)!

Craving

2010-03-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

I currently have a craving for my mom's fried chicken and country gravy. I have never been able to reproduce her creamy, yummy, really-bad-for-you, chicken gravy, but right now I would love some on a big pile of mashed potatoes!

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but every once in awhile I get a weird, out of the blue, craving for something I ate in my childhood. My mom was a good cook. She was very good at making those rich, heavy, home-cookin, kind of meals. So today as I am cooking dinner, despite my craving, I will bake my chicken with a panko crust rather than fry it in crisco with a saltine crust, and I will make gravy from chicken broth, because this is what I know how to do. But, I did look up on FoodNetwork how Paula Dean makes country gravy, because I'm sure if my mom had ever seen her show, she would probably be annoyed by how loud she is, but she would agree with her that more butter is always better. But after looking at the recipe, I think I will stick to the gravy I know how to do. I just can't embrace that much crisco (not to mention the fact that I don't even have any!)- but be assured that in my head, I will be dreaming of those "crispies" on her fried chicken and that oh so yummy gravy!

Yeah for 2 Arms!

2010-03-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Kacia was cleared by the doctor to take her brace off! He also said that she will be fine to play t-ball and even to ski, basically whatever she is comfortable with! Other good news, the surgery that she will need to take the plate and screws out got moved back to September rather than July, which is great because she will not have a cast/splint/brace in the Redding heat! Yeah! We are praising God that not only is He the great Healer, but He is also sovereign over all of the "smaller" details as well!

Tea Parties

2010-03-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is one of Rylin's favorite things to do! If Lincoln takes a morning nap, I take a break from housework, and Rylin makes us tea. We have a seat on the floor, sip our "tea" (basically water with a floating tea bag, since she always uses cold water), and we chat. We talk about silly stuff and we talk about regular stuff. Mostly, it's just great to spend time together without any other distractions!

Georgia Bentley Lady Burns

2010-02-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is Georgia. She is our very sweet 8 month old cocker spaniel/beagle mix. And she has been a perfect fit in our home!

The kids love dogs! Perhaps Lincoln the most. And we had been telling the girls that we would get a puppy when Lincoln no longer behaved like a puppy- putting everything in his mouth, playing in the toilet, etc. So lately I have been hearing from our oldest (who is much like her dad in the area of sales) "I just really feel that we are ready for a dog because we can go on long walks.... I think that we are old enough to get a puppy because we can really help you, etc, etc...." She is very perceptive and I think she knew that Kevin and I had been discussing the idea a lot lately, so I guess she decided to add her two sense whenever she could.

Well Saturday we went to meet a particular puppy we had found online who had been rescued from a shelter and was in need of being adopted.

Well, long story short, that puppy wasn't available that day to even meet, but after seeing the ages of our kids, she recommended a few that she thought might work, then she turned to Lady with an "Oh, she is perfect!" We played with her a bit, then decided to think about things, and we left without a puppy, but with kids who had been just so happy to have been able to even play with one. After much debate in my head, that afternoon we returned to bring Lady home.

She has truly been the most ideal puppy one could hope for. She sleeps through the night in her crate, she's only had one accident, she is very gentle with the kids, she has her permanent teeth so does not nip like a young pup, she is very eager to please and is full-grown yet small enough to handle. We think she may have a difficult history with a previous male owner, because she is absolutely terrified of men when she first meets them. So, we have some things to work on- but that's expected.

She came with the name Lady. By Sunday afternoon we still had not settled on a name- as the girls could not agree. Of all the names on the list, Bentley was Kacia's pick, and Georgia was Rylin's. So they picked a number between 1 & 10, Kacia won, so her name was Bentley for about 24 hours. Then yesterday, after Rylin not being able to remember the name, Kacia not always remembering it, and me saying Bentley is a cute name, but it doesn't fit her when I call her, we switched it from Bentley Georgia to Georgia Bentley. Poor girl's a little confused, but she'll get it!

She was snuggling Kacia's jammies after she left for school.

(Anyone who knows Rylin and the fear that she can have towards some dogs, can appreciate how awesome this picture is. She laughed hysterically while getting showered with kisses.)

"This is the best day of my life! I can't believe we brought a dog home and we get to keep her!" -Kacia

My Mental Game

2010-02-19T15:12:00.001-08:00

This is the start of the day. I'm starring at that map and wondering what I got myself into! (And yes, we did take the lift up to the very, very top!)

The incredible view of Lake Tahoe from the gondola ride.

I was 24 the first time I strapped ski boots on. (By the way, could they make those things any more awkward to walk in?!) Kevin has skied since he was like 3, and we had talked about me learning the sport. Well, one day Kevin came home with the cutest girly skis in the trunk of his car, and I was really excited about this new adventure. That was at least, until I actually went to the mountain!

It took both Kevin and James just to help me stand in line to get on to the chair lift! Even the slightest little uneven ground made me lose all control. Well, I'm not sure how long it actually took me to get down my first run, but it might be a record (and not the good kind). And to say that I hated the sport would be an understatement! I was absolutely miserable, terribly embarrassed, sore and completely dreading having to go again. A part of me did want to learn, Idid want to be a mom who skied with her kids, rather than watch from the lodge, but I had no clue that what looks so easy and fun, could be so extremely difficult for me!

Since Kevin had invested in the skis I knew I couldn't just give up after 1 really hard day. Had they just been rentals, I'm quite certain I would have never gone again! But we did. That season we went up about 3 or 4 more times for night skiing. Kevin was patient and we have 2 friends who had previously taught the sport to youngsters, and they helped a great deal. I ended that season seeing how this could eventually be fun.

The next year we went on a trip to Bend. Kacia was 1, so I only went up once. I had a good day, saw some progress, and was anxious to continue practicing so that I could someday get off the bunny slopes.

That was January 2005. I had not skied since. Then we went to Tahoe this last week. I was a little nervous about hitting the slopes after such a long gap, but I was reassured that after a run or two I would pick up right where I had stopped.

What I was not told was how massive Heavenly is! The views were incredible and we had the perfect weather. But I quickly realized that compared to my comfort zone on Easy Street in Mt. Shasta- these were vastly different runs that I now found myself on.

There were some moments of panic, some "can I just slide down on butt?" and some really fun parts of the runs. But what I also learned is that this is a total mental game!

As I watched 4 year olds cruise down with their instructors- I envied them. I envied that they were learning this sport when they had no real mental awareness of the dangers, or no crazy game going on inside their heads to hold them back. Because here I was at 30, totally frozen as I listened to the snowboarders quickly approaching me on all sides and I was stuck facing left. You see, I turn to the left great! In fact, I even turn left when I don't want to, my legs just do it. But turning right is another story all together. My legs, my knees, my feet, my skis- they don't like turning right. The problem with this is, that when you are standing at the top of a run that is way too steep (for me) to just point the skis down and fly, the other option is to zig-zag your way down. And this option left me often frozen on the mountain facing left, and wanting desperately to just survive getting down. I never talk out loud to myself. But here I was on this mountain, verbally say "turn, turn, turn....you can do this, you can do this..."

It was a funny, beautiful, challenging day. I learned that I still have a long way to go (my goal is that by the time Lincoln is ready to leave the bunny slope, I too will be comfortable doing so). I saw again how extremely patient my husband can be. I saw again how when faced with a challenge, it is best to just leave me alone so I can do it, and Kevin is great at encouraging me but also at giving me space. And I did have fun! Amongst the moments of sheer panic and frustration, there were also moments of pure adrenaline and fun. I learned that this mental game can and will be conquered and I will not forever see only the left side of a mountain. And I saw God's beautiful creation from a vantage point that I have never seen before, and it is completely and totally breathtaking!

Things I Liked About Today:

2010-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

The sun was out

Seeing my son wear his baseball hat

Listening to Kacia read Ramona to Rylin

Watching the girls watch the Olympic skaters, and saying things like, "Oh, I like her outfit! It's so pretty and sparkly." "His outfit is ugly- there are no sparkles." "I think I could do that."

Singing Itsy Bitsy Spider with Lincoln over and over again (with good cuddles)

Listening to more "Hi, my name is chubby, ..."

No puke!

All in all, a pretty good day

(Every time I held the camera up- he gave me this silly, cheesy smile)

(Rylin doing Chubby- "not so fast!!!")

("Hi my name is Chubby, my mama's chubby, my daddy's chubby, even my sister's chubby...")

Blog-Hopping

2010-01-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

So, I doubt I am the only one who does this: You start off on a friend's blog, see the different blogs on the sidebar, click on one that you think you might know or that just has an interesting title, which takes you to another, and so on. This is where I found myself this past weekend. I stumbled onto a blog of an old friend, which led me to another, and another, and another. And as I got caught up on their lives, their kids, and where the Lord has taken them, I realized what a strange world blogging can be! First off, it's as addicting as those reality tv shows, but way better because it's people that you knew, or kinda knew. And second, it's strange because here I was in my own house, reading about the lives of people I haven't seen in years that are states away, and they have no clue! Weird, so very weird.

And this got me thinking, who has stumbled upon my blog, and what have they taken away from it?

I began our blog a few years ago, after enjoying reading a few friends' and being able to see their kids grow up even when distance separated us. I knew that family and friends far away would enjoy this as well. So I started "blogging". What I didn't realize is how much I would enjoy it. It has become a family journal, a tool I use to help us later remember what different stages in our life looked like. For instance, I want to remember that in the 1st grade, Kacia always says "Oh, tarter sauce!" when something goes wrong, and that I always smile when my Rylin says, "It will be super-duper fun!!!" (she says this about wanting to go somewhere, when she's asking me if she can help me clean/cook, when she wants to play a board-game, etc.). Life goes by fast, I want to remember as much of these "little" things as I can, like yesterday when I found cat poop in Lincoln's mouth (we don't even have a cat!).

So that is why I blog, but I started thinking "what do people see when they hop onto our blog?" And this is what I hope: I hope they see a wife and mother that realizes she is blessed by her Heavenly Father. I do LOVE being a wife and a mother to my incredible family! I hope they see a child of God that desires to grow and walk with Him more. And I hope they see reality. I don't ever try to sugar-coat my life. It is not perfect, there are days that I struggle to be kind and loving, there are days I struggle to be content, there are days that life hurts and seems confusing, but in the midst of the messiness of life, I hope they see joy! For I am joyful that I serve a God who always works for my good, and ordains every aspect of my life, and it is through Him and for Him that I find comfort, strength, encouragement and purpose.

So if you've hopped on here by accident or intentionally, enjoy the pictures of my kids (because they are stinkin cute!) and know that I am praying that through us, you too may know the wonderful joy of living life as a child of God. Happy Hopping!

Lincoln- My Broken Record

2010-01-17T19:42:00.001-08:00

So Lincoln's not a big talker. Well, maybe I should rephrase that, he talks a lot, just not with a lot of words, especially compared to his sister's at this age. We often compare him to curious George, who also talks with grunts and hand motionsBut one word, he's had down since he was one is mama. The kids says it ALL day long! He just follows me around the house, "mama, mama, mama...." I answer him, but he just says it 5 more times. The other night we were running errands together, and every time, we'd get back in the car, Kevin would put him in his seat and I'd walk around the back of the car to get in my side, the whole time, he's frantically saying my name, and turning his head in all directions, to try to keep an eye on me to make sure I was getting in too. So, it came time for me to run some dvd's into the store, and as I grabbed my door handle, I asked Kevin if he was ready to hear my name 100 times when I got out. So he decided to count. I went into Safeway, put 2 dvd's in the redbox, and came back out. 69 times. 69 times my son said "mama". That just gives you a small sample as to what I hear all day long!

But lately, he's added a few more words to his limited vocabulary of mama, dada, dog, ball, and nana (his word for banana and when pronounced slightly differently- his word for please.) When prompted by the girls, "what does santa say?" He answers, "ho, ho, ho." Recently, "anma" for Grandma, and tonight- my least favorite word for my kids to learn, "no." But Lincoln, doesn't just say "no", he says, "no, no, no, no" with his finger pointed, every time.

I'm pretty sure he actually says more words than I realize, they just all sound so similar, I don't necessarily recognize the distinction. So that's what's new in Lincoln world.

Surgery?!?

2010-01-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

So Kacia's doctor had been a little uneasy from the beginning as to how one of the bones had been re-set. It was a little bit crooked, but with the desire for this to be the least traumatic experience as possible for a 6 year old, he decided to cast it and then check it 2 weeks later. When the appointment came, I was not prepared at all for the possibility of surgery. However, when he brought the x-rays in, it was immediately obvious to me, that the bone was slipping and could most definitely not be left to heal on it's own. We left his office with a surgery scheduled for the next morning, along with a stack of paperwork about how we are to pay for this whole ordeal. Who knew a fall from a bed a foot off the ground could cause so much damage?

Knowing that we would be saying goodbye to the pink cast, we had to capture all the signatures of family and friends.

She did great when the guy came in with the saw to cut the cast off. And although a little alarmed by it all in the beginning, once he held the saw to his own hand, and she could see that it caused no damage, she allowed him to proceed cutting the top and bottom so the surgeon could remove it entirely once she was asleep.

All ready to be wheeled in, and already a little loopy from some medicine, we handed our little girl over to the team...

Kacia now has a plate and 6 screws in her little arm. The big question is "will it stay or will we go through this surgery again later?" and the answer is I don't know. The doctor says we'll discuss it later, but from what I've heard from others, we'll most likely remove it so that in case there is a future break, we won't have to deal with a horrible mangled bone/steel mess.

Kacia has been an absolute trooper through all of this! Our little drama queen who typically cries over a hangnail has undergone a surgery explained by adults as very painful due to the cutting of muscle, etc. and yet, she was back to life as normal the day after. We are so thankful to our great Physician for creating and knowing all of the intricate details of her little body, and for guiding the surgeon's hands, and putting her on the road to recovery!

Finally- It's Payday

2010-01-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

So Kacia was telling me today how the hospital experience on Christmas Eve was probably the worst day of her life. She went on about how bad her arm hurt, how she was worried, and how she didn't like the shots she had to have. Then she asked me if the hospital was my worst day too. But then, before I could answer, she went on to talk about how it probably was my worst day because Dad had said it hurt me a lot, and there were shots (iv) and blood involved. So I asked her what she was talking about because I didn't have any shots or anything that night. So then she goes on to explain- "The time you were at the hospital and I came out of your tummy." To which I quickly answered that was most definitely not my worst day, in fact it was one of my very favorite days! This brought about only more questions, I mean honestly, how could a painful day be a favorite day? But as I explained to her, that yes that day hurt my body, but it was the best because after 9 months of carrying her in my tummy I finally got to see, hold, touch and kiss my healthy, beautiful baby! She smiled and asked more questions about what she was like as a baby, and details, always more details. (One answer with this child only brings about 10 more questions!)

Then Rylin, who has been listening to this entire conversation gets my attention, and says, "Here Mom, this is for you. For carrying me in your tummy, thanks." Then she hands me a penny from her wallet! A penny!! Oh the wonderful mind of a four year old! Within a matter of seconds, she handed me 2 more, for Kacia and Lincoln. Finally, some compensation for all the hard and exhausting work of being a mother! :)

Thinking out loud...

2010-01-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

So due to wonderful technology, I have lately been able to reconnect with people from all varying stages of my past. People and friends that had played important roles in my life at different times. And the more people that I get in contact with, and the more I hear of their lives, the more I realize that life is different now that it was in high school. My youth group was fairly large, but fairly close. Now, 12 years post graduation, we are a group that consists of: orphans, widows, cancer survivors, cancer fighters, single parents, childless parents. Some of us have had our dreams come true while others of us have lived through horribly terrifying nightmares. Some of us have the jobs we always had planned on while others of us struggle to buy groceries. We share our past in common, but just like the past, we are still as different from one another now as we were then, and our struggles have been just as different, but struggling is still common ground. We have been broken and hurt by the effects of an imperfect world, but for those of us who have clung to our faith- we are better for it. For those who have not- my heart just breaks!

This group of people that I shared Sunday nights with, weekend rallies, mission trips and summer camps with, is the group I grew up with. Together we went from freshmen to legal "adults". But it's been the circumstances after high school that have caused us to truly grow up. There are days that I long for the innocent and carefree days of high school. Sunday afternoons at the lake on the first sunny day of spring, pick-up softball games, wandering the mall, ferry rides in downtown Seattle, phonecalls full of laughter and boytalk. We had plans for our future, but for the most part, we had no clue of what the future would really look like. But God did! Nothing has been a surprise to Him and nothing has taken place out of His control. There is peaceful confidence that comes from knowing I worship a God who is purposeful and loving, a God who always works for my good, which in the end, means a God who is working in my life to keep me running to Him, growing in my love for Him, and a God who loves me beyond my understanding. And so, although my heart hurts for my friends who have experienced hard and trying things in life, my heart hurts even more knowing that some of them are trying to carry their burdens alone, and some still do not know the joy that comes from resting in Him. I pray that they will remember the truths we were taught at all those events- Jesus Christ came and suffered and died, so that we, imperfect sinners, don't have to suffer for eternity.

Life in high school is about sports and essays, boyfriends and first kisses. Life after is hard, but the older I get and the more trials I see my friends encounter- the more I honestly yearn for my home, which is part of His plan- I know.

The Pre-Christmas Fun

2010-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here's pictures of some of the fun things we did to get ready for Christmas...

My girls love to help in the kitchen!! Here, they are finishing off the top of the almond roca.

Here's some of the finished goodies. We tried some new recipes like peppermint bark and cookie dough truffles. Along with some old favorites, the almond roca and peanut butter fudge. Oh what December does to my waistline!!!

I had gotten some crafts that were clearanced out at Michael's. They had done a real gingerbread house at Sawyer's. So these were our slightly less messy foam kits that also didn't add to the sugar rush. I have found that when you have two busy girls- anything that keeps their hands busy helps reduce the arguments! We also made a ton of foam snowmen, but you don't need all the pictures, right.

One night Michael and Alex spent the night to have a movie night with Kevin. This meant that they had to first accompany us to the Christmas light show at the fairgrounds. It's always so nice to have extra sets of hands!

Kacia insisted on having a picture with the baby- not quite sure why.

They were very much into their silly smiles/faces...

...as you can see.

Kaitlin and Ian came to visit, which is always a big hit in this house! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Kaitlin that she would approve of my posting (she hates the candid pictures that you take, but don't warn her ahead of time). But she and the little baby arriving in June(!) looked absolutely beautiful!

Here's us on Christmas Eve before dinner and church (and with all of our arms still functioning!)

The Golden's before dinner.

The picture of K & I is on Bre's camera and Kaitlin's :(

So that's us in the very busy and fun month of December.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T16:31:00.001-08:00

After getting home from the hospital a little before 1, Kaitlin kindly helped me stuff stockings and put the gifts around the tree while Kevin went to the pharmacy. I'm quite certain I have never moved so fast so early in the morning!

Discovering the mysteries that hide inside the stockings...

This boy loves dental hygiene! I think he would have been totally content with just his new automatic toothbrush!

At Grandma & Grandpa's the unwrapping continued...

Lincoln was so tired! While the adults were eating dinner, I peaked around the corner and found him with his blankie, curled up on the chair sucking his thumb! So darn cute!!

Well, the morning was a little quieter than most, as Kacia was a little more calm than her normal self. But I think she still enjoyed the day from the comfort of the couch and Rylin & Lincoln had a blast! Kacia was quite worried that she wouldn't be able to open up her gifts, but she seemed to do just fine with the assistance of mom or Rylin. After a morning at home, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's, and the fun continued. Oh how I LOVE Christmas!

Christmas Eve in the ER

2009-12-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Well, after a really fun day of opening gifts from friends and extended family, hanging out with Kaitlin & Ian and the Goldens, going out for Christmas Eve dinner, then church service, I thought we our night was going to look relatively boring. All of the wrapping was mostly done, stockings needed to be stuffed, but that wasn't going to happen until the girls would finally calm done and drift off to sleep. Kaitlin and I were picking out what movie to watch, when all of a sudden there was hysterical screaming, the kind of screaming that makes your stomach drop and it's so loud you kinda just freeze cuz you're not sure what to do. I rushed into the girls' room and Kacia was on the ground- not crying, but just screaming that she hurt her arm really bad, that she broke her arm. I quickly picked her up and rushed her to the family room to inspect the injury. I'm quite used to my girls making big deals out of little injuries, but one quick feel of the arm and I told Kevin we had to go to the hospital. He ran and found the keys, and we rushed off to the hospital, pajamas and all! And rush is an understatement! I'm quite certain that my husband ran about 8 red lights as I sat in the back and tried to talk to Kacia about silly things, anything to try to distract her from the fact that her arm looked seriously distorted! I'm quite certain I will never forget the shocking way her arm felt in my hands as I so briefly examined it through her thick fleece pj's!

Well, our night in the ER, was a first for our family, we got there a little after 8, and I remember Kevin telling me Merry Christmas as we both watched the clock strike midnight. They had to sedate her to reset the arm, and they splinted it until the swelling goes down and she can get a more permanent cast this coming week. (She was pretty funny as she woke up, "you look like you have 4 eyes" then she'd drift back to sleep, wake up and say the same things over and over again!) The staff was so kind and they took great care of our little girl. I'm quite certain she was mostly in shock, because I've never seen her be so brave! From what we can gather from the story, she was leaning over her footboard trying to look down the hall to get a sneak peak at presents when she somehow fell and obviously landed really, really wrong.

We are trying to look at the good points of the story- it's her left arm, so she can still eat, draw and play wii, it's not a leg- so she can still walk, Kaitlin and Ian were here so Kevin and I were both able to rush off to the hospital without having to think about the other kiddos, it's Christmas break so these first few days of intense pain and needing assistance can be spent at home without missing out, it's winter so she doesn't have to miss out on water activities, etc. God is good, bones will heal and our little girl will most likely never try to sneak a peak at Christmas presents again!

(Kevin has pictures on his phone, I will try to post them when I get them)

Laundry Basket Fun

2009-12-08T22:17:00.001-08:00

This is the girls last March. They love to make "beds" for themselves, complete with a pillow on the bottom, pillow for the back rest, and the favorite blankets. There is always a pattern to the way the beds are assembled and which items are used, and whose basket is which one and so on. But honestly it's been awhile since I've seen them to it. (Maybe the baskets are always too full of clothes!)

Apparently my sweet, thumb-sucking, very busy, almost 18 month old little guy is continuing with the family tradition!

Clapping for himself. He has two blankets and a couple of books in there as well.

Once he saw the stool next to him, he decided to try it out as well.

So this is the kind of stuff Lincoln does. He makes big piles of blankets and pillows in his closet and just sits in there waiting for someone to come and play peek-a-boo. And if no one comes, he picks up the blankets one by one and moves them from one location to another, over and over again. He loves to play in our pop-up fort and under the slide. He is excellent at entertaining himself- which I find an incredibly wonderful attribute! He also loves to put things into other things, including himself. Yesterday the item of the day was his diaper box. He toted that around, putting things into it, books, blankets and then kept attempting to climb into the already full box.

I am absolutely loving this stage. He is so much fun and the differences he brings to our family continue to shine forth!

Fun with My Big Girl

2009-12-03T16:15:00.001-08:00

This is her laughing at the pictures of herself slurping her cone, and the pic of the two of us and my wrinkled cheek.

Slurp. Slurp.

It's so great to be able to reward good behavior instead of always feeling like I'm just harping on the bad.

So back when Rylin had cut her hair, Kacia found it "unfair" that Rylin was able to get her hair cut. It was easy for me to see Kacia thinking that the punishment Rylin received might be worth enduring if it meant getting her own way, and wanting to avoid a personal haircut that could turn out horribly wrong, and desiring to reward patience and obedience- I made her a deal. If she would allow Kevin time to get used to Rylin's haircut, we would cut her's too, and we would make it a fun experience. We would go just the two of us to a salon, instead of a kitchen chair, and then we would go to lunch or something special after. So the time finally came during Thanksgiving break, and one evening we ditched everyone else and had a girls night. We went and got her haircut, and right next door happened to be ColdStone. It was really fun to have one on one time with her and to just be silly!

Thanksgiving Pictures

2009-12-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

The twins looking far too old!

Me & my boy!

Alex entertaining the girls

Kevin makes really good gravy- not a gift of mine!

Breanna always does a great job with the turkey. I've discovered that I actually do like it when it's cooked right! Don't know how I've escaped having to make one, but I hope my luck doesn't run out because I'd be clueless!

We had a wonderful thanksgiving this year. We were missing some of our normal company- the Bonnins and Washington siblings, so it seemed a little more empty without them, and we hope that next year, they can all join us again. But at the same time, it was one of the most relaxed, stress-free thanksgivings I can remember (not that any of the above mentioned people are stressful!). And as we sat around the table- the ten of us- laughing and being silly, I was reminded of how truly thankful I am that God brought my sister and her entire family down to Redding so many years ago. They are such an important part of our daily lives and it is such a true blessing to be able to experience life with them. The twins- now in 8th grade, started kindergarten in Redding, and I think of how much we would have missed out on if God had not moved them here. So as we laughed about Rylin being thankful for jello, and Alex for world peace (he was spinning off of Kacia's very beauty-pageant answer of "friends and family") inside I said a silent prayer, thanking my Father for His incredible sovereignty in leading our families to grow up together! We love you Pete, Breanna, Michael, Allie and Alex!

Never Too Late for a New Tradition

2009-11-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

This year I started a new tradition. I gave the kids their Christmas pajamas the day after Thanksgiving- which is the day we start celebrating the holiday. I figured we may as well get as much use out of them as we can, plus it's another way for the kids to get super excited about celebrating this wonderful time of year!

Rylin's 4!!

2009-11-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

Rylin loved all the phone calls from her family on her big day!

Sportin her new Dora sunglasses

Rylin loves to be my helper in the kitchen!

Do you think she enjoyed herself?

Our little girl is a four year old! Her birthday was last Sunday and we had a great time at a gymnastic party for her. I've been waiting to post the pictures until I had time to write about what she is like at 4, but time is hard to find right now, so I figured I should get the pictures up before it's December!

Thanksgiving Memories

2009-11-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

So I'm not a huge fan of Thanksgiving food, but it's really more about the holiday itself that I love. This morning I was showing my girls the parade on tv with the big balloons and telling them of how Auntie Bre and I used to watch this while Grandma Michele would look on from the kitchen, and all of a sudden I got a little nostalgic. So as I stood in my kitchen preparing food for later today, I started thinking of all of the things I associate with Thanksgiving and of all of the Thanksgivings that stand out the most to me. My mom was quite traditional in celebrating the holidays, and the older that I get the more I see how ingrained this is in me, as this year, with it just being the Goldens and us, we have the freedom to mix it up and go out of the box, but our menu consists of primarily the same dishes.

Here's my thoughts: Today I miss the Wednesday night pie social and service at church, my brothers coming home all muddy from football, celebrating with the Pieczonkas, and Tim & Sabrina, James & Samantha, and Kaitlin & Ian.

Here's the years that stick out: 1995- Breanna was so sick pregnant with the twins, she stayed upstairs all day on my parent's bed to escape the smells, but she insisted I sneak her up bites of mom's stuffing. I, being the "obedient one" was scared of getting in trouble- but she was quite convincing.

1998- My first Thanksgiving with Kevin's family in Redding. Little did I know that this town which decided to scare me with an earthquake that weekend, would be the town that would become my home and the place I would raise my children.

2001- Our last Thanksgiving with mom, too many thoughts to share.

2003- First Thanksgiving with baby Kacia, and fun game day with family and Zach & prego Megan

2005- Rylin was 2 days old and we hosted the day. I thought it would be easier that way, but I turned out to be an exhausted emotional mess. (But very thankful to no longer be pregnant!)

There's many more thoughts in this head of mine today, but the bread machine finally stopped mixing so it's time to form my last batch of rolls and get the stuffing in the oven- mom's recipe of course, afterall, we are going to Breanna's and I'm not sure she'd open the door if I brought a different one! :)

Today I am thankful for the ability to remember and reminisce. God didn't have to allow our minds the capability of remembering but He did, and today I am thankful for a head full of memories that make me smile and laugh, traditions I can teach my children, and the way I can look back and see God's gracious and kind Hands at work continually in my life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Festival

2009-11-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

Rylin started off by painting Dora which I attempted to draw on with a pencil. The eyes were looking good, and even the mouth at one point, and then somehow it became a little more abstract (see below).

Kacia wanted to be independent from the beginning, and so with no real plan in play, she just picked up a brush and started going.

This is Lincoln's pumpkin. I know what you're thinking- not bad for a one year old, but a little weak for a 30 year old.

On Halloween, we gave Lincoln a mohawk. So we shaved the sides, and then he went down for his nap. The bedhead he woke up with was quite entertaining. It had so much movement and body! Oh my guy is too cute!

This was a picture I took for Kevin, so that he could see the incredible height from the side.

He was our skater boy, complete with new Vans, a Hurley t-shirt and a tiny little skateboard that spent too much time in his mouth. I liked the fact that all aspects of the costume are very practical and useful, and once you take the hair away, pretty normal.

Rylin was Dora, a little more pale than normal, but complete with an outfit that clashes just perfectly :)

Kacia was a cheerleader for WSU. This was a recycled costume of Allie's, and Kacia liked that it was for the school that Uncle Tim can't get away from. :)

So here's my pics that I never loaded from our Fall Festival. It was one of those crazy days for me, Kevin worked all day and I tried to do too many things with the kids that I became grumpy and stressed, but we survived, and for the most part- even had a little fun!

My kids make me laugh...

2009-11-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a few funny things I heard in my home today. There's always a few quotes that make me smile everyday.

Rylin: "I put a headband on because I needed my face to be out of my hair."

Kacia: "Mom, I've got great news! I'm a real reader! It's true, I can read all the words now."

Lincoln: "Backback, backback."(With accompanied dance moves and rocking hips when Dora sings backpack, backpack)

And this conversation in the car after school:

Kacia: "Oh, I think I lost Wolly." (a small stuffed animal from Uncle James and Samantha that hangs on her backpack)

Rylin (so concerned): "Oh, Kacia, I'm so sorry. Don't be sad, I will help you find it."

Kacia (very matter of factly): "It's okay Rylin. Because, you see, I don't really need toys and stuffed animals so much anymore. When I was little like you, I did really like stuffed animals, but now that I am big I just like things like chapter books instead."

Mom: "Does that mean you don't want any toys for Christmas? Just books?"

Kacia (realizing the implications of what she had just said): "Well, that's okay, you can still get me toys- if you want. I don't care, I don't think I need books for Christmas...."

STOP YELLING!!!

2009-11-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

BE PATIENT! CALM DOWN! STOP YELLING! Sadly these are phrases that I find coming out of my mouth more times than I'd like to admit. And the majority of the times that I am "loudly proclaiming" these statements to my girls, I simultaneously recognize this ironic truth in my behavior- that I am acting just as much out of control as they are.

This last Monday, as I sat under biblical teaching, I was convicted, greatly, greatly convicted. My oldest daughter is what some would call passionate and dramatic, and what we often call, overly emotional, quick to anger, and a huge drama queen. We have days, weeks and even months where I see progress, control, and change. And then we have days, weeks and months that are filled with meltdown after meltdown. Our beautiful little girl is an angel at school. She is every teacher's dream: obedient, task-oriented, a leader, and respectful. But at home, she somehow, often "loses it". And I will find myself challenging her- "Would you talk to your teacher that way?" "Would you throw a fit at school like that?" "Would you treat a friend in your class like that?" "Why can't you show me the same respect you show Mrs. Silva?" And then this week I was reminded of these sad truths: 1> My daughter feeds off of me and my attitude. 2> My daughter does the same thing that adults do- she shows her worst side at home.

As I sat there and listened to what purity should look like, how when we are pure at heart, the outside matches the inside, there is a true transparency in our behavior, I realized that if I expect my daughter to act at home like she acts in public, I need to set the example! I know that there are many times that I would not use the same tone or phrasing in my discipline if a neighbor was over (or even if a window was open!). I desire so much to be less of the person my kids see so often, and more of the woman that God created me to be- a self-controlled mother and wife with a kind and quiet spirit and a desire to live with a pure heart, always seeking righteousness. So as I have sought help from the Lord this week to respond and discipline in love and not out of anger or frustration, I must admit that our week has gone so much better! The amount of meltdowns has decreased, the sass of the tongue has been a little less, and the overall stress of our home has been completely different. Now I know that training her little heart is going to be a continual work, and there are going to be days that go smoother, and days that, let's face it, are somewhat miserable. But if I desire to change and shape her heart, I have to start first with my own. So pray for me. Pray that I will continually seek strength from our perfect Father, encouragement and wisdom from His Word, and pray for change! To Him be the glory!

Fall Fun

2009-11-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

On Friday we had the Goldens over for a late b-day celebration for Breanna. My girls strongly feel that every birthday must be celebrated with a proper party and since Bre and I were in Ashland for a Women's Retreat on her big day- we were a little late in celebrating. But we had great fun enjoying dinner together and doing a fall favorite- caramel apples. It was great to have a few extra hands to help with this very messy task! My kids have the best cousins- they are such great sports and my kids absolutely love doing things with them!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

My kids LOVE the pumpkin patch! It's not a rare thing to be asked in the middle of February when we get to go to the pumpkin patch, and then later to be asked again in May, July, etc. (I think you get the picture!) So when October hit, they were super excited that it was finally pumpkin patch time. Kacia got to go earlier in the month with her girl scout troop and Rylin had such a great attitude about Kacia going and her not, that the next day, I surprised Rylin and took her and Lincoln to our "smaller" patch. It was the middle of the day in the middle of the week, so pretty empty. The kids walked through the patch, talked to the animals and played on the playground. We picked out little pumpkins, spent a total of $2.50, and that 1/2 hour just made my little girl's day!

Then this week, Kacia's class went on a field trip to the "bigger" patch and I and the kiddos came along too. It was fun, but got a little hectic trying to push the stroller in thick gravel and then carrying Lincoln and pumpkins (my own kids' and Kacia's classmates') through the patch back to the train was a bit much for one mamma. So last night, we went to Family Night so that Kevin could come too. It's way more fun with my family complete, and being there with friends was a great bonus too. It got dark a little too quickly to be able to do everything that is offered, but hopefully my kids finally got their fill of the pumpkin patch.

Me with my crazy & silly kiddos

These were the most social and engaging cows I have ever been around. They just kept mooing and my kids just kept laughing! Lincoln loved them- that is until they made eye contact and mooed simultaneously, or when more than one mooed at a time. But he did kinda learn a new word. Now when you say "what does a cow say?" he goes "mmmm." Does that count as a word?

Playing in the corn box

Sawyer and Kacia on the cow train

Kevin and Lincoln

Megan and Fisher

Rylin riding Betsy

Now hopefully, that was enough trips to the farm to hold them over, at least for a few months!

Sisters Make Great Jungle Gyms

2009-10-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Kacia reading to Lincoln (I'm pretty sure he started jumping on the couch as soon as I snapped this picture. He's not really into sitting still for books yet- but it's great that we're starting to have another reader in the house.)

Anytime the girls are in a somewhat climbable position- Lincoln jumps at the opportunity.

He actually does full, complete somersaults. It's quite entertaining!

Honestly, sometimes they're just crouching down to look for a toy under the coffee table or something, and Lincoln just takes it as an open invitation to jump on his personal jungle gym.

Sometimes they think it's fun, and continue to let him climb all over, other times, especially if he gets stuck on their hair, it's not so fun.

So our house has been inflicted with "the bug" for the last week and a half. So we haven't gone anywhere exciting or done anything worthy of picture taking. It's just been a lot of time spent at home. And this is what happens in our home...

Kinda funny... but don't tell Kevin

2009-10-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you who know my wonderful husband Kevin, you know that the poor guy is grossed out by the spit-up and snot of our own dear children. Sometimes, it's actually humorous to witness his reactions to these very normal encounters since we have 3 small children. So this morning when he came home and told me that "the grossest thing just happened to me" I was preparing myself for something quite minor. He proceeded to tell me that as he stepped out of his car into the Safeway parking lot- he stepped in, slipped on and fell in a pile of vomit! Now that is actually something that everyone would find disgusting! Then tonight when he came home for dinner, he told me that he never expected to fall in throw-up and get pooped on in the same day! I honestly couldn't help but laugh! Apparently, a bird pooped on his shoulder and managed to get some on his ear as well. And the kicker is- he didn't notice until he was in a store and rubbed the top of his ear and felt something slimy! Then he discovered the poop that was all over his shoulder. Honestly what are the chances of these two events happening to someone on the same day, and of all people Kevin!!!

Rylin's New 'Do

2009-10-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

The long back that was untouched by her little scissors

Just a few layers she decided to add around her face :)

I was trying to capture the underneath here because it was by far the shortest of the cuts, but it kind of gets lost in all the surrounding blondness.

Her little bob is quite fitting for her, and very easy to fix! Hopefully, this will be my only "kid haircutting" story.

Rylin knew that cutting hair was naughty, we've had many conversations about how kids should never cut their own or other's hair. And I honestly thought we might escape this rite that almost all little girls go through. That was until I found a chunk of hair on the ground that was clearly not ripped out by little brother because of it's very blunt edge. But I think we got pretty lucky, it could have been a lot worse! She looks quite cute, she calls it her "mommy haircut" and looks shocked every morning when she realizes it's still short. I've tried to explain it took her nearly four years to grow her hair that long, but she clearly doesn't get the permanence of it all. Gotta love the thinking of "3 and a half and a quarter" year olds!