our little life

Come. Warm yourself by the fire.

2012-01-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

the poor third child...

2012-01-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

I laugh every time I see this picture of Charlotte trying to join in with the big sisters and their friend Makayla. The butt bump will keep you on the outs every time!

Me and my cousins and You and your cousins

2011-11-19T13:21:00.000-08:00

We spent the weekend in the Bay area attending my grandmother's funeral. It was a sweet service and we were so happy to be able to see some of my extended family that we don't usually get much time with. Jonah and I decided to stay an extra day with my cousin Robin, her husband JT and her 3 beautiful girls. We went downtown San Francisco for lunch and treats. It was really a ton of fun and a wild "girly" time!

Doesn't this picture look like I have a baby bump? The answer is NO! Poor coat placement! Ha!

I am so blessed to have family that I connect with. If only we lived closer!

For the Cure

2011-10-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

It was an early morning. Why is a cancer run at 7:30am? I went with my sister and her friend to walk the 5k Race for the Cure in Eugene. I worried it would be an emotional event, and it did have its moments. But it was more that I was seeing the event from my sisters' perspective. It's such a personal battle and to have strangers acknowledging you, being invited into your disease and survival, that would be very uncomfortable.
At 9:30 was a family 1k and it was really fun having her kids walk with us. It was good to have a "fun" part to having a mom with a serious illness. There was ice cream and treats and all the free pink trinkets (pens, stickers, key chains etc) that a kid could ever ask for. I always have to chuckle now when I see a pink ribbon because Stella says: "That shirt has breast cancer" or "That bag has breast cancer".

I sorry to be invited into the crappy club of "directly affected by breast cancer" and more saddened but relieved that my sister is a "Breast Cancer Survivor".

{not} Creepy Mustaches

2011-10-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

As a joke, we wore mustaches to a camping trip with some friends. We thought it would be a five minute thing, roll up sporting them, laugh and then take them off. Foiled by the fact that our friends hadn't arrived at the camping spot yet. The kids were troopers and ran around (even Charlotte) for a good 20 minutes with their mustaches on. My favorite part was when the park ranger came over to introduce himself to us and I met him, holding Charlotte, both of us sporting our sweet 'stache. He didn't even bat an eye at it, even after I introduced us as the Mustache family.

Hello Pain, Come Run with Me

2011-09-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

It has been quite the year. I've started several posts and have really been unable to put into words all the challenges we've been facing this year.

I've gone back to running (hello old friend) and today I was thinking while huffing and puffing that it is good to be alive. Even if that means feeling pain, stress, sadness...I am alive. I was thanking God that my sister is still alive. Alive to go through cancer, but still alive.

We still had summer fun. LOTS of slumber parties with the cousins.

Camping with our Aunts and Uncles.

Charlotte asks when Jonah is gone: Where Daddy?

Me: At work.

Charlotte: I wanna go fishing!!!

I am choosing to not ignore or comfort my pain away. I'm very blessed that we get to have life in the midst of all this.

I wear Pink for My Sister

2011-06-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

Trying on my sisters wig.

The Latest...

2011-05-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

1. After nearly 8 years, we no longer have a crib in our house. I could cry.

2. A song heard lately around the house: Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir. Three bags full. One for my master, one for the lame.

3. Birthday week has come and gone. I survived. The girls thought is was wonderful and amazing.

4. The girls are official fisherwomen! They were naturals.

5. Jonah finished his 2nd Marathon. The girls were proud to cheer him on.

6. My sister still has cancer. It still totally sucks. We are getting through on grace.

I'm running a marathon

2011-04-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

It's called cancer.

I was driving to see my sister last night after her news that she has Invasive Ductal Cancer in her breast and lymph nodes. Somehow my mind flashed to what I was doing a year ago when I had full control over my life and my schedule. I was just 2 weeks away from running a marathon. I remember telling someone that if I could find it in me to train and run with a newborn, 2 other small kids, church, schedules etc then I didn't have the excuse anymore to say I couldn't do something.
My heart was pierced as God spoke to me that this was why my life was so "easy" last year. I could focus on training. I had the time to spend alone. I was not even bothered by a hip injury during my race day. He gave me my "marathon experience" for this new season of my life right now.

Dealing with her cancer is going to take time, energy, patience. It's not like a sprint, or a short run. It's not even like a full marathon, which is hard/fulfilling and over in a few hours. This is an ultimate. Months, maybe years of pushing. No finish line in sight. It requires focus, pacing, positive mental thinking.

Hebrews 12:1 ...Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us... vs 7 Endure hardships as discipline...vs 11 It produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Persevere, Endure. Be trained by it. That is how God works good out of sucky things.

Other funny things she says...

2011-04-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Stella, turning 5 on May 4th. Here is some of her dictionary additions:

Hanatizer: Hand Sanitizer
Paint Nolish: Nail Polish
Oosker: Easter

Being Sneaky

2011-03-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Imagine a very instructive tone

Stella: Mom. Running Shoes are for running. Sneakers are for sneaking.

Cancer makes me want to cuss

2011-03-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Reasons my sisters cancer makes me want to cuss:

Being told that she is very serious, but not having surgery openings for 3 weeks
Not having her actual diagnosis and treatment plan until after surgery
The thousands of possibilities said diagnosis and treatment plan could be
The feeling that I can only be one or the other: tough as nails or a pile of mush. I've spent the last 12 days being as tough as nails and 2 hours last night being a pile of mush.
Wanting to come up with something funny: a cool slogan, name for her cancer, tee shirt....anything to make it be funny and get it away from being serious
Having no control over her cancer, treatment, her schedule
Feeling like I have no control over my schedule
Feeling like"my life" is being interrupted by her emergency and knowing that thinking that means I'm a selfish jerk
All the possibilities of what could happen to my sister this year and the rest of her life

Adventures in living...

2011-03-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a year already. We've survived the flu, a 3 week family emergency (I won't elaborate online) and now for the shocker...My sister has breast cancer. This started last week when she thought she had a breast infection from nursing. An urgent care visit turned into an ultrasound, mammogram, biopsy, another mammogram, and a chest MRI.
This week has been emotional, stressful, tiring. With my sisters' 4 kids under 7, including a 6 month old, my mom and I have called up to duty. She will have a mastectomy in a few weeks and then....we won't know until after the surgery.
We've always said that my mom's colon cancer 4 1/2 years ago was one of the best things that ever happened to my family. It drew us closer. It strengthened her relationship with my dad, with Jesus. It is what turned my dad's heart toward the church. Who would wish for trials? I've been studying James 1 with a group of Jr. High girls the last 7 months and it says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers,

whenever you face trials of many kinds

because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,

not lacking anything.

I do not wish for trials. I do want to be mature and complete. Here I am again learning to lay down my wants and surrender my time. Oh God, may you receive glory.

Nothing like cancer to make you delight in small things. I took the girls on a nature hike today. The big girls drug large sticks and Charlotte waddled after them with her twig, singing in baby language at the top of her lungs. I kept asking her if she wanted me to carry her and she would say:
No fhank ew, Mama!
What I wouldn't give to have a film crew follow me and record these moments.

State Puff Marshmallow

2011-02-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

My friend Karen gave me this snow suit for Charlotte. I tried a variety of camera angles to try to capture just how fluffy she was with it on. I couldn't help but think of the movie "A Christmas Story" when the kid is so bundled up that he can't put his arms down. We are not quite to that degree here, but she did have difficulty getting back up if she fell over. I do love the toddler stage.

Adrianne and Stella made pet snowballs.

They named them "Snowy and Snowah".

There's no business like snow business!

2011-02-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

In the Willamette Valley, you have to make the most of the snow that you get. They didn't cancel Adrianne's school, but I let her stay home. No sense in trying to learn when the distraction level at school will be at the max.

Poor Charlotte. Barkley is terrorizing her in the snow, constantly knocking her down and making her gloves come off. Every five seconds she is shrieking and yelling " NO NO Barky!

Stella spent breakfast trying to convince me to shovel the snow off of the roof into the yard so we'd have more to play in....sounds like a broken leg to me. It continues to snow even now, so hopefully, maybe by the end of the day we might be able to break out the sleds and have a ride.

Sweet Pea ~ Apple of my eye!

2011-02-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

It kills me to see Charlotte so grown up, so full of personality.

Wasn't it yesterday that I was bringing her home from the hospital?

She is a total ham and a copy cat.

I'm in love with this dear thing.

My Anthem

2011-02-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Things have been sketchy around here with some stressful family situations going on. Frequently I have to turn this song (Psalm 62 by Shane & Shane) on loud and just let it go. I'm so grateful that I have a way to cope. My favorite part is when it says "I lay my head upon His chest". Thank you Jesus for your comfort.

I'm getting old{er}

2011-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Stella: I know why they call it a forehead!
Me: Why?
Stella: Because YOU have 4 lines on there!

3 Dog Family

2011-01-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Meet Barkley, our new puppy. He is a yellow lab. Neighbors of my parents had 12 puppies and the girls' Papa couldn't resist one coming to live at our house. Charlotte picked him; she walked right up and scooped him up in her arms.

Adrianne: His name is Broccoli. I mean Barkley. I get it confused with my vegetables.

Stella (after hearing him whine): It's okay Barkley! We're on your side!

Overheard at Story Book Land

2010-12-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Charlotte: WHHHHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

Santa: She really has a piercing cry!

Adrianne: Where is my letter to Santa??

"Dear Santa,

I would like M&M's, a barbie, a necklace, a bracelet, nail polish and a new dress"

Daddy: Stella, Don't you want to sit with Santa and tell him what you want for Christmas?

Stella: THAT Santa is not getting us any presents!

Merry Christmas From The Langs

Favorite Christmas Traditions....

2010-12-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. I love the richness of it...the family time. The break of our regular routine...the regular books we read...the regular way our house looks. Everything about Christmas to me feels cozy and comfortable. Some of it has to do with the way we do Christmas that has really helped to take the stress out of this time of year. We have many family traditions and are always on the hunt for more!

Our favorites so far are:

1. Traveling Nativity:
On the 1st of December, Mary and Joseph start their journey to the manger from my bedroom closet. Every night when the girls are in bed, I move Mary and Joseph somewhere else in the house. The girls love to hunt around until they find where Mary and Joseph have traveled to. Christmas Eve they arrive in the manger and then Christmas morning, Jesus is there!

2. Tag-less Christmas presents (Thanks Tammy!):
Every year I pick a different wrapping paper for each child and wrap their gifts in that paper. The presents go under the tree with no to and from on it and it isn't until Christmas morning that I reveal who's paper is whose. This helps my girls keep their "mitts" off the gifts since they don't know which one is for them. I don't have to hear any "Hers is bigger then mine" or any other such silliness that make me turn into the Grinch.

3. Present limit:
We bought a book last year called "The Three Christmas Gifts" and ever since, we've begun limiting what we buy for our girls. This year besides the usual small stocking gifts, our kids will receive 2 presents. We want them to know that we picked special things for them and we don't want that to get lost in "over giving". I've also asked the grandparents to limit their gifts, which was a challenge but hopefully will go better this year!

4. Christmas Party:
We no longer exchange presents with my siblings. Instead we have a party a week or so before Christmas where we decorate cookies and make crafts. My kids LOVE this! On Jonah's side, we draw names so my kids only receive one present from all of the cousins.

5. Christmas Birthday Cake:
We want to emphasize the fact that it is Jesus' birthday that we are celebrating. Every year since Adrianne was 2, we've been making birthday cake for dessert for Jesus. We go all out, decorating it, candles to blow out and then we sing....!

6. We stay home!
This is by far my new favorite tradition. We've always been torn between families since we live in the same town as both sides and while we enjoy seeing everyone on Christmas Day, it gets a little harried by the end of the day. The kids are grouchy, they want to play with their new toys, they are overstimulated. We are all too tired. So last year I finally put my foot down and we decided that the grandparents can visit us on Christmas Day but we are not going anywhere. We had a wonderful, relaxing day last year and I'm expecting more of the same this year.

I know there are some other cool traditions out there that I'm missing out on. I know I want to start a "Jesse Tree" (Bethany, you're going to make me ornaments, right? Ha!). What is your family's favorite Christmas Tradition?

My Talented Husband

2010-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

Jonah has began calling himself "The overenthusiastic Hobie-st", since he has many things he likes to do, wants to do, dreams of doing. When he comes up with a new thing, he gets all the "stuff" and then learns everything there is to know about it. To my benefit, this past year, he has gotten the photography bug.

Jonah did a photo shoot yesterday with my sister Stephanie, her husband Josh and their kids. Even though it was really cold, he managed to get some great shots of their family.

Ready for the weather!

2010-11-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

Our favorite past time. Hot tubing when it's snowing!

For Free!

2010-11-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

I am super excited that it is the 17th of November...That means it's almost the 26th of November....That means I can get out my Christmas decorations without my husband thinking I'm totally crazy!! I'll admit; I have most of my shopping already done. I've been secretly snacking on mint M&M's for weeks now and humming Christmas carols. I even broke out the Little People Nativity. I can't wait to start the count down!
I was really excited to stumble on a promotion that Shutterfly is offering bloggers right now. They have an amazing line of Christmas Cards and for telling you about them, I get 50 free cards! SCORE! Now I'll lay awake at night trying to decide what pictures to use for this years' card...
I'm thinking about using this layout:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/with-love-blue-christmas-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Or this one:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/we-heart-you-holiday-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Or this one:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/joy-love-story-holiday-5x7-photo-card-5x7-photo?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Mostly, I'd just be happy to successfully get Christmas cards out this year instead of sending them as thank you's in January!

You can get your own free photo cards by going here: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Oh I can't wait to trim my Christmas Tree!

Beach Babes

2010-10-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful break from life this week. We headed to Beachside State Park to sleep in the Yurts, play in the sand and go crabbing in the bay. I was concerned about the weather before we left. It was supposed to be WET. I even ordered Stella a new coat for the trip (which I completely forgot to pack!) to be sure that we could still have fun even if it rained. We were pleasantly surprised...Dry weather everyday, Sunshine, light wind...totally pleasant. The rain stayed away except during the night. The girls played and dug. Stella loved watching the "Sea Eagles" as she called them. Charlotte loved being walked by Grandma's Dog.

Uncle Jack going Dune Diving! Determined that his rain fly from his tent would make a good parachute. I think he needed a bigger cliff!

Let's Be Candid

2010-10-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Charlee took some great pictures of our family. Since the girls love their "aunties" so very much, we thought they'd treasure having pictures with them.

Our life right now is lived very candidly. That's why I love the picture that I put as our new blog header. Adrianne dancing, Stella marching, Charlotte trying to get away. What a good life we have. What a happy family. We are blessed beyond measure.

marathonrunnerdad

2010-10-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday on 10/10/10, Jonah ran and finished his first marathon! It has been a long 16 weeks of training, but he did it without complaining. We got up early on Sunday and walked from our hotel to the start line. It was dark, raining like crazy and windy. 10,000 runners joined him running the 26.2 mile course around Portland. The rain didn't let up the whole time.

It was a very proud moment for me to watch him round the corner at the 26 mile mark. Having done my own marathon this past May, I know the cost: the work, the time and commitment. I was so glad for him to have the feeling of accomplishment and victory that I have.

Yay Jonah! 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 58 minutes!

Do you need fashion help?

2010-09-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

I have a fashionista for hire!

Stella has always marched to the beat of her own drummer when it comes to getting dressed. Starting around 2, she began to dress herself and has always come up with the most interesting combinations. I describe her style as gypsy meets Palm Springs, FL. The above picture is her Sunday morning outfit of choice and yes, I did let her wear it to church.

Charlotte has a shoe obsession. She loves to try on any shoes that are lying around. Here she is with some of Sister's cowboy boots on. What a doll! I've been known to bring down a basket of shoes just to entertain her.

And lastly, a bonus shot of my lovely Adrianne. Isn't she looking so grown up? She's very concerned this year about "matching" and not in the "this is pink and so is this and so is this" way that she was when she was three.

Sometimes the world looks better this way...

2010-09-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

Charlotte is the first of my kids that thinks looking between their legs is super funny. She sets her self upside down and then laughs and laughs at us. It is so sweet. On another note, She has become a "Daddy's Girl". I love to watch her hold Jonah and stroke his neck. I melts my heart (his too) to have her love her daddy so.

I see you shine in your way. go on. go on. go on.

2010-09-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

Jonah and I headed up to Troutdale last week to catch a concert on the lawn at McMenamin's. We saw Vampire Weekend (which if you are unfamiliar with them is not a band about vampires) and had a thoroughly wonderful time despite the fact that it poured down rain for the 5 hours that we stood outside.

The company was good. The food was good. Even the beer was good (Ruby is about the only beer I like). And nothing beats a night in a hotel with the man you love and sleeping until you want to wake up.

Don't let your kids learn anything!

2010-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Me: Okay girls, I'm going to lay down for 5 minutes.

After a few minutes...

Adrianne: Mom, I think it's been 5 minutes.

Me (with eyes closed): No it hasn't.

Adrianne: Yes! It's been 5 minutes. I counted to 60 five times!

AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

2010-08-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

How can I be the mother of a child that is big enough to lose a tooth? Adrianne has had a loose tooth for about a month now. I find the whole losing teeth thing very gross. I don't like the wiggling, the sound, the idea of the root breaking. I've been hoping that the thing would just hurry up and fall out. Last night she got it to the point where it would flop over (ick) and this morning she could twist it around (eww). On the way home from swimming lessons, she began to shriek! It's out!

Streaks

2010-08-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

What is more cute then a dimply baby butt?

I love that if you give a kid some water they can entertain themselves for hours. Forget fancy toys and gadgets...Give them a bucket and a stick! Makes me remember the summers when I was a kid and we played outside all day without a toy in sight. Just our imaginations. My kids do have their fair share of toys, but I do love that they love to play and pretend. The old washer/dryer set has been awesome. Adrianne pointed out to me:
It can be a doctor office (put up the ironing board)
It can be a kitchen (make soup in the washer)
Or we can do the wash!

Frog Prince

2010-07-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Jonah took the girls fishing at the neighborhood pond. His favorite thing to do is fish for bullfrogs. You take a red bobber and wiggle it in the water. Something about the color is so fascinating to the frogs that they can not help themselves but swim after it. This frog that the girls named "Bob" actually swallowed the bobber and was scooped up in a net and brought home. Jonah egged the girls on to kiss it. Although they weren't afraid to hold it, neither really wanted to put their lips on it. Jonah got Stella to hold the pose and just after the picture was taken, Adrianne pushed the frog into her lips! What a pesky sister thing to do! The frog only had to live in our pool for about 5 minutes before it was determined that he would never survive being manhandled by the girls and so he was set free. This frog after all, was only a frog.

Fire Ladies

2010-07-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Daddy at work. I do love having pictures of the girls at the fire station. It will be really cool if one day, one of them becomes a "fire lady" as Stella calls women firefighters. They are so proud of their dad.

Little Firecrackers

2010-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

I've finally become brave enough to attempt taking pictures on the manual modes on the new camera. It is a challenge to me to try to look to see how they are turning out and make the necessary adjustments while keeping my "subjects" happy...in the mood...present (Charlotte just crawls off). I thought these turned out pretty cute even though the perfectionist in me is disappointed that I didn't even think to get matching outfits for the girls. I mean, hello, how many more years do I have where I can convince the sisters that dressing alike is cool? It is only 4th of July people (really just reassuring myself). Man do I have 3 beautiful girls!

Among the very best

2010-06-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

I know this is the time of year when everyone says generic statements about how their husband is the best dad and I ~~love~~ hate to brag, but I have to say that this man, Jonah Lang is truly that.
He is not just a great man as evident by even just the moment I met him. He was kind, funny, respectful. He instantly sought to be a peacemaker in my family. True story, on my grandmother's deathbed she took my hand and said to me: "Becky, I just want you to know how much I love Jonah." Those were her last words to me.
He has always been a hard worker and has done whatever it took to support our family. I have always been impressed by his humility. Even working jobs I felt were beneath him when times were tough.
He is a hands on dad. Dancing, tea parties, little house on the prairie play...taking our girly girls fishing and hiking, dirt digging. He is a rock star to them and they yell and holler when he gets home from work.
The most impressive thing about Jonah is that he is a lover of me, which I know is a very difficult job at times. He is ever patient with my stubbornness and my sassy moods. Here it is, 11 years after our wedding and he is still in full pursuit of my heart (He already has it, but shhhh....I'm enjoying the chase).
What did I ever do to deserve this man?
Happy Father's Day to the real World's Greatest Dad!

Miss Piggy

2010-06-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Oh Charlotte... you're hair is amazing. You are way way ahead of the sisters in the hair department. I have to hold you with my legs while I attempt to brush that sweet little red fluff into cute little pig tails. You are the cutest baby on the planet.

Solo

2010-06-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, our Mama Cat had 6 kittens. One died right away. Then she disappeared into the forest with them and we didn't see them for a month. Last Friday when I came down in the morning to get Adrianne ready for school I heard the sound...tiny meowing coming from outside. There she was a tiny kitten sitting alone on the back porch. I had no choice but to leave her there. I was hoping that Mama Cat was just out bringing the other kittens back up too. So for several hours the poor thing cried and cried. Finally I gave up and went to the vet for a bottle and kitten milk. It was a frustrating process trying to get her to eat and I would say that I was in a losing battle. The girls were so delighted by the kitten's arrival but I warned them that we would do our best but even then the baby kitten might not live. There is nothing more distressing then hearing your 4 and 6 year old praying with eyes squeezed shut and hands folded that Jesus would help their kitty. The next morning the Mama Cat was back on the porch. I brought her in to the kitten, but she didn't want to have anything to do with her. She would just hop out every time I put her in. So I held her down so the baby could nurse. When Jonah got home from work, he followed the Mama down in the forest to see if he could find the other babies. He did manage to find her "nest" and there they were, all dead. We've been able to continue to catch the Mama and make her nurse to the point where is now willing to do it on her own. The girls are calling the kitten "Rosie" but Jonah wants to name it Solo since it the single survivor. Don't you love the crazy eye smile Adrianne has?

Kindergarten Graduate

2010-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

Adrianne Dianne Lang is now a Kindergarten Graduate. When I informed her I would be crying at her ceremony, she sighed, rolled her eyes and said: MMMOOMMMAHHHH! in a very 15 year old girl way. Her amazing teacher, Mandy Seibert, said it best when she related their growth to the metamorphosis a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. This year I have watched my little girl grow and change and transform. I am so proud and am in wonder that she once was this tiny dancing toddler and now is a confident happy child. A first grader! Holy Cow!

Swing Baby

2010-05-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Charlotte,

You are my darling baby. Growing up so quickly. I hardly blink and here you are; transformed from a cuddly squishy baby to mover and shaker.

Dancer.

Banana spitter.

Laugh-er and happy sound maker.

You tease me with nighttime sleep to quickly change back to every night crying. I will gladly do it. Not just because you point at me and say "Dah". Not because you wrap your chubby little arm around my neck as we rock.

You are my beloved little baby. My love for you is deep and pulls at my very soul.

I am so blessed to be a mom. Your mom.

I love you so.

Welcome to the Family

2010-05-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Princess had her kittens on Stella's Birthday. 5 cute little things. She had them on the 3rd shelf in our Potting Cabinet outside. Jonah moved them down to the "maternity suite" aka the cat house and she kept them there for the first week. One morning we came down and they were gone. She moved them in the middle of the night. They are in the forest somewhere and hopefully she will bring them back up when they get bigger.

We've been talking about getting another dog for a few years now. Argus will be 11 this fall and I really wanted to get a puppy to help him feel youthful and also to be already established in our family incase of any likely unfortunate events that may happen in the nearer future of Argus' life. The reality is that I can't handle a puppy right now. I don't want to try to train a puppy with a 1 year old who is an unreliable napper. You either end up with a poorly trainined dog or baby. Either way I'll pass. Plus I'm just not ready to deal with the potential chewing, digging, jumping, biting. Ugh.

It came to our attention that our friends Justin & Samantha needed to find a home for their dog, Molly. Their son is allergic to her and they have been looking for a good home for her. I jumped at the chance to get a grown up dog (She is 4) that is nearly out of the annoying teen dog faze and is not being given away for bad bahavior. The girls were thrilled we got a girl dog to be Argus' "wife". Argus and Molly get along great and it has definatly shaved years off of the way Argus acts. We have a hard time not calling her Zoey since she is the same size and looks just like our friends', the Doty's, dog.

Once we got over her shedding (wow. way more then Argus), we are pleased with our new pet.

FOUR

2010-05-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

My happy four year old! On opening a 2 piece swimming suit:
"Look Mom! My own Ba-Kiki!!"

First Birthday Party

2010-05-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

With Charlotte recovered from her ear infection, we celebrated her first birthday. I made her a giant cupcake and she was super excited when it was sitting on the table in front of her. She kept signing "more" to us. After we sang, I put the whole think in front of her. She put her hands in the frosting and was disgusted. She kept flinging her hands down trying to rid them of the mess. I tried to help her by opening the top of the cake so she could eat the cake part, but she didn't want to have any part of it. The dear girl is not much of a sweet fan. She still does not like to eat peaches, pears or bananas. I thought she'd like this since she does pretty well with cookies and ice cream. Most of the mess on her was done in her frustration to get out of the chair. Oh well!

Marathonrunnermom

2010-05-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Today I completed a full marathon. 26.2 miles in 4 hours 40 minutes.
I am amazed.
Proud.
Tired.
Stiff.
Thankful.
I posted some more pictures on my marathon blog listed on the sidebar. I'll blog the whole story maybe tomorrow on that blog when I can think.

I'm One!

2010-04-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

Sweet Charlotte is now 1 year old. Unfortunately she developed an 104.1 degree fever the night before so we had to cancel her party. Should I mention that we ate her cake since she was sick? Hate to let a good cake go to waste! Another ear infection (ugh), that makes 2 in one month. Now that she is feeling better, we hope to celebrate on Friday.

Girl Club full of Girls

2010-04-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Adrianne's 6th Birthday on Saturday. She wanted a pancake party so her cake was 6 chocolate chip pancakes coated in whipped cream. Six 6 year old's (and Stella) shrieked around our house for 2 hours. Thank goodness for the girl club. We sent them out there so the volume in the house would be at a tolerable level! Six is very silly indeed.

Welcome to the girl club! Would you like to come in?

2010-04-24T09:35:00.001-07:00

Didn’t it turn out cute? Jonah and I worked really hard all week and finished up yesterday afternoon. I love looking out the window and seeing it there.
I wanted it to be like a little house so with the help my my MiL (my sewing machine is evil) we made curtains and the banner for the front. I’ve been hanging on to that Weather station sign for years. My Grandpa Tom gave it to me for my birthday and I’ve never had a home for it. It was just the right spot.
I am so impressed with my husband’s handiness and hardwork. This was a lot longer of a project then we anticipated but with spectacular results. Don’t you agree?

Group Effort

2010-04-22T19:42:00.001-07:00

I had lots of "help" getting the outside of the girl club painted.

Progress...

2010-04-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

The girl club is sided. Next caulk and paint... Hopefully with all this nice weather, we will be able to get a lot done. More to come...

Coming soon to a yard near you...

2010-04-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

The child within me is so jealous of the "Girl Club" that is being built in our yard. We had some left over construction materials from our house and have been saving them just for this: A playhouse that the girls can live in (and by live I mean play in from sunrise to sunset). This is our birthday present to them (we are already way over budget) and with some interior contributions from the Grandma's, it should be an awesome little house. We should finish it in the next week. More pictures to come!

Easter Fun

2010-04-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Charlotte look thrilled? My cute Easter girls!

As a Child, Easter is the only holiday I remember looking forward to being with family. The grandparents I lived near during my childhood didn't enjoy little kids so for Christmas, Thanksgiving etc we were always sent to a back bedroom to play. Easter on the other hand was different. My Grandpa Tom, stern then, would go out to his barn and hide piles of jelly beans for us to find. I remember being so excited for the hunt. Jumping around his hay piles... sometimes finding more then you expected when you'd come across a rogue chicken's nest. It never occured to me to be grossed out that he'd set the jelly beans directly onto the feed bins where cows mouths chomped up their feed. He always said it was his favorite holiday too since the rest of the year he would come across un-found jelly beans while doing his chores.
My parents have taken on the challenge of the barn hunt. Treats enclosed in plastic eggs, thank you!
Hunters: Adrianne, Stella, Faith, Caleb & Joy.

oh, I'm so crafty! (actually I'm a copycat)

2010-03-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

I wish I was so original that I was posting about my own creations. Since that isn't going to happen any time soon...I've been at work lately trying to recreate things I see on other people's blogs.

I bought a set of countdown blocks at Christmas and it was a nice change to a paper chain. The girls are always asking how many days until... and with all 3 birthdays coming I thought a set of countdown blocks for each of them would do nicely. I only have 2 sets done since Michael's only had 4 blocks in stock. I just sanded them lightly, painted them white and then modge podged on scrapbook paper that I had printed the numbers on (and distressed edges with pink ink). The numbers you need are:
0 1 2 3 4 5
0 1 2 6 7 8

Make sure you use a font that the 6 can be turned upside down for the 9. It was very quick and easy.

My next project was to take plastic eggs paint them and then hot glue twine on the bottom. This was much more aggravating to me. How can I, a grown woman, suck at hot gluing things? They turned out cute, despite my ineptness and if I don't look too close, I actually like them.

Twinkle in my eye

2010-03-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

This next story stems from the girls asking where they are in pictures of us before they were born. I've always said they were twinkles in my eye. Here's what I get for explaining it like that!

Adrianne: MOM! I...HAVE...ah...TWINKLE...in my EYE!!!!!

Me: .........(long pause, what she has announced registers)... It's NOT a baby twinkle!

Adrianne: Well, then what kind of twinkle is it?

Me: A happy twinkle... (then I decide to add a moral lesson).... God wants you to get married first and then have a baby. That's God's plan. Some people don't follow God's plan and it is much harder.

Adrianne: Oh, okay. I'll do it the way you said...unless God tells me to do it the other way...

Me: (internally freaking out a bit) NO! God does not want you to have a baby without a husband. If you ever think that God is telling you to have a baby without a husband, you are wrong!

Adrianne: (shrugs) Oh, okay. Then I'll do it the other way.

Oh the little sinner...

2010-03-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

me: Stella, how come you will go upstairs when you want something, but when I ask you to go get dressed you won't go by yourself?

Stella: Well, we all sin sometimes.

Spring Baby!

2010-03-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Oh my dear sweet baby! It's been tradition to sit my spring babies in the daffodils and see what they do. Adrianne wanted to eat the flowers. Stella wanted to eat the bark dust. Charlotte did both! Of course Stella had to join in the photo shoot. What a ham!

I got my craft on! Family Rules.

2010-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have been admiring this project on other people's blogs for awhile now. I really wanted to have some way to post our family's rules and this is such a good idea. It only took me about 2 hours and the cost of the canvas and modge podge.

First I decided on my rules. I am really not fond of my handwriting and I knew that my efforts copying fonts would be crappy so I opted to print them with my computer. This proved to be slightly aggravating and took the most time, but I prevailed. I then distressed the edges of the paper with brown ink. I painted my canvas chocolate brown and sanded it when it dried to give it a distressed look. I lined out my rules and modge podged them down. I used a pampered chef stoneware tool to help them lay flat, but I still ended up with some bubbling. Then I noticed that it looked funny with so much gap around the edges so I added paper to the sides to fill it in. I did two more coats of modge podge over the whole thing to help it stay together. And Voila!
Don't look too close or you'll see all my oop-sies. Over all I am happy with my job! I'm not really going to be keeping these on the porch. I was just having trouble finding good light in the house to shoot my handiwork. It does look cute next to my watering cans!

Children's Museum

2010-03-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

We really love to visit our friends the Doty's. We crammed all the kids in one car and headed up to the Portland Children's museum. Minus some lunch time drama, it was a great day.

go ahead, JUMP!

2010-03-01T13:43:00.001-08:00

The luckiest

2010-03-01T12:23:00.001-08:00

Our family is more then just where we live. This house does not make our family...it just feels like the icing on the cake to get to live here. When we drive up each time I still can't believe that this is our house. We are so blessed.
I can't wait for more Spring weather...to garden...for the girls to get to dig around more outside.

Oh, those Olympics

2010-02-20T20:32:00.001-08:00

So I gave in and let the girls watch the Ice Dancing this time. After the same barrage of irritating repetitive questions, the following conversation took place:

Stella: Mom, I changed my mind. I'm going to marry Colton. He would be so proud to ice skate.
Mom: Oh, do you mean he would be your partner?
Stella: (sigh) No mom, he would be my ice skating husband.

The olympics make me nuts

2010-02-16T15:20:00.001-08:00

So I thought it would be a great idea to watch the pairs skating with the girls. However they talk the entire time and ask the same questions/make the same statements for ever single pair.

Is she new?
She's wearing a ring? Are they married? I think they are married.
This is fabulous
Is she wearing tights?
Ohhh... I want her to win!
I want ice skates. Please can I get ice skates?
Are they going to fall down?
I hope Americans win.

Sunshine and bike rides

2010-02-06T19:40:00.001-08:00

February sunshine just draws you out! Jonah took Stella to pick up Adrianne from school and off to the park they went. We have Spring Fever. Oh mama we can't wait!

Red

2010-02-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

My Sweet Charlotte-
Her red hair is so great! Getting longer and holding in clips. Her first tooth came in on Sunday. The next one today! 2 teeth in one week...that makes for one crabby patty. Good thing she is so cute.

St. Louis

2010-01-18T22:39:00.001-08:00

We headed to St.Louis, Missouri last Thursday to attend Mobilize USA, a conference for twenties. Yes, we know that we don't exactly fit into that age bracket anymore but since that is the group that we work with at church it was a great conference to go to. We went with Warren & Kim, the senior pastors of our church and Brent & Nancy. My friend Michelle lives in Wisconsin and drove the 5 hours to see me there. It's been 1 1/2 years since we saw each other last, which makes it 2 times in 10 years. We arrived in the city the day before the conference so we had time to run around the city to see some of the sights. We headed to the Arch first, the gateway to the west. I opted to not ride the "pod" up the 600 feet to the top (call me a chicken, I don't care). There was a great Lewis and Clark museum under ground there and it was fascinating to read their journal excerpts and see other historical things from that time. We headed from there to the old Courthouse building. Behind it was a great Italian place called Calico's which is a St. Louis icon as far as cuisine. We sampled the local specialty, toasted ravioli. Mmmmm...makes my mouth water just thinking about it. We walked from there to the Cardinals Stadium and while in the gift shop, ran into a fire crew. Turns out there was a fire station housed in a really old building just a few blocks away. After our station tour, we hopped back on the metro and headed to Forrest Park, a huge urban park in the center of town. It is 500 acres BIGGER then Central Park in New York. We walked from one side to the other passing the history museum, the pavilion from the 1940 World's Fair and the art museum. We ended at the St. Louis Zoo which is free to everyone and ranked in the top Zoo's in the nation. At first we thought it was great, the bear and penguin exhibits were amazing. Then we had some trouble. We would walk to an exhibit and then find a empty cage and a sign that said "See us in our winter home" but with no explanation as to how to find said winter home. After 20 minutes of wandering, we decided we were too cold and hungry to keep wandering. We ate that night at Pujols 5, some baseball guy named Pujol's restaurant. There was tons of memorabilia which was cool, but since I'm not really into baseball, it was kind of lost on me. I did enjoy my food though!!
The conference was amazing. I am so glad that I went and I am feeling very guilty now about all the whining I did leading up to this trip. St. Louis in January wasn't that bad. There really was lots of things to see. My girls survived and even had a good time without me. You may need to remind me next time that I said this!

Santa Babies

2009-12-27T10:08:00.001-08:00

Highlights of Christmas 2009

Christmas Boots

2009-12-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

Joan wanted to do something special for the girls so Sunday night as they slept, she came and filled their shoes with treats. It might as well have been Christmas when morning came. They were very delighted by their oranges, avocados (that's my girls), treats and toy. Adrianne said "Grandma is like Santa!"

Oh Christmas Tree!

2009-12-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

It's officially here! The Christmas season! I talked Jonah into getting our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I think it's the earliest we've ever had it up. I don't know if it's the girls, but I just feel even more "in the spirit" then usual. I am really enjoying my holiday decorations and introducing the girls (again) to my favorite Christmas music. More Christmas posts to come!

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving?

2009-11-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

These pictures are from Thanksgiving #1 on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I had this grand plan on how I would divide the Holiday so we could enjoy both sides of the family with out eating 2 huge dinners in one day. Sunday was with my side of the family and it was wonderful. The kids all played well together, except for my Stella who does not enjoy playing with my nephew ("He growls"). We have learned that we can not take my sisters word for it when she says that you can't tell if the mashed potatoes were made with soy milk (yuck). However her soy ice cream cake was good.
Then Tuesday the fever came. Charlotte didn't really feel warm to me, she was just so lethargic. When I took her temperature it was 103! Holy Crap! I called the doctor in a mini panic (funny how you can keep a calm exterior for your kids' sake). I was told that the bugs going around (including H1N1) meant that I could expect days of a high fever that may never break even with Tylenol. The next 3 days her fever never got below 100, peaking at 103.5. She just wanted to sleep. I would wake her, feed her and then she would fall back asleep in my arms. I have to say that I took advantage of this time to just sit and rock her. My inner mommy just felt better trying to believe that nothing would happen to her when she was in my arms. At one point after she threw up, Adrianne began to cry. I told her if she was worried, she should pray for Charlotte. Then the saddest/sweetest thing ever came out of her mouth:
"Jesus, please don't let Charlotte get so sick that she dies and goes to Heaven to be with you. I would miss her too much."
Thanksgiving day, Jonah took the big girls to the Lang Family get together and I stayed home and had a quiet day with Charlotte aka fever baby. That night when we put the girls to bed, I asked Adrianne what she was thankful for. She said "Mommy & Daddy, Jesus and red licorice". Then Adrianne asked me what I was thankful for. I told her I was thankful for my family... Daddy and my girls, but most of all I am thankful for Jesus. I told her that if I hadn't given my life to Jesus 15 years ago, I wouldn't have this life, this family, these kids.
Jonah and I've been taking this class at church called "Vintage Jesus". It has really made me think, especially the last class we attended which challenged us to think about where our lives would be without Jesus. Now that I am 30, half of my life was lived without Him. Half lived fuller with Him. My life is so transformed by that choice.
Peace in spite of worry. It was a good Thanksgiving. Full of thankfulness.

Thirty

2009-11-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here are my words of wisdom about being thirty:
1. When you are thirty, nothing on your resume refers to anything done in high school.
2. When you are 20, you want a high paying job to pay for the things you dream of getting. When you are thirty, you want a high paying job to pay for all the things you already own.
3. When you are 30, Midnight is the new 3 am and 7 am is sleeping in.
4. When you are 20, you want to look 25. When you are 30, you want to look 25.
5. When you are 20, you never think any of the weird growing older things will happen to you. By 30, you know it's ALL true!

My 30th Birthday was amazing. Jonah threw a surprise party at a really nice restaurant in Corvallis. They even reprinted the menus with a Birthday message for me! Nearly all my closest friends came and we laughed our heads off. I got to wear the new dress I got at Anthropology and heals... I felt so grown up! I still laugh to myself about how it can even be possible that I've been alive for 30 years. I am so thankful. More about this in my next post.

Student of the Month

2009-11-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

Adrianne was chosen by her teacher to be Student of the Month for her class. She was so thrilled to have her name called in front of the whole school at an assembly. I did the mom thing and had to choke back my tears (now I know why my mom was always crying). Her teacher said that she is a friend to all and always comes into class with a good attitude, excited to learn. My little rule minder! The other day I was scolding Stella for hitting her, and I said "Would you like Adrianne to hit you?" to which Adrianne replied:
"Why would I ever do that? I love Stella, I would never hit her!!!"
Adrianne loves her class and for now this is the right place for her. We have all kinds of interesting learning opportunities that help her figure out how the world works (at least at a 5 year old level). Like "christian christians vs. jesus christians" (long story), advocating for yourself to a grown up. We talk everyday about the kids in her class, how they are different/same, what is culture/tradition and what is bad things that we don't do and lots more. This is the meat of parenting... where she really is starting to see how our values are different then others. I'm glad the lessons are very small now.

Berry Cute

2009-11-03T19:00:00.001-08:00

Charlotte finally has grown in to the adorable hat that my friend Bethany knitted. She's ready for fall!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2009-11-03T18:30:00.001-08:00

We had the opportunity to go with Adrianne's class to Hoffman Family Farms in Canby, OR. This was her first time on the school bus and she was giddy at the thought.
Hoffman Family Farms was amazing. We went for the pumpkin patch but there was so many other things to do. We were given 2 other girls from Adrianne's class and they headed first to the bouncy play ground. Then off to the petting zoo which had bunnies, a highland cow, alpaca's and goats. Then a display that let you learn to milk cows, dig for potatoes and play in a corn pile. They also have "walk on the wild side" which is a look at the animals they have in their wild life rescue. Like a LION! A TIGER! A CAMEL! A BEAR! You get way closer then at the zoo, very cool! We finished with a hay maze and then the pumpkin patch. A very fun field trip!

Toes

2009-10-20T19:34:00.001-07:00

The sweet baby has found her feet

Beginning of the end!

2009-09-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

Charlotte is on the move! How can she be rolling over all ready? My baby is growing up too fast! She is getting good at it really quickly and I know the crawling and standing is coming soon. Child proofing here we come!

Wild Animals

2009-09-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my funny girls! Never a dull moment!

Ten Years

2009-09-06T18:55:00.001-07:00

Sleeping Beauty & Her Prince

2009-08-11T16:50:00.001-07:00

We just got new kittens from the "neighbors" i.e. grandma and grandpa. We let the girls name them. The dark orange Adrianne named Sleeping Beauty (the 2nd, we all remember what happened to #1) and the light orange one Stella named Prince. They are funny kittens and love to sleep in the wood pile (and behind it!). Jonah is building them a kitty house and I'll post those pictures when it is done.

Wild Woman

2009-08-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

Charlotte has this wild hair...still red, although it's not showing well in these pictures. She has this tuft of hair in the back that is about 2 inches long and sticks straight up. It is so cute. I could take pictures of her all day long. Maybe I'll rename this blog: Pictures of my adorable girls!

Sunshine Girls

2009-07-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Except for this super hot week, we have been enjoying the good weather. The grass is coming in finally so playing outside has improved to be a much less dirty event. Charlotte even likes laying on a blanket and wiggling.

Oaks Amusement Park Fun

2009-06-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Jonah's Firefighter Union put on a great summer picnic at Oak's Amusement Park. The bigger girls ate up every minute of it. When we explained where we were going, Adrianne said, "Let's just call it Disneyland." Jonah was a dutiful dad and rode all the spinning rides (over and over). I did the tame ones like the giant slide and the carousel. I loved the looks of slight terror and then elation they had on each ride like the tilt-a-whirl and Spider. Charlotte slept on and off and was a good baby for us too. A great family day.

First Smiles

2009-06-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sister Love

2009-06-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

Both girls love their new sister. Stella, however, really really adores her. She croons to her softly "It's okay, mama's here!" and sings "Rush little baby, don't say that word. Mama's gonna buy you a rocking chair!".
Today when I propped Charlotte in the boppy, Stella jumped on the floor next to her to share her beloved Moo Moo and blankie.
How sweet it is!

Charlotte Ba-darlotte

2009-05-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Charley is 3 weeks old already.

Up to God

2009-05-10T20:40:00.001-07:00

We woke up one morning this week and Jonah remarked "Clam chowder would be good today".
So we drove to the beach. Ate at Mo's. Got taffy from Aunt Belinda's. Bought a Kite. Ventured to Nye Beach. Enjoyed the Sun.
Stella said "Our kite is flying up to God!"
Charlotte slept through the whole thing.
A glorious day!

Little Sweet Head

2009-05-07T20:52:00.001-07:00

Before Charlotte was born, the girls and I were discussing what nicknames we would use for her. Adrianne announced that she was going to call her "sweet head".
Perfect.

Birthday Extravaganza

2009-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

How time passes! We just celebrated the 5th & 3rd Birthday's of our darling daughters. I am thinking ahead already to next year with all three girls birthdays in less then 2 weeks. That will be amazing!

Mud Princesses

2009-05-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Our landscaping is pretty rough...really it's just mud right now round our house. The girls don't seem to mind. They love to make "soup" or castles out of bark and rocks. Just beyond our mud is a wild canvas. The hill around us is speckled with wild dogwood trees that are in bloom now. It is amazing.

Charlotte Ann Lang

2009-04-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Our sweet new baby is here. Born on April 24th, 2009 at 7:58 am. Weighing in at 7 lbs 10 oz. With sweet red hair.

An Easter Miracle!

2009-04-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

After nearly nine months of trying and 5 months of living here, we finally have a phone line and internet at home! It's not the real Easter miracle, but it sure felt like a small one when the "right" person came to our house this Saturday and made it all work!
Easter was great for us. We have been doing some closer investigation with our college group and it made Easter feel more personal to me. The girls loved the whole day of course. Adrianne knows the whole Easter story from her bible memorization from AWANA and it was so cute to hear her say "We get Easter eggs to show us that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the grave."
I also thought I'd share a recent art work by Adrianne. This is our family (Daddy with spiky hair) including baby Charlotte and we are all holding hands. The count is 11 days until Charlotte joins our Lang party. We can't wait!

It's a new year!

2009-01-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

I just thought that I'd post and say that we are still around. We survived the big move and are enjoying the new house more then words can say. Right now we do not have internet (and haven't for the last 6 weeks), so hopefully in the next few weeks we will be back up and running so I can post some new pictures. We are looking forward to 2009 and what it brings especially the new baby coming in April. I really feel so grateful for my life and all that's in it. It will be a happy new year!

The big day...

2008-10-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

About six months ago Adrianne went to the dentist. He told her she really needed to stop sucking her thumb at night. In the car afterward, we talked about being a "big girl" and how big girls who don't suck their thumb get to do other big girl things...like getting your ears pierced. Adrianne's reply was "I'll stop sucking today!" She really did quit just like that. We have had very few relapses, mostly it's the middle of the night that I might find her with it in. For the last few weeks, she has not had any times of sucking (I have been looking every night!). So it was time to fulfill my end of the bargain.
Her best friend Makayla got to come and get her ears pierced too which made it even more special. Adrianne wasn't nervous until they brought the "ear guns" over. She then changed her mind 3 times about which pair of earrings she wanted. Then at the last second before, she turned to me and said "Mommy, pray for me!!" When I was done, she turned and did it without a peep! She is now the proud owner of sparkly red earrings.

light the fire...

2008-10-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

2008-10-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

oh so close

2008-10-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting used and now we're almost done with the flooring, then it's off to the window trim...
the fireplace is up and running, and Floyd finished the stair rail and banister today wow they look great

half way done

2008-10-12T19:37:00.001-07:00

time to lay floor !!!!

2008-10-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

it's finally time to lay floors, yeah! my back is sore.

Baby MeatBlock

2008-10-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Stella has become attached to one of her babies. For awhile she was just calling her "hunny", but recently she has a new name...Baby Meatblock. We are totally cracking up at the name, but she is insistent that we call the baby that. In fact, tonight I said something to Stella, and she said:
"I not Stella, I Mommmmmmy MEEAATBLLOOCK!!!

Closer Still

2008-10-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

We are hoping to be done in 6 weeks...I can't believe it is so close.