A Day in the Life of the Powers Family

Moscow Arboretum

2012-02-05T02:12:00.000-08:00

Today we decided okay okay I decided that it was family picture time. I did realize one sad reality even with a remote it is always nice to have someone else take your family photos. Nonetheless I think we managed to pull of a few decent shots.

Christmas Pictures

2012-01-04T22:06:00.000-08:00

Z did so well in for his first Christmas. However, on Christmas morning he was more interested in Abigail's gifts then his own. He did so well being posed by Mommy. Now off to bed :). I'll post more pictures by this weekend.

Best I could get of the two of them :)

And finally my personal favorite:

Zander rolled over....

2011-07-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so we have moved and i haven't got my acutally computer set up so pics of the 4th and details on the house will come but for now please enjoy the following video of my baby rolling from back to front!!

Aleczander prepairing to roll

2011-07-07T15:59:00.001-07:00

First time Aleczander rolled

2011-07-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Aleczander rolls over

2011-07-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

Got my Mothers Day Present Arrived

2011-05-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here is is a my Mother's Day present. Behind it on the chair (ignore the mess) is the monopod that came with it!! YIPPY! I have the best kids (and husband) EVER!

I can finally be in a picture (hair not done and no makeup so judge nicely)

thinking about something while loving on her baby

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:18:00.001-07:00

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!

Today was a fairly low key day. We went to church then came home and relaxed. As the evening came my husband decided although we were here as a family we needed to spend some time as a family so we needed to go to the park. So off we went. Here are some pictures of our adventure..

Happy Family (-mom b/c someone has to photograph things)

Abi enjoying the slide "I did it"

How Zander spent his time

Chase got to come too!

Hope everyone else had as wonderful of a day as I did! Thank you my love.

Funny story...

2011-05-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

So this morning I had Zander in the blanket sleeper above. Josh before heading to work tells me "I used to think those were the stupidest things ever then I realized it is a blanket he can't kick off brillant!" I laughed pretty hard and thought others might also get a kick out of my wonderful husbands realization.

Eventful afternoon!

2011-05-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

So yesterday afternoon we decided we would make kabobs on the Bar-B-Que. Josh also had to mow the lawn so he went out started the BBQ to warm it up and finished with his mowing. When he was almost done I went outside to tell him I was going to put the kabobs on the deck for him to grab and cook up. To my surprise I saw LARGE flames coming up from behind the BBQ, being shoeless I couldn't just run down there so I yelled for my husband. Specifically yelled "JOSH FIRE" over the lawn mower it took him a few moments but I finally was able to get his attention. Between the two of us we were able to put out the fire but before we could a couple of off duty fire fighters saw the smoke and had called it in as they headed to the house. Here are some photos of our adventure. Abi got to tour the truck that showed up. They showed her the whole truck she has a great time and they even gave her a sticker and a hat and called her a Princess Fighfighter. I only have pics of after and of the truck from afar I didn't have enough guts to bring the camera out to the truck itself.

Almost Wordless Wednesday...

2011-04-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

They are in! Printed a bit dark. If you want one send me your address.

Promised Photographs

2011-04-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the promised pictures of our newest bundle of joy:

Right now his eyes are a beautiful baby blue.
Smiling for the camera !

Abi did a great job holding him for the first time! We are so proud of how well she is handling being a big sister.

Becoming a Stay at home mom... again and other random thoughts

2011-04-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

It is an odd feeling of excitment and accomplishment all bundled up with a dose of anxiety about if this is really the right thing. Okay so as for now anyway the right thing is being dicated by ridiculous day care costs but the situation may be changing this summer and do I want to return to work. Right now no way my list at home keep growing and growing. Currenlty in no particular order I need to 1. make banana bread 2. go to a funeral with two kids in tow 3. do some sort of excersize 4. attach myself to a milking device every two hours (oh yeah that was probably tmi) 5. laundry (yeah that is pilling up) 6. dishes 7. Thank you cards 8. begin packing our house. We are moving fyi. and the list continues. Lets be honest some things actually do have an order for instance Thank you cards are higher on the list then lets say excersize and some things have have times when I have to get them done ie funeral and the tmi thing. So just curious when this sleep when the baby sleeps plays into kid #2 and so on. Did I mention these were other random thoughts as well... The whole point to this post is to let people know that I have decided for a dose of sanity and lets be honest it is fun I am going to begin blogging again. Currently Abi is in Pre-school (and is there now :)). She has been doing a WONDERFUL job with Zander we have all been really impressed. She doesn't like to see him cry and tells us often to "you go get him" if he is. Oh yeah I had a baby :D okay most people reading this know that but some of you might not but then again those people probably don't read my blog anymore since I haven't posted since I dunno a year ago. All I can say is I don't know how anyone keeps up with these things and works full time. Oh yeah back to baby. His name is Aleczander Joseph. He was born on March 28th at 2:35pm. Weighed in at 8lbs 14oz (almost 2lbs heavier then his sister OUCH!) and 20 inches long. Pictures are all on my main computer so you will have to wait for those :D He is doing very well we have had some feeding issues (hence the TMI comment above) but overall life is good! Well speaking of that to do list random rantings on my blog weren't on the list so I better run.

Life or something like it...

2010-04-05T19:28:00.001-07:00

Wow it has been forever since I have blogged! Life has been a crazy rollercoaster of ups and downs this last year. We welcomed a new neice Emma Grace in February and we will welcome baby Oliva very soon (her mommy is due any day now).
Abi is getting so big. She started Pre-School on her 3rd Birthday. She gets on a big yellow school bus every week and rides to school and back. Her speech is coming along she even has some four word combinations. We were able to throw her a wonderful birthday party. Brad, Brandi and crew even made it! We decorated cookies and I made Abi a fun Princess cake. Her theme was My Little Pony (with a Princess twist). Now to get those thank you cards done...
Josh and I are still working hard at getting out of debt. It is such slow slow process but it is coming along.
We celebrated the Easter with a BBQ. We had the Griffin's, Brown's, Matt and Chris over to help us celebrate. Lots of yummy food and boy oh boy did we eat too much.
In exciting Powers news we are moving on the 1st... into a house. No we won't own it (that is a long way off) but it is a house!! I will post some pictures hopefully tomorrow (have to find the card reader).

Updating

2009-04-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so it has been forever since i have updated. The last few months have been somewhat of a blur :). Abigail'sbirthday has past and Easter. So much to write about I will have to begin tomorro. But, here are some pics of our bug to start :)

Crock Pot Tuesday

2008-11-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

So I will post about last weekend this coming weekend but today is dedicated to Crock pot Tuesdays. Last week I was sitting at my desk and telling one of my co-workers about my plan to make a crock pot meal every Tuesday. After a bit of discussion she suggested and then provided the following recipe:

Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce

Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 and 3/4 lbs total)
1/4 cup of butter or margarine
1 0.7-ounce envelope Italian dry salad dressing mix.
1 10 3/4- ounce can of condensed golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 of an 8-ounce tub of cream cheese with chives and onion
Hot Cooked Pasta (optional)

Directions:
1. Place chicken in a 4 quart slow cooker
In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat.
Stir in dry salad dressing mix. Stir in the soup, wine and cream cheese.
Pour over Chickenin cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
Serve chicken with sauce. If desired, serve with hot cooked pasta and sprinkle with fresh snipped chives

__________________________________________________________________
When I went to the store to get the ingredients most came without a hint of trouble but then I got to the dry white wine. I don't drink wine so I had no idea which one to pick lots and lots of them were white and lots and lots were not. So I whipped out my PDA phone and googled dry white wine. Thank goodness for technology! After reading many suggestions I chose Sauvignon Blanc; whatever that means. I was surprised to read that Chardonnay was not a good choice there were so many of those. Again goes to show how much I know about wine. Also, cooking wine is a bad idea apparently it is too sweet. Who new... Okay so I didn't follow the recipe exactly either. I bought the low fat cream cheese and also got cream of chicken soup instead of mushroom (Josh hates mushrooms). I served it over bow tie pasta. It was magnificent!!! We were able to eat the chicken breasts without a knife they just fell apart. Abigail loved it too. So thank you Jen for a great recipe it is one I will defiantly do again.

It's Crock Pot Tuesday

2008-11-11T17:45:00.000-08:00

Thank You to all of those who have and do serve. Also, Thank You to the families who stand by their loved ones!

Today I made good old fashioned stew with semi homemade bread. I bought frozen dough. :) The recipe is pretty easy. I cut up a roast (cheaper than stew meat). I coated each piece with a flour, seasoning salt, garlic mixture. Meat goes in the crock pot 1st then potatoes and carrots on top. I then put a can of beef broth in a bowl and mix in 2 packs of onion soup mix then added it to the crock pot. It took 2 cans of beef broth to fill the pot. I prefer to use broth as it gives the stew a more robust flavor. If I can't use a full 3rd can I use water to finish filling the top just covering the carrots. Put it in the pot get home and it is done :) Abi, who is a particular eater, loved it and it is a Josh fav. Now just to figure out the next few weeks so I don't make the same dish over and over.

More Halloween pics as promised.

2008-11-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

So here are a few of the good pics we got. Abi was just not ready for this sort of thing. We got to the church and Abi fell apart. Just about every time her feet hit the floor her tears started to fall. All told we only spent about 20 min and most of that was fighting with her. However, here are (unedited) Halloween pics!!

Rain Rain Go AWAY!!

2008-11-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

It has been rainy and just no fun for about 5 days. I am done with it. Rain makes me feel sad and lazy. We had plans to bring Abi to the park for some good old family bonding but, then we opened the door to find dark scary skies and water pouring down. So sad and our plans so perfectly ruined. In more of a gripe daylight savings is the worst ever! I go to work in the daylight and come home to blackness.

Okay enough whining. Things to be thankful for: Abi is now happily playing with a counting pig and showing me her amazing motor skills. We have had a good afternoon. While Abi napped I watched a movie (Journey to the Center of the Earth), caught up on some blogs, and checked out the posts on Two Peas. Basically Abi and I have been just relaxing and spending some quality time together. She doesn't get enough of that these days.

In the midst of reading blogs I have decided to set forth some themes for this blog. I am not the most creative so I could only come up with Crop Pot Tuesdays. Tuesday's are our one of our busiest days and we are often grabbing a quick fast food dinner on the way to home group. I would like to prevent that slippery slope so I am going to do a crop pot meal every Tuesday... Now to find recipes!!

Halloween Pics

2008-11-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures (Unedited) before the night got ugly. I will post the story later.

I'm BACK!!!!!!!!

2008-11-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

What it has been 2 months! Oh no it has been almost 4! End of July to November WOW I am horrible. Well let’s see now that we are begining to get a handle on life let's catch everyone up…
August—our friends ran away to New Zealand. Yep you know who you are! So, thus August began the month(s) of adjustment. We moved into a new place, I started a new job, Abi started day care, our friends ditched us for paradise, so on and so forth. Overall, the month is a blur and all I remember is it is over.
September—We took a bunch of students to a conference IT WAS EXCELLENT! It spurred them into some amazing acts (like starting prayer groups at both the MS and HS). As a family took a spontaneous day trip to Walla Walla. It was nice to see family again we have not been there since early July and we won’t have time to go back until Thanksgiving. Ha that is only a few weeks away now!
October—My job sent me to San Diego! It was fun but I got sick the day I left. Diagnosis was strep throat. Yep no fun. I was able to see my Uncle Chuck and Aunt Diane while I was there! Of course that was after I had been on meds for 24 hours. I was thoughtful and caring to my family but those poor people on the plane(s) SORRY. Probably should not have gone but work had already paid for it. I had to go. I was able to meet Aunt Diane’s mom too while I was there. She was amazing. I hope I get to spend more time around her in the future. I told them I am going to work on getting my parents down there. Hint Hint Parents! The conference was good too. Okay kind of an afterthought but it really was a good conference. Before this trip I had never been to CA, never rode on a plane by myself, and I had never had strep so the whole thing was an experience. I can honestly say I don't EVER want strep again. The other new stuff was fine.
Last Wednesday Abigail got a nasty rash! Unfortunately the rash followed a night of her throwing up numerous times. My poor kiddo was just! The worried mom I am I called Abi’s pediatrician immediately and told him Abi was throwing up! He told me just to give her fluids in small amounts and that stomach bugs were going around. Thank you Dr. Mike for taking my calls and for your patience with my moments. The next morning (when she woke with the gnarly rash) we called the Pediatric office and spoke with Dr. A (Mike wasn’t there *sad*). I described the rash and what happened the night before she said that Abi was probably having an allergic reaction and to give her Benadryl. I as mom did not freak out at all… Okay who am I kidding I was freaked! I kept asking “are you sure” “how long do I wait before I rush her to the hospital and when do you need to see her” “what else do I look for” that went on and on for a bit. Dr. A was great and said she is confident it is an allergic reaction but if I want to bring her in I can. We didn’t bring her in and I sent Josh for Benadryl. After 30-40 minutes the rash was lessoned and by an hour it was gone. Josh and I are not sure what got her sick but we think it may be the huckleberry popcorn we fed her Tuesday. I know she should not of had popcorn but she liked it. Looking back on the week I keep thinking I didn't take any pictures of that rash! It looked like someone had poored water on paper only the water was red and the paper was Abi's skin. What was I thinking not documenting this event on film words do not give justice that a picture could have. Oh well. I will post about Halloween later and that should catch everyone up... my fingers are hurting. Maybe if i didn't wait almost 4 months to post. Oh the thoughts to ponder.

2008-07-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I got the job! I am excited, anxious, sad and scared all at the same time. For those of you who are reading this and thinking she applied for a job? I applied to work for the county as a Victum/Witness Specialist. One component of the job is working with victums/witness's of crime and walking them through the trial process the other component will be PR for the Prosecutors office. The job is in my degree field which is amazing and the job has many challenging and exciting components. Josh and I have been praying for this job for a long time and we knew that God would continue to take care of us with or without it. I will continue to clean Palouse Pediatrics and hopefully I will be able to continue my internship with the church. For those of you who are reading this and thinking that is too much. Cleaning the office happens after bug is in bed so two nights a week I loose a little sleep oh well. As for the internship it will go towards childcare on Sunday nights during youth group and honestly we will continue to do the things we do or more if the new guy needs it paid or not so the paid is just a bonus. A plus to the new job is that Josh and I will be commuting together. The down side is that buggy will enter daycare on Monday. The gal we will have watch her comes with amazing recommendations which gives me a great deal of peace. While at the same time I am just not excited about leaving her at all let alone full time. I am fairly certain that bug will thrive in any environment and we are praying that being around more kids who talk will help her with her speech.

Mission Trip fun

2008-07-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

And we are back... well actually we have been back for a week. I went to World Changers in Casper, WY. My Mommy came to help Josh take care of bug. THANK YOU MOM! The AC went out in the bus so it was a roasting oven but the beast got us to or destination and back home. We stayed at a KOA in Bozeman MT on the way to Casper and on the way back. It was a really nice campground. It had a hot springs right next door so on the way back from Casper most of us went and enjoyed it. The Junior High we stayed at was okay. We learned that it was falling off the hill so they are in the process of building a new one. Yep that is right it is sliding off the hill. Doesn't that just give you a safe feeling? We spent the week wondering how many world changers would it take to push it over the hill. Although impossible it was a fun pondering. The showers left a bit to be desired. They were midget height and only drizzled so a cup was a necessary shower item. However, they were warm and there was more than one of them. The weather was good. It rained almost every day but generally after 4 when we had already left the sites. I was able to go visit an old friend (well she is not old but you get the idea). April picked me up and we had coffee at a local coffee house. It was fun reminiscing and catching up. Unfortunately, I burnt the crud out of my tongue it hurt the rest of the week leaving me with a fear of drinking anything hot.
God has really been moving in my life the last couple of weeks. It all started last Monday (at WC) and has continued. He has given me some direction and is placing me and consequently Josh in an interesting place in life. I applied to seminary for the fall term so we will see what happens there. I believe God is working and has set us out a plan for the next two years but as always we must wait and pray to make sure that is true. I have this inherent fear of failing that God is also working with so prayer that I take this leap would be gratefully appreciated. As always Josh is supportive of whatever God calls us too (sometimes I wish he wasn't but I do love him for it). I read the book "If You Want to Walk On Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat" by John Ortberg and strongly recommend it however, I send out a caution as well: don't read if you don't want to change some things. I will hopefully post some pics of the trip and of course my burnt tongue this next week. We are headed down to Walla Walla to see the fam for the 4th. Hope ya all have a great Independence Day.

Hatchets and Pointy Sticks

2008-06-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! As promised the story behind the name.
A few years ago some friends of ours asked us to watch their kiddos SM and JM. After dropping SM off at school JM and I had some time to kill. So we (as in I) decided it was a beautiful day we should go for a walk down a local walking trail. After informing JM of the plan he got so excited and enthusiastically told me we had to go by the house so he could get his tools. Well he is a boy so that could mean just about anything. But I could not deny those bright blue eyes the chance to get his tools so we stopped by the house. He immediately runs into the garage and comes back with a hatchet. In my head something said maybe this was a bad idea but his parents have let them do strange things in the past. Like eating doughnut holes for breakfast... don't judge. My family wasn't allowed that for breakfast. JM happily placed the hatchet in his back pack and we were off. When we got to the trail he asked if he could pull out the hatchet as we walked. Okay I am not a total idiot... NO. There are MANY stops along the way so I let JM know that he could play with the hatchet then. At the first stop he pulled the hatchet out of his backpack with great might and enthusiasm. Here is how it went:
JM: "Can I cut down the forest" (there is not real forest, mainly weeds).
ME: "sure have fun but don't cut your leg off (mom is a nurse don't think she wants to see her kid for a hatchet wound)
JM: Big smile, blue eyes sparkling "okay"
After about 10 min of "cutting" He placed the hatchet back into his backpack and we were off to a "better spot". At the next spot our narrative was basically the same however, there was an added element. Another family. Oh yeah my bad idea feeling begins to emerge again. JM asks little girl if he would like to play. As he pulls out the hatchet mom of little girls eyes get big and she looks at me with glaring eyes that just yelled "are you a complete idiot". I was feeling a bit like one at this point. After awhile it was time to go meet JM's mom and my baby needed a nap. So he placed the hatchet back into the backpack and we headed home. After a full day of chopping down the forest JM was very tired to so he went to play in his room. The story, however, is not over... Mom arrives home and i begin to tell her about our adventurous afternoon. When I bring up the hatchet
AM: "Oh the cute little plastic one out of his room"
ME: trying to look sheepish "No, the one out the garage"
AM: "his dad's hatchet"
ME: "apparently"
AM: "and you didn't think that could be a bad idea"
ME: "well yeah, but you let your kids do weired things all the time..." (also an important note: Every time we have thought the kids were pulling our leg they are allowed to do we find out later after talking to the parents that they are allowed to do it!)
Since no one got hurt it was just a good laugh one they still like to tease me about. Oh and for those of you are reading this thinking whats the big deal a boy... a hatchet... JM was only four. There you go I admitted it I let a four year old smile his way into playing with a hatchet. The pointy sticks is just a play on the hatchet... when were were planting the cache JM found a pointy stick broke it to make two pointy sticks and shared one with his sis SM. When his parents called I said to them "no, worries they are just running down the trail with pointy sticks" This time I was a little smarter and told them to stop running. LOL.

Packing and a planting...

2008-06-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those days were the morning felt like I had all the time in the world. Then like a mack truck it hit me not only did I double book myself for this evening (oops) I have two days before I leave for 10 and I have packed nothing yep that's right nothing. First thing first I had to call my friends that we were having dinner with and A. Cancel B. Bring kiddos with me. Luckily B worked out. (I refused to give up watching the kiddos we had some planting plans). So to dinner we went. It was very fun and exciting and the kids did amazingly well. So we played and visited for a few hours. Then we did the planting. Planting what you ask? A geocache! That's right a geocache (www.geocaching.com)! The kids helped us find the most perfect spot. Well hidden under some... well that would ruin the surprise for someone who was attempting to find it. We creeped in buried it and creeped out. The name of the cache is Hatchets and Pointy Sticks. The name has deep personal meaning. Tomorrow I shall share the story so stay tuned.

Fathers Day in the Park

2008-06-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Our Church had a Father's Day picnic at Sunnyside park on Sunday. Abigail had fun playing on some of the toys. Most are still a little big for her but she attempted to have fun.

Coffee and Cropping Yay for ME!

2008-06-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

My day has been so fun... not really sure what Josh and Abi did but I got up early (not exactly the fun part) and met my BFF for coffee and we attempted to hit some yard sales but didn't see anything good so we drove on. Then I came home and picked up my kit for Kit Club @ PaperPals (http://www.paper-pals.com/) our local scrapbook store. I love seeing what other ladies do with the same stuff that I was given. Most of the time I feel quite inadiquate to call myself a scrapbooker but I always get some amazing ideas. Then I had a short break and headed back to PaperPals to take a class on using a clear acrylic album. It was so much fun. Shawna had a demo she had done but left it open for us to make our own. I found this fun and yet challenging. Again back to the I feel inadequate around most other scrapbookers. I had to keep on asking Shawna for approval (thank you Shawna). Here is some pics of some of the pages of my book...

After the class I was expecting to go home grab a quick bite and go work on roofing project number 2. Sorry no pics I forgot to bring my camera. Hopefully I will get some from the home owner. Just as I was about to leave PP I got a call from Joel that said they were all done so I got to go home. With no roofing project I knew that I needed to go work on cleaning a house that I am working on for some friends so I muster up the strength and headed over. I entered the house making sure ppl knew I was coming in. There was a car parked outside but I figured it was just more ppl. working on the house (our friends are doing a MAJOR remodel) I came up stairs to find Nick and Sherri! What is the significance of that you might ask... Well about threeish years ago they moved away b/c Nick joined the Army. I didn't know they were in town so it was a very pleasant surprise. We chatted for awhile and then I went to go get the the cleaning I had come there to do however, another pleasant surprise, the cleaning supplies were nowhere to be found so I was able to come home and relax. Again YAY FOR ME! Hope everyone else has had as pleasant of a day as I have.

Roofing

2008-06-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

As part of going to World Changers the youth Pastor (Joel) organizes pre-projects for us. Typically it is roofing since that is what is needed around our area most. It took us two days and we were done. Here are some pictures from Pre-project #1.

Memorial Day weekend fun...

2008-06-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

We started the weekend Friday afternoon and headed to Yakima, WA apparently also known as the Palm Springs of WA. Ha Ha… Amanda my wonderful sis in law got us tickets to go see Josh Turner and Carrie Underwood in Concert. We had so much fun. However, the security was a bunch of jerks. I was so close to getting a really really good up close shot of Carrie on stage I was zoomed in the camera was focused and about to click to take the photo when some security guard grabbed my arm and told me I had move. GRRR! I asked if I could have two seconds to take the photo and he said no… at least four other people were standing around taking pictures. Here is some of the shots I did get… We hung around after the concert and got some pictures with the band but Carrie Underwood didn't come out of her bus.

Then we were off to White Salmon for the Powers Family Reunion @ Aunt Nancy and Uncle Lyle’s cabin. They set us up in their 5th wheel it was VERY nice. Thank you guys again. Abigail got to meet her Great Grandma W for the first time.
In great Abigail style she immediately wanted Grandma to take her from us.

Just before sundown I went for a run Saturday night and found myself lost. The road I took slowly started to narrow until it was just a walking path. However, I finally found a property that thankfully led back to the road I knew and I made it back to the cabin just before all the sunlight was gone. They sent Josh out to look for me b/c stupid me didn’t bring my phone so while I was lost I couldn’t call anyone for help! I did pick up a rock as my protection (as if that would stop much) but hey David killed Goliath with a stone so I thought I could have a chance. That night we listened to the styles of Lyle and a neighbor breaking it down for us.

Sunday brother Steve organized for some members of the fam to go white water rafting with All Adventure Rafting (http://www.alladventurerafting.com/) guides. Here are a few pictures that they took for us:

We had to split into 3 groups. The top left picture is all of us getting trained to work the river. The picture below that is a group picture of all of the family members that went down river. Brother Lonnie and his son Bailey went with a completely different crew and the lower left corner of the collage is them. Look closely at the picture in bottom middle you can just barley see the tip of Bailey’s helmet he got completely covered! Upper right is brother Steve with his son’s Logan and Dylan and some of their friends. The lower right corner is Josh, Dad, Edie, myself, Kelsey, and Nick. It was completely amazing experience. THANKS STEVE! Dad in law affectionately got the name chrome dome (notice the helmet) along the ride. We were all tired by the time we got done we were all hungry and wondering when we were going to eat. Then Edie came to our rescue and let us know that she had brought snacks (mom, of three boys she knew). The next morning we came back home. Good memories to add to the scrapbook that will get finished??

ARGH.......

2008-05-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

We are heading out of town this weekend for a big family renunion and on Friday I am going with my sister-in-law to a Carry Underwood concert (so excited for that). So, of course with all the things still do I decided to lock my stuipd keys in the car thus keeping me at home unitl Josh got here with his set to let me in. Killing about 3.5 hours of things to do One of which was coffee with a friend that I had to cancel, very sad. It is almost like my body keeps foregetting to tell my brain or visa versa that I am too busy for that type of insert explicative here.
But all was not lost... I used that time so wisely to do some photo editing. To calm my angered spirit of course...

Frustrated beyond repair…

2008-05-20T14:08:00.001-07:00

My daughter so cute so sweet until you set her in a bath tub then the evil emerges and I can’t get her to stay put. Let me see if I can set this scene for you. We walk into the kitchen (I don’t actually have a bathtub) and as soon as her pretty little feet hit the water she screams, wails, and looks at me with those big blue eyes that just yell “how could you mama” as I struggle to get soap on her hair as she attempts with much effort to stand up. Then of coarse I have to get the soap I just put in her hair out. I only have one hand so I take the wash cloth and run it through her hair until I don’t see anymore evidence of soap all the while water is going into her face so she is getting more upset and fighting all the more. Then it is a quick (mind you I said quick) wipe down and finally, it is time to get out. Again a reminder that she wants out of the bath very badly so I can’t take a hand off of her So, grab the towel with one hand holding it in my teeth in order to hopefully protect my clothes a little HA and of course so can have use both hands to pick her up. As soon as she is lifted folds her legs toward her chest and refuses to uncurl them until she is in my arms and away from the water. Of course by this time I am drenched for my efforts and must also dry off and change as well. You would think that after she is out it would be the end of the fight but no it continues as we move onto the forever hated clothes. By the end of it all I am frustrated and frazzled.
I used to think that wrestling my 60lb dog into a bath was hard but Chase has got nothing on Abigail. The clothes thing I get she has been that way for a long while. But the bath thing… it was like a switch was flipped and my once splashing happy baby that would play with her toys and be sad when bath time was over turned into… well I described it earlier. So if you seasoned parents have any advice that you would like to send this frazzled parent I would happily receive it.

Abigail is ONE

2008-03-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful celebration. Thank you Kris, Tawny, and Mom for all your hard work and helping me set up and prep everything. Also, thank you all who came to celebrate with us. We played games ate cake and she did a great job digging into her cake. However, I must go so I will post more pictures and write more of a story later.

catching up...

2008-02-27T11:52:00.001-08:00

Lets start with Thursday....

I got up that morning and headed off to the doctor. Not a bad visit she prescribed me some sleep meds. Can you say, wonderful. Finished packing for the retreat (Walk with Christ) I worked this last weekend. The we all loaded up to head for Spokane.
Abigail had an appointment with child neurology and then they dropped me off at the walk location. The neurologist let us know that she had bi-lateral temporal lobe damage. For you non-medical folks basically she has the potential of having learning problems is the future. He also let us know that if speech therepy is suggested we need to get her into it sooner rather than later. Then it was off the the Social security office to get a new card for Abigail (kinda wishing we would have gotten mine at the same time). That took awhile but thanks to Palouse Pediatrics faxing the information that proved Abigail's identity we were able to get the card. Ironically we were asked twice if Abigail had picture ID. We are thinking about going down to the DMV to get her in ID just for the fun of it. Then they dropped me off at the walk location.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday are a blur but here is what I learned during the weekend....

1. How to skuip (no not misspelled) only a few get it but seriously funny
2. I look angry when I am thinking or not talking
Everyone kept asking me what was wrong when I wasn't talking. I know I like to talk and socialize but even butterfly's need to rest.
3. Making decor is a lot of work
4. Get women tired and we will discuss and laugh at the funniest things
5. Chocolate and Coffee gifts from God to us.

Today...

2008-02-18T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day. I was able so sleep in due to my wonderful husband having the day off. We both had a visit with the dentist and we are looking good :). I had the bonus of being able to visit with all my old co-workers too. After the dentist I met up with Nicole for coffee. While visiting the wonderful Daily Grind we ran into Brittany and Danielle. After coffee we ran to paper pals one of my favorite stores. Shawna was working and intoduced me to this new craze called Bento. A few examples:

Seriously, these people have gotta be mad. It is a Japense tradition of how to do portion control. Portion control is one thing but this is crazy. This is gotta be time consuming and this is only one meal. There are some not so elaborate ones that appear more reasonable but I had to show these ones.

After this revelation I droped off Nicole and we went Geo chaching. Oh so much fun. However, we have to go out again b/c this stupid cash has remained unfound :(.

Pondering

2008-02-17T00:55:00.000-08:00

So it is almost 1:00am and I am left restless again. I was thinking maybe it was the caffeine but I have had precious little caffeine today. In fact, I can’t even say I had one full can of diet soda. It could be the issues I am currently facing in life but, that would not explain the good news I received today. So, I sit and I ponder… why? Why can’t I sleep? Of course, that leads me to ponder other things. Like the fact that my baby is almost a year old. In two short precious weeks my baby will become a toddler. My goodness this year has gone by fast. I feel robbed of month nine and consequently ten and eleven too. It feels like yesterday I was anticipating her arrival. Although I have been looking forward to this first birthday for awhile it feels like I have not been waiting long enough. She has learned to crawl and now walk. She has teeth and can almost talk. She is growing up and soon my baby will no longer be a baby. If this year is anything like those to come she will zoom past the toddler years whiz past early childhood and before we know it she will be a full fledged adolescent with adulthood creeping around the next corner. I wonder if we will teach her what she needs to know. I wonder if or better yet how I, as her mom, will fail her. Will she love God? Will she save the world from some impending doom? I know God spared her life for a reason and I have to wonder what miraculous things are planned for her. I am filled with emotion sad b/c her last weekend as a baby I am going to be gone and yet stangely excited about what is to come. Perhaps, this is why I can’t sleep. Perhaps it is because I have learned that every second is precious even the ones were her eyes closed and she is dreaming. At least I can spend another second with my baby as baby before she becomes a toddler.

Revelation

2008-02-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day this year was unlike any other. It was not because this year we had a baby in tow but because we spent it unlike any other. The days leading up to Valentines Day and the day itself were filled with dealing with getting our finances in order. Not exactly what I would call a fun job but one that has to be done. I was feeling like Josh and I had failed and like we have dug ourselves a hole so deep that we could no longer get out of it. This is how I felt. I have since seen God working in some amazing and extraordinary ways. God showed me in December that He will take care of my daughter. He showed me that He has a special plan for her and dying was not it. Now God is showing me that He also cares deeply for us. In what I felt was failure and hopelessness He has given us friends and family who are not judging but coming along side of us with understand and love. He has placed in our lives choices to deal with our obstacles however, I am filled with fear. I am filled fear that we will fail ourselves, our friends and mostly God. Josh and I truly have squandered a little and I am afraid that it can not be unlearned. I am afraid that we are not qualified… And then I am reminded that God does not call the qualified He qualifies the called! I know that God is calling us to be good stewards of His gifts and He wants to see us succeed in basics of life. I also know that He already knows what we will do. He knows if we are going do as we have promised ourselves or if we fail. Oh how I wish I knew too.
As decisions about things are coming up I truly do pray that I make the right decisions for my family and I follow what God wants of me. As I ponder and pray I am reminded that there are times and seasons in life. The season Josh and I are in is one of storms and deep dark clouds. You know the kind of clouds you see and wonder if you will survive the upcoming storm. Yet I am also filled with great anticipation of what the storm will bring. God is showing me day by day that He is going to help us weather this storm that He is going to help us through to the promised rainbow at the storms end.

Book review

2008-02-15T01:45:00.000-08:00

Almost a year ago a friend suggested I read "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. Well I am finally getting around to "reading" it (gotta love audio books). It is hilarious! Let me set one of the most hilarious scenes for you. A family of four goes for a walk with their 90lb lab in a beach front a priced neighborhood. You know the kind of neighborhoods were the people don’t own any animals over 20lbs and certainly not a lab. In this neighborhood there are restaurants were tables are set up outside so those walking pets can also enjoy a meal. The day is going well so the family decides to partake in one of these restaurants. They sit down and they tie the 90lb lab to the what they see as a very sturdy table. They order drinks for themselves and the kids. It is looking like a particularly nice afternoon when the family dog sets his eyes on something he wants; a poodle a few tables over. The table they are sitting at is soon whisked away as and the seemingly innocent family pet races for his object of his desire. If you can imagine the crashing of tables and most importantly the look this family's faces and everyone else’s as this large animal destroys the setting. If that is not funny enough the wife (one of said labs owners) responds to the situation in a tone that would make one think that this normal and happens everyday. I am not quite as eloquent as John Grogan but you get the point. However, I must warn that there are a few sad parts in the book to include the beloved family pets passing. Overall, a good "read". I will have to thank my friend for suggesting it.

A Reminder on Valentines Day…

2008-02-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to the item pictured below resting on my computer. We didn’t have the money to buy each other a gift this year so he made me this. I was reminded of how much my husband loved me. Not because of the words he wrote (which were sweet too) but because of the time and energy he spent making me this gift. We have been blessed by having love. Not the cheap kind but the kind that is deeply rooted in friendship. Josh and I are hard to explain and sometimes I don’t really get it. We fight (hello most couples do) but no matter what I know he isn’t going anywhere and he knows neither am I. Whenever I wonder how I snagged such an amazing husband I am reminded that Josh was God’s plan for me. I guy big enough to deal with getting picked on occasionally and patient enough to deal with all my issues. I am not always good and letting God take the wheel of my car of life. In the case of my husband God gave me above and beyond and I am so glad I didn’t interfere with His plan.

Oh the joy...

2008-02-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

of issues. I don't want to go into them all here on a public domain but I seriously wish I was smarter then what I am. Well, enough of a pitty party for me. LOL Abigail is doing well she had pajama Wednesday b/c of all the stuff we meaning me and Josh had to get done. We looked at a place today that was pretty nice. It was a three bedroom which we would like if that is at all possible. Places around here are not exactly cheap so we will see. It had new carpet and direct access to the back yard (big plus). The kitchen was still small but not badly set up and it had a dishwasher (again big plus). Abigail first Valentines Day is tomarrow we are going to go for a walk but that is about it. I will however have to take a cute picture.

The Invitation for Abigail's Fairy-Tale Unicorn Party

2008-02-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

I have completed the invation! I sent one to Walmart to get a proof before I had the large batch printed. It turned out PERFECT!! I am so excited. She is going to have a Fairytale Unicorn 1st birthday party. We were originally going to do a carebear 1st birthday but they went and discontinued most of the products. I was still going to make it work but Josh liked the "purple unicorns" better. He did not find me telling everyone this as funny as I did but hey it is pretty dang funny. I don't want to give away too many details just in case I change my mind. But lets just say it is going to be fun!!! Here is a pic of the invite; the details are blocked out, but you get the idea.

Rearranging!

2008-02-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

We are moving furniture. Did I mention I hate this task? Really it is only b/c it involves cleaning and I really hate cleaning. Well onto finish the job…

The moving is done (for now). Only took us about four hours. I like our new setup. Josh and I are able to sit right next to each other and type away at our computers. It also gave bug more room to play. I have lost my kitchen table to the computers but to be realistic... I never really have had it anyway.

Oh the joy of planning...

2008-02-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Because I am going to be gone the weekend before Abigail's first birthday I am in super planning mode. LOL I have food figured out, invitations, gift bags are almost done, games (except an ice breaker), location is picked out, cake type is picked out, decorations are almost all picked. So in retrospect I have a lot done. That is simply a pat on the back for all the things left to do. Like settle on ideas and puchase the supplies. It is a good thing I have a month.

Snow Day

2008-01-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

Pullman wide has shut its doors declaring it a snow day :). We have so much snow on the ground WSU closed. I am in a little shock over this one. The last time WSU closed was in 1997 when a flood threatened homes and business in the nearby city center. They closed to allow students the opportunity to go help in sand baging efforts (I believe attempted to confirm but will have to do more research). We are expecting more snow to fall tonight and possibably throughout the weekend. The posted slide shows (BOTTOM OF PAGE) are pics taken today and some family pics taken a few days ago.

In other news: Our neighbors welcomed a new baby into their household today. Not sure of what they named their new little one. But as soon as I have permission I will post a name and a pic.

The county declared a snow day!

2008-01-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

Josh got home a little after one. He has been playing games ever since. Mom is still "stuck here" (to quote her). Hopefully, it will let up a little so she can get back to her life. She has a lot to do this next month.

Today reminds me of childhood long gone. You know the days were you would bundle up and play out side until your fingers and toes were so numb you could poor hot water over them and hardly feel a thing. The days were all would gather to slide down any size hill on just about anything that would help you slide (garbage bags work well fyi). Oh the days of childhood. Well growing up hot cocoa was a stable in my house so decided to make a digital scrapbook page honoring this tradition. I am just learning so be kind.

We have come out of hiding!

2008-01-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

I say that jokingly of course. Since Abigail's illness we have stayed pretty close to our house. This is partly due to worry over her becoming sick again and the other is just the fact that it is easy to be a hermit. However, we are missing people and the things we used to do. We, unfortunately, missed church this morning (confession: I was sleeping and Josh did not want to wake me). However, we did make it to youth group and it became apparent that we need to return to our lives again. So we will begin to take steps in that direction.

Do you ever have those days...

2008-01-26T16:52:00.001-08:00

where your head is pounding and you just want to close your eyes and crawl into bed. Well today is that day. It has been quite here with snow falling (expecting 7-10 inches this weekend). Our plan was to go to Yakima for Cousin Corbin's B-day (it was the 23rd-- party was today) but plans fell through for a number of reasons least of all was the weather. So far we have spent the day in PJ's attempting to lounge around. Abigail is so good at entertaining herself it can be addicting just to let her do her thing. Her new favorite toy is a stuffed bunny it has been near her side since she got it. Well today's msg is going to be short primarily b/c nothing has happened and well the whole pounding head thing.

Another day another dollar

2008-01-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

Spent that is. Michael's was having a sale on their embellishments. I couldn't get much but I bought a few more brads and some train stickers I have been wanting for a LO. I will post a pic when I make the page :). Abigail and I met Josh in Colfax for lunch. He introduced to the Imperial (Chinese). It was pretty good and nice size portions. I would say worth another visit. Then bug and I loaded up and headed to Moscow for a couple hours of walking around and a little shopping. It was nice to get out of the house for awhile. Sometimes I begin to feel like a caged mouse. Yes, I have things to do but it would be nice to be free from constrants. Josh has had the Subaru for the last couple of weeks to get to and from work and although we have another car it does not do snow well. The unfortunate thing about getting out is that we sometimes miss nap times (such as today). Although Abigail has been moving into a one nap a day schedule occasionally she still needs two. Today was a two nap day and she only got one. She is suprisingly in a good mood but she is obviously tired. So with that I sign off to help keep her happy between now, dinner and then promptly bed.

I have given in...

2008-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

To the craze that is blogging. I was sitting here thinking, "how can I let family and friends know about things going on w/o having to call them all" and it occured to me... blogging. So this is the first post of many (I hope-- unless I get bored which is common for me). Today has been a slow day. Abigail had to get her blood drawn again it is an every two week ritual that is sadistic at best. It does help us to keep her safe and healthy though. So far all of her blood work has been good. We have discovered that she has two tiny baby teeth just breaking the surface. We are excited about this new development, however I am not so sure Abigail is. Well the sleeping beauty has woken so I must go get her.