Thanks Chuck!

Today was the best day! Caley's playgroup went to Chuck E. Cheese's for Fiona's birthday and we all had a great time. I haven't been to Chuck's since I was maybe 12, so it was pretty nostalgic for me. It was also really cool to see all the kids sit together for pizza and cake. I love having a community of friends with kids!


Friends are fun!

Amelia didn't go on many rides, but she kept quite occupied with chewing on my sweater. Whatever works for ya...


We like pizza! And tickets!

She was really into the piece of cake and then it fell off her fork.

My darling Clementine's

When I was in high school, I worked at a local B&B called Clementine's. It was right next to my dad's dental office and I worked there for about 2 years. It was a great job, the innkeeper Judith was really flexible with letting me work when I was able. In the fall and winter I worked only on the weekends because I had sports, and in the spring she let me work only in the afternoons, and in the summer I worked full time. My job title was "do anything girl" and I definitely did everything. I learned how to fold hospital corners on beds, I cleaned the rooms top to bottom and cleaned when there was a stay-over. I answered the phone and made reservations. This was actually kind of hard because it was before everyone used the internet for everything and I actually had to write it down in a book and it got kind of confusing. I pulled weeds and mowed the grass. I picked up dog poop because Judith had two, sometimes three huge Australian shepherds that wandered around. In the summer when I worked more mornings, she would let me help in the kitchen too, and I'd collect nasturtium flowers to garnish the plates. After breakfast I'd be responsible for cleaning the kitchen too. I'd also be responsible for cleaning the birdcage and the common areas of the Inn. One time I got to make cookies with her Kitchenaid. That was pretty awesome to a 16-year-old.

She also had a separate building that used to be a restaurant, and they were in the process of converting it into two suites, so I helped with some of the major cleaning. One time I had to clean out the nasty kitchen area so it could be a little kitchenette for the Moose Temple Lodge. I almost barfed. I also almost barfed a few times when Judith made me clean her fridge.

The Inn was gorgeous, Judith really had a way of making things beautiful and welcoming. The Inn is an old Victorian home with tall ceilings and stained glass windows. Her kitchen had huge glass cabinets and shelves where she displayed her beautiful dishes. There was a huge island in the kitchen with pots hanging from the ceiling. Each room had a theme. There was the schoolhouse room, garden room, sunriser room, Clementine's suite, and the French Violet room. Next door there was the aforementioned Moose Lodge and above it the River View Loft. My favorite room was the French Violet because everything coordinated so beautifully and it was (suprise!) purple. It also had it's own bathroom. There were elegant featherbeds and sometimes I just wanted to take a nap while working.

Another reason I loved working at Clementine's was because of my coworker Katee. I was all of 16 and she was probably 24 or 25. She was/is awesome. She had such a fun way of looking at the world! She also did my hair for homecoming and prom in my senior year of high school and I think she did a great job. It was really fun to work with someone so fun, it made the gross jobs I had to do that much easier.

Working at Clementine's wasn't my favorite job, but I sure learned a lot and had a lot of fun at times. I would love to someday have a Bed and Breakfast or work in one again, but it's a lot of work!

Meet Minako

Meet our new "daughter"!

We are hosting Minako for the next few months. She is part of an international exchange through her high school in Japan. She and her classmates are in the US for 3 months and divided among local Christian schools. So far we have really enjoyed hosting her. She is so sweet! Caley loves her and is so excited when she comes home from school.

Please say hi if you see her with us.

Sisters

Sisters take care of one another.

Confession

Dear Everett Cost Cutter,

I'm writing to tell you something that's been wearing on my heart for a bit. You have served me and my family well these last 5 years. You always have a smile and you always offer help with the cart and the kids. It's just...there's someone else. His name is Meyer, Fred Meyer. He just does more for me. At Fred's I can buy underwear, towels, and bread. I can buy fresh ground peanut butter and high-quality meat. I can get a cup of Starbucks coffee and stroll around the store in peace because Caley's in Playland for an hour (for free!). You just don't have Playland. You have good prices, but Fred's just has so much more, and I can feel myself being seduced by Mr. Meyer. He just seems to have the whole package.

I promise to visit, I'll keep in touch. Maybe Fred is just a phase, a fling. I'm sorry.

-Addie

7 Years

As of today, Bill and I have been an official couple for seven years. Seven years ago I was all of 19 years old, a freshman in college and totally unaware of what God had planned for my life. Saying yes to Bill's question, written in magnetic poetry, "Will you go out with me" was the best decision ever.

This past weekend was great. Saturday we went skiing at Snoqualmie with some friends, and my dear friend Karina watched the kids all day. I love skiing, and had forgotten how much fun it is. We haven't been skiiing in 3 years, since a time before kids and all this stuff called life and parenthood. The whole day was like a much-needed and hopefully deserved sabbath for us. We got caught in traffic on the way home and I didn't even really mind because it meant more time away from reality. We picked up the kids and Caley fell asleep on the drive home and went straight to bed. We cooked some pizza, watched TV, and then took a hot tub. It was a nearly perfect day.

Sunday was Easter. At church there were some baptisms and an awesome message. There were also "spontaneous" baptisms for people who just felt the Spirit calling them to it, and our friends Rachael and Anson got baptized. That was amazing too, just seeing Jesus work so wonderfully.

Seven years ago I had a rough plan of my life, and to be honest it didn't look like this. But the way it's worked out is so much better than I ever could have planned. Maybe I should just stop planning in general because God probably would do a better job anyway.

Jeremiah 29:11

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' "

Go sit on the bucket!

Discipline with Caley these days is challenging. She's a good girl most of the time, but she has her share of time outs and reprimands. I guess it's just a process. We started making her sit on a bucket when she is in time out, to help her cement that she needs to stay in one place during time out. I hadn't thought of using a bucket, except that's what Bill's parents used when all the kids were growing up. A few years ago Bill's mom gave "the bucket" to Matt. She'd painted it with red letters-- "Go sit on the bucket!"

Tonight Caley's behavior was getting too crazy, she'd missed her nap, so she just went to bed early. She was in her bed, crying, and I was down stairs just contemplating the whole thing. I didn't want to just put her to bed. I didn't want to listen to her crying for me. I wanted to play with her and read her books and have her sing "Happy birthday to Sapphyre." But both Bill and I knew that in order for her to learn in the long run, we would have to have days like this. She had "made her bed" and now she'd have to sleep in it.

It made me think about God. We are God's children and sometimes he has to deal with us like we had to deal with Caley. That is, let us reap the consequences of our actions. It made me so sad to hear Caley crying, I just want to give her a hug but I knew it would only teach her it's okay to disobey Mommy and Daddy. I wonder how much more God wants to take us as his children when we do something wrong, but instead lets us deal with the natural consequences. When she'd calmed down and taken a little rest, we went into her room and gave her some milk like a normal nightime routine.

I'm sure it will just take time, maturity, patience, and grace for Caley's behavior to improve. God gives us children to sanctify us, and I can guarantee sanctification is a process.

My favorite things

Here are some things I think are really neat, maybe you might like them too.

-America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook- yummy recipes
-Baby Mum Mum- biscuits for the beginning eater, hardly any mess! I found them at Fred Meyer
-The library- all those books, cds and dvds for free!
-Ovusoft/Taking Charge of Your Fertility- goodbye hormones, hello understanding my body!
-Podrunner- change those workouts
and most of all
Jesus!

3 year old mischief

We recently got Caley a little lap table so she can color in the car. It's worked pretty well and her car behavior is getting a lot more manageable. But today instead of coloring the paper while I was driving, she colored her FACE! I totally didn't notice it until I'd stopped the car and got her out. But it was so cute and funny I wasn't even mad. I guess I learned not to trust her with pens, she'll be coloring with crayons in the car from now on.


And like most of the time, Amelia just sits quietly, taking it all in.



Photo credit: Acacia Bergin (all)

Croci

Thursdays are one of my favorites days because we have playgroup and sometimes I get a sitter in the afternoon for some "time off." Today was great, we went to a playgroup field trip, got some yummy lunch, then the girls went to the sitter and I got to go running. It was a beautiful day, I rocked out to my Podrunner music and ran hard. Along the road I saw some beautiful purple crocuses (or is it croci?) and it was a wonderful reminder that winter is on it's way out and the days will soon be getting longer and warmer. The changing of the seasons is such a wonderful time, such a beautiful reminder of God's glory and love for us. I love the winter because snow is fun and the holidays are great, but it's such a relief to not have to always have the heat on and wear eight layers of clothing.

Thank you Jesus for the sun, that it warms us and lets flowers grow and add color to a cold world.

To our Caley

Dear Caley,
Today you turn 3 years old. You have grown into such a beautiful little girl with such a good heart. You have taught us patience and we have been amazed at how much you know and remember about the world. Three years ago today we held you in our arms for the first time, and you made us a family instead of just a couple. Looking back, we wonder how we ever lived without you in our lives. Our prayer for you is that you continue to grow in knowledge and love of Jesus and your family. Our prayer is that you live a God-honoring life and make Him as your focus. We look forward to seeing you gain new skills and understanding, and we feel honored that Jesus chose us to be your parents.
We love you, little monkey.

-Mommy and Daddy

3 years!

Today is Caley's 3rd birthday. We had a party on Saturday and it was a lot of fun (and a lot of work). Friends, family, games, crafts, and cake! Caley had fun with her friends and grandparents, cousins, and Uncle Davey.








Today we wondered whether we should even try to tell her that it's her actual birthday, and to be honest when I woke up this morning I kind of forgot! So I tried to tell her, "Caley, it's your birthday"--blank stare--"I had a birthday party" she said. It's a hard concept to grasp, that's okay. So today we just had a normal day but I let her do most everything she wanted. Here's her 3rd birthday in pictures.

Amelia's New Trick!

Amelia can sit alone! Yay! Although only when wearing a disposable diaper. We had this problem with Caley...she didn't sit (or roll, or do much of anything) and I started to wonder if it was because of the cloth diapers. That might have contributed, but she didn't do much even with a disposable. Anyway, Amelia is still working on balancing on her butt while wearing a cloth diaper, but she's figured it out while wearing a disposable one. Check out this video...



She's also started eating solids, which is pretty exciting. Rice cereal isn't quite gourmet food, but it's something different than breast milk at least!

Obligatory Christmas Letter and Happy New Year!

As we finish up 2007 and look into the new year, we wanted to share how the year has gone for each of us and how God has changed us these last 12 months. So often Christmas letters are all about what we have done, but really it's more important to look at what God has allowed us to do, and how He has changed us over the year. (Okay, I "stole" this concept from Pastor JD here).

Amelia- I started out 2007 as a bean-sized version in Mommy's belly and she selflessly gave me nourishment until I decided to be born in August. So far I really like it on the outside, although some days (like when Caley jumps on me) I wonder why I wanted to leave my home before this one. But the locals are pretty nice, Daddy is really funny and he tickles me, Mommy still gives me nourishment but I have to work harder than before. The little one, Caley, is my best friend. She loves me even though she can be rough. One time she climbed in my crib and it was a nice wake-up call, it made me laugh.

Caley- I'm not sure what I did to deserve to have my world turned upside down when Amelia was born. That was a big shock. I thought Mommy and Daddy meant I would get a new doll when they said Mommy had a baby in her tummy. But it turns out the world is pretty good on the other side. Amelia is really cool and I love to sing to her and play with her. She always laughs at my jokes and so far she doesn't steal my toys. Also this year I learned how to potty in the toilet and now I'm a big girl! When I potty in the toilet I get tattoos and they're really cool.

Addie- God changed me a lot this year, it's all the process of sanctification I guess. Having two kids is a lot harder, yet more rewarding, than just one. God has changed my heart on a few issues and (I hope) made me a better person, although I am reminded daily of how much I still need Jesus (thanks Caley). I've learned that being a wife and a mom are my primary callings right now and it's a relief to not have the burdening question of "what am I going to be?" Hopefully the momentum will continue!

Billy-

Our hopes for 2008 are that God would continue to change us for the better and give us much for which to be thankful!

Merry Christmas--Jesus is born!

Merry Christmas! Thank you Jesus for coming to the earth in such a miraculous way and for allowing us to live and celebrate your birth! We had a wonderful Christmas and it feels like it's lasted many days because we did the Gerlach side on Sunday, our own little Christmas on Monday, and the Bales side on Tuesday. We also celebrated Uncle Davey and Papa Bales' birthday. Later Christmas day we hosted the Runyan and Noorda family and made cornish hens with cranberry thyme sauce, wild rice pilaf with pecans, and haricots verts (green beans) and red pepper.

Here's a little picture of how we celebrated this season.

Cornish game hen with double-cranberry and thyme sauce

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
1 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-pound Cornish game hen, halved, backbone removed, rinsed, patted dry
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup white grape juice
1/3 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Blend 2 tablespoons butter, sugar, and 2 teaspoons thyme in small bowl. Sprinkle hen halves with salt and pepper. Spread skin of each with half of butter mixture. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add hen halves, skin side down. Sear until deep brown, about 4 minutes. Turn, skin side up, and sear 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer hen halves, skin side up, to small rimmed baking sheet. Reserve skillet (mixture will be dark). Roast hen halves until cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with fork, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon flour in small bowl. Add broth, grape juice, cranberry concentrate, and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme to reserved skillet. Boil until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup, whisking often, about 7 minutes. Whisk in flour mixture and cranberries. Simmer until sauce coats spoon, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hen halves to plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.

Sauteed haricots verts, red bell peppers, and almonds

1 1/2 pounds haricots verts (or other slender green beans), trimmed

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-size red bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch dice (2 cups)
3 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup almonds, toasted

Preparation

Cook haricots verts in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool quickly and drain again.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers; sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add butter to same skillet; melt. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add haricots verts. Sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Mix in nuts; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl.

Wild rice and toasted pecan pilaf

1 cup pecan halves, chopped coarse
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and sliced thin lengthwise
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups wild rice (about 1 pound), rinsed well in several changes of water and drained
4 1/2 cups chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small baking pan toss the pecans with the butter, the thyme, and the salt until they are coated well and toast them in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are crisp and fragrant.

In a flameproof casserole cook the onion and the bell pepper in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until they are just softened, and with a slotted spoon transfer them to a bowl. Add the rice to the casserole and cook it, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, heated to boiling, and salt and pepper to taste and bring the mixture to a boil. Bake the mixture, covered, in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes. Stir in the onion mixture, bake the pilaf, covered, for 30 minutes more, or until the rice is tender and the broth has been absorbed, and stir in the pecans.

Amelia's rolling!

Here's a cute clip of Amelia showing off her new rolling skills! We didn't expect her to do this so soon, because Caley didn't roll over until 8 months or something. She was a little motor delayed, not that you'd be able to tell now! Enjoy!

Welcome baby!

It's been a few weeks but I still wanted to post a welcome to our new nephew Mason! He was born November 29 at 4:25 pm. This is Matt and Becky's 3rd child, and Bill's parents 13th grandchild. We think he looks like Teija in this picture. Welcome Mason! You are already loved by so many!


November 29 at 4:25 pm. He weighed 8 lbs 2 oz, 20 inches long.

In Sickness and in Health

Saturday morning I (Addie) woke up with a stomachache and just felt awful all around. Around 1030 I got up and felt the vomit coming on, and woke up a few minutes later on the floor. Apparently I had passed out and hit my head on the floor! Thankfully Bill was there and helped me recover the rest of the day, all the while taking care of both kids AND cleaning the kitchen! Thank you Jesus for giving me the best husband for me. And he's a hottie too!

Snowbabies

Saturday we got a big surprise when it started to snow! Caley was so excited and wanted to play in it and eat it. Last year she was more afraid of the snow than anything so it was fun that she actually likes it now. She made a snowman with Daddy and had a snowball fight. Amelia wanted to play too but her snowsuit was a little constricting, like Ralphie's little brother Randy in "A Christmas Story." Maybe next year she'll have a snowball fight with Caley and Daddy too.