Day 5: A Favorite Quote

"Common sense isn't so common." Mark Driscoll

Day 4: A Favorite Book

I'm not sure what my favorite book is of all time. For being a former English major, I don't read very much, except online things. This makes me sad and I'm hoping to change my amount of reading by making more time for it, to read both fiction and non-fiction.

However, I aspire to being a big reader and helping my kids love reading. I hope they know good books from "twaddle" and look to reading before other hobbies.

One of my favorite books is "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I never read these books as a kid and wish I had. I love how she describes their daily life and the care and attention that goes into everything they do. Within the first few chapters she intricately details how Ma makes head cheese. Awesome.

I've been reading the other books in the Little House series and am currently on "Farmer Boy." I hope to read all these series with the girls and do some coordinating homeschooling curricula. Maybe not to the extent of making head cheese, but at least learning about the process. So far Caley and I have read "Little House in the Big Woods" and she really enjoyed it, especially when we started watching the Little House TV show videos from the library. It's such wholesome entertainment, with good family values, I can't wait to read the books with our kids.

Day 3: A Favorite Television Program

If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE the TV show FRIENDS. Love love love this show! Maybe too much. No...never!

I first started watching FRIENDS in high school, when it was just the reruns. At first I was really confused because I jumped into the middle of season 5 or so and missed the really early episodes. By college I had it down to a specific science what my Thursday nights looked like. Thankfully God provided a fellow FRIENDS loving roommate who didn't mind my obsession. We also loved watching over and over again the three taped movies we had, one being "So I Married an Axe Murderer." Really what more was there to do in Mercer Hall?!

Anyway...which FRIENDS character am I, you may ask? 10 years ago I would have answered Phoebe, but now I am a definite clean-freak Monica (wish I was as skinny as Monica too). I used to spend obscene amounts of time watching the episodes while folding laundry during Caley's naptime. Now I can't seem to find the time, which is probably a good thing. During my pregnancy with Wesley, I did watch more than usual, but that was because naptime wasn't the time I worked out as it is now.

I will leave you with a few of my favorite FRIENDS clips...

-Chandler quits the gym

-Seven

-Joey speaks French

-Joey on Pyramid

-Ross' sandwich

-Ross & Rachel drunk

-Pivot!

-Phoebe cusses

Day 2: A Favorite Movie

One of my favorite movies is The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The Notebook is one of those movies I thought would be stupid, juvenile and predictable. I wasn't very interested in ever watching it until Bill rented it one night. (Usually that's how it works, Bill makes me watch some movie I think will be totally stupid, and I end up loving it. Unfortunately it doesn't work the same way when I choose a movie. In those cases it ends up being a waste of time and Bill complains.) We lived in the Lynnwood townhouse at the time, and I think it was before we had Caley. It turned out to be such a wonderful movie, especially one to watch with my husband (who really liked it too). We watch it maybe once a year, and if it were up to me we'd watch it more.

I think what makes it such a great movie is the chemistry between the two lead actors. I think they actually dated in real life, after filming the movie. It seems like most actors don't know how to act, which can be really frustrating given how much going to a movie costs. I don't claim to be a film critic, but The Notebook is worth your time if you haven't seen it. (I should also add that there are some "mature themes" and my kids will not be watching this movie until they are married.) haha

Day 1: A Favorite Song

I love music. One of my favorite pasttimes is working in the kitchen and listening to Pandora music. I love many types of music, some more than others, but some music I can't take too much of. When thinking of a favorite song, not my #1 favorite song (which I'd have to think about for a while), the one that came to mind is, get ready for it, Britney Spears' "Toxic." Didn't see that one coming, did you? :) Listen to it here.

There's something addictive about this song that gets my booty shakin' when I'm in the kitchen preparing dinner, or cleaning the bathroom, or driving (usually I avoid this kind of music when the kids are in the car). It just makes me smile and have fun, it makes my poop-smeared elbows not stink so bad, my messy hair not look so bad, and makes vacuuming a lot more fun.

30 days

I found this list online of blog ideas, and I thought it'd be fun to try. This is mostly for my writing practice. Read it, don't read it, I don't really care. These won't be done every day, but as often as I can find the time. Enjoy!

Day 1 - a favorite song
Day 2 - a favorite movie
Day 3 - a favorite television program
Day 4 - a favorite book
Day 5 - a favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of your favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where you live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - your worst habit
Day 28 - what's in your handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future

The REUNION

For the last year I and two other high school classmates have been planning our 10 year reunion. It started actually back in high school when I ran for class president and lost. The guy who won never seemed to be the kind of "planner" person so I told my classmates, "You'll see in 10 years when he doesn't plan a reunion, I'll end up doing it." So last summer when Mr. President hadn't started any planning, I assumed the role.

I started by making a Facebook group for our class. It was very exciting to see people join and get excited about the reunion. Laurel and Scott contacted me and said they wanted to help, which was perfect because Laurel lives in Astoria and Scott is an organizational master and, oh yeah, I was having a baby in January.

After many emails, Skype meetings, Google documents, a trip to Astoria, and another week-long trip to Astoria, we pulled it off this past weekend.

Friday August 6 we had a barbecue at the high school which included a guided tour by the vice principal Mr. Jackson because the school has undergone major renovations and additions since we graduated. Everyone who attended seemed to like it and it was fun to see people's kids. Afterward there was a bonfire at the beach which I skipped out on because I was worried the car would get stuck in the sand and/or I'd feel uncomfortable around buzzed classmates. Instead Bill and I went on a mini-date a a local bar/restaurant. (I got a little buzzed...)

Saturday we had a no-kids, cash-bar, formal dinner at the Astoria Country Club. Being the planner and person most-easily talked into things, I even gave a little speech. Bill coached me a bit and told me to start with a joke, which I did, and it made the rest of the speech a lot less nerve-wracking for me.

"So the Stomper (high school mascot), goes into a bar, and he has a ship's wheel stuffed down his pants. The bartender says, 'Dude, you have a wheel down your pants!' To which the Stomper replies, 'Aye, matey, it's drivin' me nuts!'" Laugh laugh laugh OMG Addie Bales just said NUTS!

Saturday's dinner ran into a few hiccups such as the kitchen only making food for 40 people when we'd confirmed 65 were attending! Thankfully the kitchen staff was easy to work with so there ended up being plenty of food. And although we'd expected 65 people, 76 showed up! This was both good and bad, meaning we got paid more at the door than we expected, but also had to throw together two extra tables. Thankfully most everyone was understanding and patient, perhaps in part that the drinks at the bar were ridiculously inexpensive so people just visited and sipped on their Cosmos longer than originally expected. We also coordinated a class picture which was so fun! We also had trivia questions and raffled off several prizes, mostly donations from local Astoria businesses. We also had a memorial table for the only classmate who has passed away, Courtney, and on Sunday presented the vase o' memories and a few other things to her father, which he appreciated very much. Scott put together a slideshow of people since high school, which was very well-done. And nobody did anything embarrassing or got really drunk, which was my primary worry. A week prior I'd had a nightmare that I was standing on a scary ledge in the high school auditorium and broke the ladder and fell off of it. I'm so thankful that didn't really happen, I stayed on two feet the entire time!

Sunday we had a picnic at Coffenbury Lake and it was a low-key, less-attended event but I think it was a nice way to end the weekend. It seemed like over half (maybe even 75%) of the classmates we invited attend one or all of the events, which was really encouraging. It was also a blessing that the three of us planners were able to be reimbursed our initial expenses and our class was able to donate money to Astoria High School.

This was my big project for the summer (and the year!) and I'm glad it's over, and even more glad people had a good time. GO Fishermen!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Today Amelia is 3 years old. We are so thankful for her and that she was placed in our family.

We love you Amelia!

We love your sweet heart, your peaceful spirit, how much you love your sister and brother, and how much you love your friends. You are learning so much every day, it's beautiful to see. You are beginning to understand more about Jesus and that he sacrificed for you. You are beginning to recognize letters and words and you love to look at books. You love to dance to music and sing songs. You love to be silly with Caley and with your friends, especially Mina and Max. You are no longer a baby!

We love you, we love seeing you learn and grow, and can't wait to watch you turn into the woman God will have you become.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Pot (or, our backyard project update)

July 6th we celebrated out 8th wedding anniversary! I am so thankful to have married Bill, he is such a blessing to my life. I didn't know that the guy I asked to dance at swing dancing class would turn out to be such an awesome husband, but he is!

Pottery is the gift for 8th wedding anniversaries and that's what we've been working on lately, specifically the backyard patio and firepit (pictures in another blog post). The entire project has taken over a year, which I guess is appropriate since it took our entire 8th year of marriage to complete. Of course we did other things this year too, like have a baby, but whatever. The attention to detail and planning on Bill's part is truly amazing. For the patio we hired a landscaping company but Bill helped with some labor and we worked out a deal with the company. Bill made the back stone porch all by himself though! That thing is a rock. In 100 years when our house is falling apart or if there's an earthquake, that thing will still be standing strong! He had to dig really deep and pour cement to make a solid foundation. The same can be said for the firepit. When Adam was living here over the winter we didn't ask him to pay rent, but we did ask him to dig a huge hole in our backyard for the firepit foundation. It looked a little odd for quite a while.

I haven't even mentioned that Bill also built the back slider porch last summer. Or that he also repaired the playhouse floor (with the help of my dad), walls, and carpet. And now he's tackling painting the outside of the playhouse. Or that he also is redoing the third garage. And building lawn furniture from the old deck wood. This guy never stops! But through all of it he continued to be a wonderful dad and husband, playing with the kids and spending time with us. All these are good reasons I'm thankful I married him eight years ago.

The original deck!
We took it out all by hand.
A pastor from our church helped us build new posts to support the upstairs deck and re-side the area that was below the original deck.
Hauling in tons (literally) of gravel after digging out more dirt where the deck was.
Screeting sand for the back stone porch.
Look what Bill did! That's a lot of cinder block!
Almost done!
Ta-da!

I'm not sure how many total hours this project took, but it's been a labor of love that we will get to enjoy for many years to come.

Month 6

We've made it halfway to a year, hooray! Today Wesley is 6 months old. It's an odd feeling because it seems like he's always been in our family. I wouldn't say our family is "complete" however, the question of "will we have more kids" has not yet been answered. But I definitely feel like Wesley rounds out our family quite perfectly for the moment. For once I'm not anxious to move onto the next stage, but fairly content with where we are in this parenting adventure. I really am enjoying each stage the three kids are in right now.

Caley is becoming so "grown up," reading independently, making authentic friendships and being a greatly nurturing big sister. Amelia is hot on Caley's heels and sometimes it's hard for me to tell the two apart from a distance. Out of the corner of my eye I'll see Amelia in an outfit Caley used to wear and have to double-take to make sure which girl it is. She has a temperament unique from Caley, which is neither good nor bad. She's so close to being potty trained, yet I will have to break down and buy another box of diapers tomorrow because we only have one more in her size. Poor kid had to wear a size 2 (Wesley's) today in a pinch. She's initiating about 50% of the time, and "holding it" adequately, especially when I'm distracted and forget to remind her to use the potty.

Wesley is blossoming into an inquisitive, grabby, drooly sitter. He started maintaining sitting a few days ago, in a disposable diaper, and has gotten quite proficient at it so I may see how he does while in a cloth diaper soon. (The big butt of cloth diapers has always interfered with my babies sitting skills.)He's using the bath seat too which makes bathtime much more fun. He's also becoming a pesky sleeper, with the hot weather I feel bad bundling him up like an eskimo but it's the only way to get him to sleep. I've been swaddling him really tight with at least two blankets and safety pinning the swaddle shut, yet he still seems to wiggle out. He also frequently rolls over (while swaddled) during nap/bedtime. He also grabs at anything and everything, including phones, keys, his sister's hair, anything. Wesley has also expanded his palate to include yogurt and sweet potatoes since last month. Soon we will try mangoes, peas, nectarines, and oatmeal.

It's hard to believe that 6 months ago today Wesley came into the world. We are so thankful God brought him into our family. Time really does move too fast.

We love you Wesley! In another 6 months you'll be stuffing your face with cake! :)